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Registering your Ejari costs a fixed government fee, plus a service fee on most channels that depends on who files it for you. This guide breaks the fee down line by line, compares the channels, explains the difference between filing it yourself and having it done for you, and covers who pays.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The only route that is the government fee on its own is filing it yourself online on the Dubai REST app or DLD portal: AED 177.75.
- Every other channel runs the registration for you and has its own all-in total: AED 219.75 at a trustee centre, AED 299 through an online platform like Habi, or around AED 400 to 500 through a property manager.
- The difference is not only price: on the DLD’s own channels the landlord has to complete the registration, while a trustee centre, a property manager, or a platform like Habi can file it for either party once both sides have signed the contract.
What Ejari registration costs by channel
What makes up the government fee
Filed yourself online, the registration costs only the government fee. It is a fixed set of line items:
Government fee (AED 177.75)
- Registration fee: AED 100;
- Knowledge fee: AED 10;
- Innovation fee: AED 10;
- Service-partner fee: AED 55;
- VAT: AED 2.75.
Filing it yourself online is the only way to pay the government fee on its own. A trustee centre, an online platform like Habi, or a property-management company files it for you instead, each for its own all-in price.
Online platforms and property managers: what the higher fee buys
On the government channels the landlord has to complete the registration, which is the usual hold-up. Two channels handle the whole thing for you without a counter visit, for a fee above the government one: an online platform like Habi, and a property-management company.
Online platform, e.g. Habi: AED 299, all-in
For Ejari registration through an online platform such as Habi, you pay one all-in AED 299 (the government fee, the service fee, and VAT in a single payment), and the whole registration is done online. Beyond the fee, that covers a check of your documents before filing, live support, and, because Habi holds a RERA property-management certification, registration from your signed contract without your landlord’s separate digital approval (the step that usually stalls on the government apps). It works for landlords, tenants, and companies, usually within one business day.
If you would rather not wait on your landlord’s approval or visit a centre, an online platform registers from your signed contract for an all-in AED 299.
Property-management company: AED 400 to 500
If your building is already managed by a property-management company, it can register on your behalf. This is usually the most expensive route, around AED 400 to 500, because they handle the whole process for you: convenient if the building is managed already, but you are paying for the full service.
How the routes compare
Every route ends in the same certificate; the difference is who does the filing. On the government portals (the Dubai REST app or the DLD portal) the landlord files directly, or the tenant starts the application and the landlord approves it from their account; the fee is AED 177.75. At a trustee centre a clerk files it at the counter for AED 219.75. Through an online platform such as Habi, the platform files for either party from the signed contract, checks the documents first, and includes support, for AED 299 all-in. Full fees are listed on the DLD “Register / Renew Rental Contract” e-service.
Who pays: landlord or tenant?
By law, registering the contract is the landlord’s responsibility (Law No. 26 of 2007, Article 4, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008). In practice the tenant often pays and arranges it, because the tenancy contract says so and because the tenant needs the Ejari to activate DEWA and complete other government processes. Check what your contract states before you assume who covers the fee.
Is the fee the same for renewal?
Yes, on every route: AED 177.75 on the government portals, AED 219.75 at a trustee centre, AED 299 all-in through a platform like Habi. The only difference is that the Ejari record already exists; the documents and processing are the same.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department. Register / Renew Rental Contract [e-service].
URL: https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/register-renew-ejari-contract/.
Accessed: 04.06.2026. - Dubai Government. Dubai Real Estate Legislation: Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law 33 of 2008), Article 4 [PDF].
URL: https://rdc.dubailand.gov.ae/Assets/img/Real_Estate_Legislation_en.pdf.
Accessed: 04.06.2026.
