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If you rent a property in Dubai, whether it is a home or a commercial unit, your tenancy contract has to be registered with Ejari. You will also need that registration before you can set up your DEWA water and electricity, apply for or renew a residence visa, or rely on your contract if a problem comes up. This guide explains what Ejari is, who runs it, why it is required, how to register step by step, the documents and fees, and what it lets you do.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Ejari is Dubai’s official registry of tenancy contracts, operated by RERA under the DLD; registering produces the Ejari certificate.
- Registration is mandatory by law, and the services you need next (residence visas, DEWA, banking, school enrolment) all ask for a valid certificate.
- You can register through any of the recognised channels: the government’s Dubai REST app or DLD portal, a trustee centre, a property-management company, or an online platform like Habi.
What is Ejari?
Ejari is Dubai’s official system for registering tenancy contracts. The word “Ejari” is Arabic for “my rent”. When you register, your tenancy contract is recorded on the government’s rental register and you receive a contract-registration certificate. This is the document people often just call “the Ejari”.
Think of Ejari as the government’s official record that your tenancy contract exists.
Ejari certificate vs tenancy contract
The Ejari certificate and the tenancy contract are two different documents. The tenancy contract is the agreement between a landlord and a tenant. The Ejari certificate is the government’s record that this contract exists. The certificate also carries a unique Ejari number, which you will be asked for when you set up utilities or other government services.
Who runs Ejari?
Ejari is run by RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department (DLD). Under Law No. 16 of 2007, RERA registers and legalises tenancy contracts in Dubai (Article 5) and sits within the DLD (Article 3). The online system is delivered through ERES (Emirates Real Estate Solutions), a joint venture between the technology company emaratech and the DLD.
Why Ejari is required in Dubai
Registering is not optional. Under Law No. 26 of 2007, Article 4, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, every tenancy contract in Dubai must be registered with RERA.
Ejari is required by law for every Dubai tenancy. It is not optional.
By law, registering the contract is the landlord’s responsibility. It only becomes the tenant’s job if the tenancy contract specifically says so. In practice the tenant usually needs it most: without it you cannot activate DEWA or complete most government processes, so many tenants arrange it themselves. A registered contract is recognised by government departments and gives you standing at the Rental Disputes Centre.
What happens if you don’t register Ejari
Without Ejari, you simply cannot use the services that depend on it:
- DEWA: you cannot activate water and electricity in your name.
- Residence visa: you cannot complete a visa application or family sponsorship that requires proof of a registered tenancy.
- Disputes: the Rental Disputes Centre expects a valid Ejari before it will hear a rental case.
If your Ejari expires, your DEWA is not cancelled, but a current Ejari certificate may still be required by other authorities, so it is worth renewing on time.
Where you can register Ejari
Online
- Dubai REST app: the Dubai Land Department’s official app, where you start the registration yourself.
- DLD portal: the online services on the Dubai Land Department website.
- Online platforms: services such as Habi that let you register Ejari online with support.
Offline
- Trustee centre: an approved Real Estate Services Trustee centre, in person.
- Property-management company: if your building is managed by one.
Who can register, and who can’t
On the Dubai REST app or the DLD portal you can start a registration, but you cannot finish it on your own: your landlord has to approve the request from their own account. And if your unit is under an active property-management contract, or your landlord already has their own Ejari account, only they can register the contract for that unit.
You can start a registration yourself, but on the DLD channels only your landlord can complete it.
How to register Ejari step by step
Online (Dubai REST app or DLD portal)
- Log in to the Dubai REST app or the DLD portal with UAE Pass.
- Select “Register Rental Contract” (Ejari registration).
- Enter the tenancy details and upload the documents: the signed tenancy contract and the rest of the set below.
- Pay the AED 177.75 government fee.
- The landlord approves the request (a tenant can start it but cannot complete it), and a DLD officer reviews it.
- The Ejari certificate is issued and emailed once approved.
You can also register Ejari online through Habi: you submit it on the platform, Habi’s RERA property-management certification lets the registration go through, and there is live support, useful when a landlord is short on time or you would rather not wait at a trustee centre.
At a trustee centre (in person)
- Go to a Real Estate Services Trustee centre with the original documents and your Emirates ID.
- Submit at the counter; the staff check the documents and enter the registration.
- Pay the AED 219.75 fee.
- Collect your Ejari certificate, which follows by SMS or email.
Required documents for Ejari registration
The document set is the same whether you are registering for the first time or renewing. Whoever files it, you need:
- Tenancy contract: signed by both the landlord and the tenant.
- Title deed: or, if the property was handed over recently and the title deed is not issued yet, the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and the Oqood.
- Landlord’s passport.
- If a company is on the contract: its trade licence, proof that the signatory is authorised (named on the trade licence, in the company’s MOA, or by a POA), and that signatory’s Emirates ID.
- If someone files on another’s behalf: a notarised Power of Attorney and the holder’s ID.
- Tenant’s Emirates ID: valid at the time of registration.
Online, you upload a copy of the unified tenancy contract; at a trustee centre you bring the original tenancy contract and your Emirates ID.
How much Ejari registration costs
The government fee is fixed; what changes is the service fee on top, which depends on where you register.
When you file it yourself online, you pay only the government fee, AED 177.75 (registration 100, knowledge 10, innovation 10, service-partner 55, VAT 2.75). A trustee centre charges AED 219.75 to file it in person. Full fees and process are on the DLD “Register / Renew Rental Contract” e-service.
Does Ejari apply outside Dubai?
No. Ejari is specific to Dubai. Abu Dhabi uses Tawtheeq, run by its Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Saudi Arabia uses Ejar. If you are renting outside Dubai, you register through the local system, not Ejari.
Sources
- Dubai Government. Dubai Real Estate Legislation: Law No. 16 of 2007 and Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law 33 of 2008) [PDF].
URL: https://rdc.dubailand.gov.ae/Assets/img/Real_Estate_Legislation_en.pdf.
Accessed: 04.06.2026. - Dubai Land Department. Register / Renew Rental Contract [e-service].
URL: https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/register-renew-ejari-contract/.
Accessed: 04.06.2026. - DLD Ejari Tenancy Guide and the Dubai REST app, dubailand.gov.ae. Emirates Real Estate Solutions (ERES), eres.ae.
Accessed: 04.06.2026.
