Every UAE emirate requires tenancy contract registration, but each has its own system with different names, portals, fees, responsibilities, and penalties. This quick reference covers all seven.
At a Glance
| Emirate | System | Portal | Fee | Who Registers | Consequence of not registering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Ejari | Dubai REST / AQARI | AED 177.75 online / AED 220 at a trustee centre | Tenant/Agent | The Rental Disputes Centre will not hear a dispute; DEWA connection and many visa steps require the certificate |
| Abu Dhabi | Tawtheeq | tamm.abudhabi / dari.ae | AED 50 per contract (<4 yrs) | Landlord ONLY | see Law 2/2025 — administrative fine up to AED 2,000,000 |
| Sharjah | Municipality | Sharjah Municipality | 4% rent + taxes | Landlord (15-day deadline) | Emergency judge compulsion |
| Ajman | Tasdeeq | tasdeeq.am.gov.ae | 2% of the rental value, min AED 400 (expatriates); no fee for UAE citizens | 1 business day | Limited |
| RAK | RAK Municipality (Land & Property Section) | SANAD portal (rak.ae) | Application AED 50 res / AED 100 comm + 5% of annual rent (min AED 200 res / AED 500 comm), collected via the EWE bill | Varies | Limited |
| Fujairah | EJAAR | ejaar.fujmun.gov.ae | FREE (AED 105 transfer fee) | Varies | Reported to render the contract null and void (pending primary verification) |
| UAQ | Smart UAQ | portal.uaq.ae | 2% + AED 44 | Varies | Limited |
Detailed Breakdown
Dubai: Ejari ("My Rent")
- Authority: Dubai Land Department (DLD) / RERA
- Legal basis: registration is mandatory under Law 33/2008, Article 4(2). The law sets no fixed day-count and no fixed fine — any "within N days" figure you see is an operational target, not a statutory deadline
- Practical consequence: without an Ejari certificate the Rental Disputes Centre will not hear a dispute, and DEWA connection / many visa steps cannot proceed
- Fee: AED 177.75 online (Dubai REST) / AED 220 at a Real Estate Services Trustee centre
- Language: Arabic required (English acceptable if attested)
- Key requirement: DEWA premises number
- Methods: Dubai REST app, AQARI WhatsApp, typing centres
Abu Dhabi: Tawtheeq ("Attestation")
- Authority: DMT / ADREC
- Key difference: Only landlord or property manager can register — tenant cannot
- Language: Arabic required (bilingual OK, English-only REJECTED)
- Methods: TAMM portal, DARI platform
- Penalties: reported in the range AED 5,000-500,000
- Note: a temporary 0% rent-increase freeze applies to renewals from 3 June 2026 (ADREC) until further notice; renewals stay at the last registered Tawtheeq value
Sharjah: Municipality Attestation
- Authority: Sharjah Municipality (Rent Regulation Department)
- Deadline: 15 days from contract drafting (landlord responsible)
- Cost: 4% attestation + 5% housing + 2% rental tax
- Unique: attestation is a prerequisite for the SEWA connection process; an emergency judge can compel a non-compliant landlord
Ajman: Tasdeeq
- Authority: Municipality / AjmanRE
- Processing: ~1 week
- Required: Sewerage clearance, electricity/water clearance
- Unique: 3 copies of agreement required
RAK: RAK Municipality via SANAD
- Authority: RAK Municipality (Land & Property Section) — note there is no "RAK RERA"; RERA is a Dubai body
- Portal: SANAD (rak.ae)
- Processing: ~2 hours
- Fee: application AED 50 residential / AED 100 commercial-investment plus attestation of 5% of annual rent (min AED 200 residential / AED 500 commercial), collected via the EWE utility bill
- Tenant early termination: 3 months' written notice plus payment of rent for the notice period
Fujairah: EJAAR
- Authority: Fujairah Municipality
- Fee: FREE (only AED 105 as a contract transfer fee)
- Reported sanction: unregistered contracts are said to be null and void (Law 1/2011, amended by Law 4/2017) — pending primary verification, treat as advisory
- Unique: only free registration system in the UAE
UAQ: Smart UAQ Portal
- Authority: UAQ Municipality
- Fee: 2% of rent + AED 44 — figure not yet confirmed against a primary source, treat as advisory
- Template: Available at uaqejari.gov.ae
- Unique: Smallest market, simplest process
TenancyDesk Registration Tracking
TenancyDesk tracks registration status and deadlines for every system:
- Automatic deadline calculation based on emirate
- Document readiness checker (validates all required documents)
- Registration status dashboard per deal
- Reminder alerts before deadlines
Register on time, every time — TenancyDesk tracks deadlines for all 7 registration systems.
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