Document Translation ۞ عقارات دبي
Buying Property in Dubai from Abroad: The Translation Checklist
Most of the paperwork is already bilingual. A few documents are not, and those are the ones that hold up a purchase.
If you buy in person, as an individual, with documents in English, you may need no translation at all. Translation becomes necessary when someone signs for you, when a company is the buyer, or when your supporting documents are in another language.
What needs translating
المستنداتThe big one for overseas buyers. If a representative signs for you, the document must be attested and legally translated into Arabic.
Buying through a foreign company means incorporation papers, registers and a board resolution, attested and translated.
For a mortgage. English is normally accepted; statements in any other language need translating.
May be requested for joint purchases or later for family visas linked to the property.
Usually issued in English and Arabic. You don't translate it, but it is worth having the Arabic side checked.
Accepted as it is. Use the same name spelling on every other document.
Three things to get right
نصائح- Attest before you translate. Stamps added abroad and in the UAE need to appear in the Arabic version, so translation comes last.
- Use a UAE-recognised legal translator. A certified translation from your home country is not automatically valid here. What counts is the translator's licence and stamp.
- Read the Arabic, not only the English. In a dispute, UAE courts generally rely on the Arabic text. If the two versions of a contract differ, you want to know before you sign.
Buying from overseas?
Send us your documents and we will tell you which ones need an Arabic translation, with a fixed quote before any work starts.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Requirements vary by developer, bank and transaction type, and can change. Confirm the current requirements with the Dubai Land Department, your broker or your lawyer.