Real Estate License Dubai 2026: Full Process, Costs & Exam

`real estate license dubai` rose 20% in UAE search interest in 2026. Here is the full process.

Note: fees and requirements change. Verify current figures with DLD, RERA and DREI before proceeding. Figures below are indicative for 2026.

Two things people confuse

The broker card (individual licence). What an individual needs to work as a real estate broker in Dubai. This article.

The brokerage trade licence (company licence). What a company needs to operate a brokerage. Covered in Article 77.

You need the first to work as an agent. You need both to run your own firm.

Eligibility

• UAE residence visa. You must be employed by, or in the process of being employed by, a licensed Dubai real estate brokerage. You cannot obtain a broker card independently — it is tied to a sponsoring brokerage.
• Valid passport and Emirates ID.
• Good conduct certificate may be required.
• Educational requirements are generally modest; the certified training course is the substantive requirement.

The practical sequence: secure a position with a licensed brokerage first. They sponsor your visa and your broker card application. Applying without an employer is not possible.

Step 1 — Secure employment with a licensed brokerage

Verify the firm holds a valid DET trade licence covering real estate brokerage and is RERA-registered. Working for a non-compliant firm means you cannot obtain a valid card.

Ask about: the commission split, whether they cover training and licensing costs (many do, sometimes recoverable from commission), lead provision, training and mentorship, and visa sponsorship terms.

Step 2 — Complete the certified training course

Delivered by the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) — DLD's training arm — or approved providers.

Content: UAE and Dubai property law; DLD and RERA regulation; the registration system, Oqood and title deeds; agency forms A, B, I and F; escrow and off-plan regulation; tenancy law and Ejari; the code of conduct; marketing and Trakheesi compliance; and transaction procedures.

Duration: typically a multi-day intensive course, often around four days, available in classroom and online formats. Available in English and Arabic.

Cost: approximately AED 3,000–4,000.

Step 3 — Pass the RERA examination

Format: multiple choice, computer-based, at an approved testing centre.

Content: drawn from the training syllabus — law, regulation, procedures, forms, ethics.

Cost: approximately AED 700–1,000.

Preparation: the course covers the syllabus. Candidates who fail typically did so by treating it as a formality. Study the regulatory framework specifically — the forms, the notice periods, the escrow requirements and the rental index tiers are heavily examined and they are also the things you will actually use daily.

If you fail, you can retake, paying the examination fee again.

Step 4 — Apply for the broker card

Your employing brokerage submits the application to RERA/DLD with:

• Passport, visa and Emirates ID copies
• Training completion certificate
• Examination pass result
• Photograph
• Employment documentation
• Good conduct certificate if required

Cost: approximately AED 1,000–2,000 for issuance.

Timeline: typically one to three weeks after the exam.

Result: a broker card with a unique broker number, which is what clients verify via the Dubai REST app.

Step 5 — Start working, compliantly

With a valid card you may: broker sales and leases; sign Forms A, B and I; apply for Trakheesi advertising permits; and represent clients in transactions.

You must: display your broker number on advertising materials; obtain a Trakheesi permit for every listing; use the prescribed DLD forms; and comply with the RERA code of conduct.

Total cost and time

Timeline: 3–6 weeks from starting the course to holding the card, assuming you pass first time and have employment in place.

Many brokerages cover these costs, sometimes recoverable against your first commissions. Establish this in writing before you start.

Renewal

Annual. Requires continued employment with a licensed brokerage, renewal fees, and in some cases continuing professional development.

If you change employer, the card must be transferred to the new brokerage. It is not portable independently — it exists only in connection with a sponsoring firm.

If you leave the industry, the card lapses.

What the licence does not give you

It does not make you competent. The course teaches regulation, not negotiation, market knowledge or building-level detail. Those take years.

It does not give you leads. New agents are commission-only in most Dubai firms. Your first six months are prospecting.

It does not guarantee income. Dubai brokerage has very high turnover precisely because many entrants do not survive the initial unpaid period.

The realistic first year

Months 1–3: licensing, training, learning the market, building a database, prospecting. Income likely minimal or zero.

Months 4–6: first transactions if you are working systematically. Income sporadic.

Months 7–12: if you have specialised in a community and built referral flow, income becomes more predictable.

Requirements to survive it: savings covering six to twelve months of living costs; a specific community or segment focus from day one; and a systematic prospecting habit rather than waiting for portal leads.

The agents who succeed in Dubai are almost universally the ones who picked a community, learned it exhaustively, and worked it for years. The ones who fail are usually the ones who covered "all of Dubai" and knew none of it.

The other licences worth knowing

Property management: requires appropriate licensing and, for owners' association management, separate RERA registration.

Valuation: requires specific qualification and registration; RICS membership is a strong additional credential.

Owners' association management: RERA-registered OA managers, a specialist field.

Real estate development: developer registration with RERA, project registration, and escrow account establishment.