How much can you borrow for a UAE mortgage?

UAE banks size your mortgage on two independent caps. The debt-burden ratio (DBR) limits all your loan and card repayments to 50% of gross monthly income, and the Central Bank income-multiple rule caps total financing at 7× annual income for expats and non-residents, or 8× for UAE nationals. Your maximum loan is the lower of the two. On an AED 20,000 basic plus AED 5,000 housing allowance with no other debts, that works out to roughly AED 1.89M of borrowing.

For a first home under AED 5 million the minimum down payment is 20% for expats (80% LTV), 15% for UAE nationals (85% LTV), and 40% for non-residents (60% LTV). Above AED 5 million the caps tighten. Second homes and off-plan purchases require larger deposits: the LTV drops to 60–65% for a second property (a 35–40% deposit) and 50% on off-plan. On top of the deposit budget 7–8% of the price in transfer, agency, registration and valuation fees.

Budget for the Land Department transfer fee — 4% of the price in Dubai, 2% in Abu Dhabi and 2% in Sharjah — plus the agency commission, mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290, a AED 580 title-deed fee, a registration-trustee fee and a property valuation. Together these typically add 7–8% of the purchase price to your deposit, and the calculator shows the exact total cash to buy for your own numbers.

Yes. A UAE mortgage must be fully repaid by the maximum age at maturity your lender allows — typically 65 for expats and non-residents and 70 for UAE nationals. Your maximum term is that age limit minus your current age, capped at 25 years. A shorter term raises the monthly payment, which lowers the loan the 50% DBR test will allow.

Non-residents buying from abroad can still get a UAE mortgage, but banks cap the loan-to-value lower — usually around 60% for a first home (a 40% deposit) and often 50% for a second home or off-plan. The income multiple is the same 7× as a resident expat. Rates are set by the lender and salary-transfer discounts generally don't apply, so choose Non-resident above to model the tighter LTV.

It did not — the debt cap itself has not moved. The Debt Burden Ratio has been capped at 50% of gross monthly income under Regulation No. 29/2011, Article (7)(a) throughout, and it binds every borrower: UAE nationals and expatriates alike, with no separate expat limit. What did change, and what the question is usually reaching for, is the loan-to-value side. The instrument there is Circular No. 31/2013 — “Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans”, Article (3). Effective 28 December 2013; amended by Board Resolution 31/2/2020. Article (3) “Important Ratios” sets the LTV caps, the 25-year tenor cap and the income multiple. Those amended caps are the ones this calculator applies — a first home up to AED 5M at 80% for an expat and 85% for a UAE national. Individual lenders may underwrite tighter than any of these; the Central Bank figure is a ceiling, not a target. We re-read this rulebook on an annual cycle, and this set was last verified on 2026-07-29.

There is no single number, and this calculator does not use one — it works your maximum out from two ceilings at once. The Debt Burden Ratio caps every monthly repayment you have, the new mortgage included, at 50% of gross monthly income under Regulation No. 29/2011, Article (7)(a), and Circular No. 31/2013, Article (3) separately caps total financing at 7× annual income for an expat and 8× for a UAE national. Worked through this page's own engine at the July 2026 5-bank median of 3.99% over 25 years: an expat buying a first home at AED 1,000,000 borrows AED 800,000 at the 80% loan-to-value cap, repays AED 4,218 a month, and needs about AED 9,600 a month of counted income to clear both ceilings with no other debts — the income multiple binds first, not the 50% DBR. Counted income is not your gross package: the calculator counts basic salary at 100%, housing allowance at 50% and other allowances at 0%, so the salary on your contract has to be higher than that figure.

Our own lender-sourced data does not crown a single winner, and it is more useful to see why than to be given a name. We track 15 UAE home-finance products from 12 lenders, each taken from that lender's own key-facts statement and last verified 2026-08; their advertised starting rates run from 3.50% to 4.69%. The lowest advertised start in that set is Commercial Bank International's CBI Home Loan at 3.50%, with Sharjah Islamic Bank's SIB Residential Real Estate Finance next at 3.75%. Our two sources disagree and we publish both rather than pick one: the Mortgease UAE mortgage rate tracker (broker aggregator) we cite for market bands puts the market floor at 3.75% on a 1-year fixed from Sharjah Islamic Bank as of July 2026, and does not carry Commercial Bank International's 3.50% at all. Treat any advertised "from" rate as a floor rather than an offer — what you are actually quoted turns on salary transfer, your employer's approved list, loan-to-value and property type, not on your nationality. This calculator defaults to the 5-bank median of 3.99%.

No. Circular No. 31/2013, Article (3) sets a maximum loan-to-value, so a deposit is compulsory. On a first home up to AED 5 million the cap is 80% for an expat (20% down) and 85% for a UAE national (15% down); above AED 5 million it tightens to 70% expat (30% down) and 75% national (25% down). A second or subsequent property is capped at 60% expat / 65% national at any price, and an off-plan purchase at 50% for both. Those caps apply to the property price only — the Land Department transfer fee, agency commission, registration and valuation are separate cash on top, and the calculator totals them for you. UAE nationals can also apply for housing support through the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment; that is a government programme, not a higher Central Bank cap.

Mortgage pre-approval takes 3-7 business days with required documents. Full approval after selecting a property takes 2-4 weeks, including property valuation, legal checks, and final underwriting. Total process from application to disbursement is typically 4-6 weeks.

Required documents: Valid passport with UAE residence visa, Emirates ID, salary certificate, 6 months' bank statements, employment contract, and passport photo. Self-employed applicants need 2-3 years' audited accounts and trade license.

DBR (Debt Burden Ratio) is the Central Bank rule capping your total monthly debt repayments at 50% of gross monthly income, under Regulation No. 29/2011, Article (7)(a). It binds every borrower — UAE nationals and expatriates alike; there is no separate expat limit. It counts the instalment on the new mortgage alongside car loans, personal loans and credit-card minimum repayments, so every commitment you already carry reduces what is left to lend against. It is one of four ceilings this calculator applies — loan-to-value, DBR, the income multiple and the 25-year tenor cap — and a bank lends up to the lowest of them.