Paid cash for off-plan property in Dubai: what British buyers should check now

Cash at a sales counter can feel normal on a viewing trip. The questions now are whether that money reached the project's escrow account, and what paper proves it.

British buyers who paid cash for off-plan property in Dubai: was that allowed?

Paying cash is not banned. No verified UAE law bans or caps cash payments for property; the rule that exists is a reporting duty on brokers and agents.

Ministry of Economy Circular No. 05/2022, effective 1 July 2022, requires UAE-licensed real estate brokers and agents to file a Real Estate Transaction Report (REAR) through the FIU's goAML platform when cash payments on a freehold purchase reach AED 55,000 or more, whether in one payment or combined. Records must be kept for at least five years.

From May 2024, several large Dubai master developers began limiting cash to AED 55,000 per transaction, with the rest through the banking system. That is developer policy.

Cash reporting threshold

AED 55,000

Single or combined (Circular 05/2022)

Source: sedd.ae

Report filed via

goAML

UAE Financial Intelligence Unit

Records kept

5 years minimum

By the reporting broker or agent

AML law in force

14 Oct 2025

Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025

Why does the escrow account matter for a cash payment at the sales office?

Because escrow is where Dubai law expects buyer money to end up. Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, payments from off-plan buyers are deposited in an escrow account opened in the project's name, and the DLD FAQ says all amounts received from off-plan buyers go there.

Notes counted over a desk do not bank themselves. In June 2024 the director of RERA's Real Estate Control Department urged investors not to make any payments outside the project's escrow account, after the DLD fined three developers AED 500,000 each for marketing off-plan projects without completing registration.

How do I close the gap now?

Get written proof of where the cash went. Under Article 12 of Law No. 8 of 2007, depositors or their representatives may see their own accounting records in the escrow account and ask for copies.

1. Collect every receipt

   Gather the original paper receipts, noting who signed each one and which company name is printed.

2. Find the project's escrow number

   Look the project up in the DLD's Dubai REST app, which shows the escrow account number.

3. Ask for a deposit confirmation

   Write to the developer asking for confirmation that the cash was credited to that escrow account, with the date and amount.

4. Check your Oqood status

   If an SPA was signed, confirm it was registered with the DLD; Oqood registration must follow within 90 days of signing.

Does anything in the UK apply to cash paid in Dubai?

Some UK steps still apply, though bank reimbursement does not. Cash handed over abroad is outside any UK bank scheme, and the APP reimbursement rules cover only UK-to-UK Faster Payments and CHAPS in any case.

Tax is separate: GOV.UK says UK residents normally pay tax on overseas rental income, and Capital Gains Tax when they dispose of overseas property. This is general information, not tax advice.

How do I follow up from Britain?

Write, don't phone. Dubai is on UTC+4 all year, 3 hours ahead of the UK during BST and 4 hours ahead after 25 October 2026, so email at the start of your day and you will usually hit Dubai's working hours.

Start by checking the project's registered escrow details. If the developer cannot confirm the cash reached escrow, the UK guide to payments that missed escrow covers next steps, and verifying the escrow account from the UK covers future payments. See also the global guide to cash payments and the UK buyers' hub.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change; check the official source before acting. Published 12 October 2026, last updated 12 October 2026.