DLD Initial Registration and Project 360: What Dubai Buyers and Developers Should Verify

1. Separate the new platform from the legal registration record

DLD launched Initial Registration on 3 September 2026 as an integrated developer journey connecting project registration, real-estate transaction registration and escrow-account management. The announcement describes AI-assisted document reading, automatic population of fields, guided procedures and automated processing for eligible standard transactions that satisfy the applicable business rules.

The legal Interim Property Register is a different concept. Law No. 13 of 2008 defines it as the written or electronic record in which off-plan sale contracts and other off-plan legal dispositions are entered before inclusion in the final Property Register. Article 3 requires relevant dispositions transferring or restricting off-plan rights to be entered in that register.

The practical distinction is important: a platform can help a developer prepare and submit a transaction, while the buyer needs evidence of the result for the exact purchaser, project and unit. A platform launch, application screen or salesperson’s assurance should not be described as completed provisional registration.

References: DLD — Initial Registration platform announcement, 3 September 2026 · Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 — Articles 2 and 3

2. Read Project 360 as a controlled project view, not an unrestricted public file

DLD says Project 360 consolidates unit status, escrow accounts, financial data and project records and includes early-warning indicators. The same announcement says developer access uses defined permissions and separate roles for submitting and reviewing transactions. Those details support stronger internal reconciliation and oversight.

They do not establish that every buyer can inspect project-wide balances, other purchasers’ records or all developer-facing indicators. Nor does an integrated view convert each field into proof of every other field. A registered unit can belong to a delayed project; a recorded payment can still require confirmation that it was allocated to the correct unit; and a project percentage does not establish title or unit condition.

Buyers should request the output or confirmation appropriate to their own transaction. Developers should control access by role, reconcile exceptions and preserve who submitted, reviewed and corrected a record.

References: DLD — Project 360 scope, permissions and workflow roles

3. Follow the current initial-sale service from SPA to certificate

DLD’s current service allows a developer to register off-plan units, or land plots whose value has not been fully paid, in the provisional register. The listed procedure is developer-led through the Oqood portal: select the service and property, enter the details, attach the documents, choose the payment method, submit the application and receive the output by email to the purchaser.

For an individual purchaser, the required documents listed by DLD include a copy of the SPA and valid UAE identification, or a valid passport for a non-resident. Company purchases have additional document requirements. The service term requires the SPA to be signed by both developer and purchaser.

The output identified on the page is a provisional-registration e-certificate. Preserve that certificate and the email through which it was received. Do not stop at a screenshot saying that an application was submitted, and do not describe an unsigned booking form as the registration output.

References: DLD — Request to register the initial sale

4. Measure the published 90-day term from the signed SPA

DLD’s current service terms state that the SPA must be registered in the provisional register within 90 days from the date on which the contract is signed. Record the signatures and date shown on the complete agreement, not merely the reservation date, first payment date or date on which a draft was emailed.

Create four separate dates: booking, SPA signature, registration submission and certificate issuance. If the parties signed on different dates or the document was later replaced, do not invent the starting point; request confirmation based on the executed documents and current DLD procedure.

The 90-day term should not be represented as a guarantee that every application will be accepted. Missing documents, mismatched information or another exception can require correction. The platform announcement says users can add missing information while keeping a transaction open, but an open or corrected application is still distinct from an issued certificate.

References: DLD — Initial-sale service terms and issued document · DLD — Platform treatment of incomplete applications

5. Keep registration fees, purchase payments and escrow allocation separate

The current initial-sale service lists two percent of the sale value for the seller and two percent for the purchaser, plus AED10 knowledge and AED10 innovation fees. It also lists an AED1,000 self-registration fee for developers for a provisional sale. Use the current DLD page for the transaction date rather than copying a fee from an old brochure or another project.

The service page lists Noqodi wallet and deduction from the escrow account as payment methods for the service. That operational statement should not be confused with the buyer’s contractual purchase-price payments. A registration fee, a unit-price instalment and an amount credited to the project escrow account answer different accounting questions.

Preserve an itemised statement identifying the amount, payer, beneficiary, purpose, transaction reference and receipt. If the SPA says one party will bear an amount that the service schedule allocates differently, obtain transaction-specific clarification rather than silently combining the figures.

References: DLD — Initial-sale service fees and payment methods · Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 — development escrow framework

6. Reconcile six records before treating the file as complete

A connected system is most useful when each record is tested against the others without assuming they are interchangeable. The following DR matrix identifies the evidence to preserve and the question each record can answer.

Record both the document date and retrieval date. A current download may display an older inspection, while an older SPA may continue to control the purchaser’s contractual terms.

References: DLD — Initial-sale registration procedure and output · DLD — Project Status Enquiry · Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 — Interim Property Register framework

7. Use the public Project Status Enquiry for the project—not as the buyer’s certificate

DLD’s public Project Status Enquiry allows a customer to search using a land number, project number or project name and view the available project details and completion information. The listed channels are the DLD website, Dubai REST and WhatsApp. Save the identifiers, displayed information, retrieval date and any inspection or update date shown.

The service answers a project-level question. It does not identify the purchaser’s complete private record, replace the provisional-registration e-certificate or prove that a payment was allocated to a unit. Conversely, a valid purchaser certificate does not prove that construction is on schedule or that a payment milestone has occurred.

Where a project has several phases or similarly named buildings, match the exact official project number and land reference before comparing percentages, notices or registration records.

References: DLD — Project Status Enquiry procedure and channels

8. Treat AI extraction as an efficiency tool, not the final authority on a field

DLD says the platform can read Emirates IDs, passports and sale contracts, extract information and populate fields. Automation may reduce repetitive entry, but a buyer or developer should still compare the submitted and issued fields with the source documents.

Common differences include spelling, passport renewal, company identity, unit number, building letter, stated area, price and transaction type. Preserve the original document, create a discrepancy schedule and ask the responsible issuer to correct the record through the appropriate channel. Do not edit a certificate or silently standardise a name.

A difference does not by itself prove misconduct. It may result from extraction, entry, an authorised renumbering, an amendment or use of an older document. Record the source of the correction, effective date and dependent records that were rechecked.

• Keep the complete signed SPA and amendments.
• Save the submitted transaction reference.
• Compare every purchaser and unit field on the issued certificate.
• Record the old value, new value and supporting source.
• Ask which organisation controls the field that needs correction.
• Keep the original and corrected outputs together.

References: DLD — AI document extraction and guided correction workflow

9. Escalate a delayed registration with a focused evidence pack

DLD’s FAQ states that where a developer refuses or delays registration, an application supported by the relevant documents can be submitted to the Real Estate Registration Assurance section. That is a route for presenting the records; it is not a promise that every disputed contract will be registered.

Prepare the signed SPA, amendments, booking and payment records, purchaser identification, developer correspondence, application references and any certificate or rejection information. Add a one-page chronology showing the SPA date, the 90-day date calculated from it, requests made and responses received.

Do not assume that contacting DLD suspends a payment, default, cancellation or limitation deadline. Where serious contractual consequences are asserted, obtain advice from an appropriately qualified UAE professional who can review the complete transaction.

References: DLD — FAQ on developer refusal or delay in registration · DLD — Initial-sale registration requirements

10. Complete this registration check before relying on the record

The objective is to connect the contract, submission, official output, payments and project evidence. Leave an item unresolved where the source is missing; do not complete it from sales language or another buyer’s documents.

Development Resolution can help organise a fragmented record where an off-plan unit is connected to a delayed or distressed Dubai project. It does not access private Project 360 data, register a sale, correct DLD records or guarantee registration, completion or recovery.

• Confirm the exact official project, phase and unit.
• Preserve the complete signed SPA and all valid amendments.
• Calculate the current DLD 90-day term from the signed SPA date.
• Obtain the registration submission reference.
• Obtain the provisional-registration e-certificate sent to the purchaser.
• Compare purchaser, project, unit, price and date fields.
• Separate registration fees from purchase-price payments.
• Reconcile every payment with the current unit ledger.
• Save a dated public Project Status Enquiry result.
• Create a discrepancy schedule for every mismatch.
• Use the DLD route for delayed registration where appropriate.
• Keep identity, banking and complete contract documents private.

References: DLD — Initial-sale service · DLD — Project Status Enquiry · Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008