Ras Al Khaimah property buying costs, explained

Budgeting for a Ras Al Khaimah purchase means separating two things that often get blurred together: the registration fee the land department charges on a sale, and the costs a specific developer sets out in its own payment plan. This guide covers both, using only what is published, and flags clearly what still needs to be confirmed before you commit a number to a spreadsheet.

The registration fee for a completed sale

Ras Al Khaimah's land department, through the municipality's ZL13 "Real Estate Sale Contract" service, registers a property sale for 2% of the market value charged to the seller and 2% charged to the buyer, plus a flat AED 200 for plan issuance and AED 200 for title issuance. A no-objection certificate from the developer is required to resell a freehold property. This is the registration fee for a completed sale; the stated processing time for the service is three working days.

What this looks like on the entry prices in our selection

The table below recalculates 2% of each project's published starting price, to show what the buyer's share of the registration fee would be at entry price. These are illustrative figures on the published starting price, not a quote for a specific unit: the actual fee is based on the market value used at registration, which your adviser confirms for the unit you reserve.

Project	Entry price	Buyer's 2% (illustrative)
Cape Hayat	AED 700,000	AED 14,000
Nura	AED 800,000	AED 16,000
Skai	AED 877,000	AED 17,540
Lunara at The Strand	AED 1.28 million	AED 25,600
Radisson Blu Hotels, RAK Central	AED 1.35 million	AED 27,000
Tonino Lamborghini Residences	AED 1.69 million	AED 33,800
Aqua Arc / Pelagia	AED 2.3 million	AED 46,000

Add AED 400 in each case for plan and title issuance. The seller pays a matching 2%, which does not affect the buyer's budget on a purchase but is worth knowing if you plan to resell later.

What is not published: off-plan registration fees

The 2%-plus-2% figure above is published for a completed sale. Ras Al Khaimah's land department has not published a separate, general fee schedule for registering an off-plan reservation itself, so that cost is confirmed project by project and with your adviser before you reserve. The one disclosed example in our current selection is Costa Mare, where the project page states an AED 3,000 RERA fee at reservation and a further 4% due at handover for title registration; that figure is specific to Costa Mare and is not a general Ras Al Khaimah rule for every off-plan project.

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Other costs to budget for, confirmed case by case

Service charges. Not published for any project in our Ras Al Khaimah selection; confirmed by the developer once a unit is handed over.
Agency fees, if any. Orven does not charge buyers a fee on top of the purchase price unless explicitly agreed in writing; confirm this with your adviser before reserving.
Financing costs. Bank financing for international buyers is possible for some profiles, always subject to the lender's approval, and comes with its own fees set by the bank, not by Orven or the developer.

Do not apply Dubai's cost structure here

Dubai's 4% Dubai Land Department fee and its Oqood off-plan registration are specific to Dubai. Ras Al Khaimah runs its own system through its own land department, at the 2%-plus-2% rate above for a completed sale. Our guide on where your money goes in a Dubai escrow account covers how Dubai's off-plan payments are protected; the equivalent arrangement for an off-plan reservation in Ras Al Khaimah is confirmed with your adviser, not assumed from how Dubai works.

Building a realistic budget with Orven

Before you reserve, ask your adviser for three figures in writing: the project's current entry price for the typology you want, the registration fee based on that price, and any project-specific reservation fee such as Costa Mare's. That gives you a complete, confirmed number rather than an estimate built on a general rule that may not apply to your project. Message Orven on WhatsApp at +971 52 776 1939 or by email at sales@orvenproperties.com with the project you are considering, and your adviser sets out the full cost picture.

FAQ

What is the registration fee for a property sale in Ras Al Khaimah? 2% of the market value charged to the buyer and 2% to the seller, through the land department's ZL13 service, plus AED 200 for the plan and AED 200 for the title.

Are off-plan registration fees in Ras Al Khaimah published? Not as a general schedule. The one disclosed project example is Costa Mare, with an AED 3,000 RERA fee at reservation and 4% at handover for title registration; other projects confirm their own fees with your adviser.

Does Ras Al Khaimah use the same fee structure as Dubai? No. Dubai's registration fee is 4% total through the Dubai Land Department, with Oqood for off-plan sales. Ras Al Khaimah has its own land department and its own 2%-plus-2% structure for a completed sale.

Are service charges included in these figures? No. Service charges are not published for the projects in our Ras Al Khaimah selection and are confirmed by the developer once a unit is handed over.

Does Orven charge buyers a separate fee? Not on top of the purchase price unless explicitly agreed in writing beforehand. Confirm this directly with your adviser before reserving any unit.