Buying property in Ras Al Khaimah: freehold areas, fees, off-plan rules and residency (2026)

Yes. Non-UAE nationals can own property in Ras Al Khaimah's freehold areas, outright and without a time limit. RAK Municipality's own sale service states that UAE and non-Emirati customers may own property in freehold areas.

Ras Al Khaimah was the first emirate after Dubai to open property to foreign buyers. Decision No. 20 of 2005, issued on 26 November 2005, let non-nationals buy residential, commercial and tourist units in designated projects. At first it required them to do so through an investment company in the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone; today foreign buyers register freehold homes in their own names.

This guide covers what a foreign buyer needs to know today: where freehold applies, who registers the sale, the fees, the off-plan rules and residency. It is not legal advice. For how Ras Al Khaimah compares with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, see can foreigners buy property in the UAE?.

They are concentrated along the coast south of Ras Al Khaimah city, where the emirate's master developers have built resort and residential communities. The main ones with off-plan homes on sale today are Al Marjan Island, Mina Al Arab, Al Marjan Beach, Al Hamra Village, RAK Central and Al Mairid.

Al Marjan Island. Four reclaimed islands off Al Hamra, developed by Marjan, the emirate's master developer, which sells the island to expatriates as 100% freehold. It is about 27 km from Ras Al Khaimah city, 35 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and about an hour from Dubai International Airport. Wynn Al Marjan Island, the UAE's first integrated resort, is due to open there in 2027.

Mina Al Arab. RAK Properties' waterfront community of lagoons, mangroves and islands, including Hayat Island and the Downtown Mina district. It is about 18 km from the city and about 15 km from Al Marjan Island by road.

Al Marjan Beach. A mainland beachfront district planned by Marjan, facing Al Marjan Island across the water, next to Al Hamra.

Al Hamra Village. A gated coastal community of about 7 sq km, developed by Al Hamra Real Estate Development since 2003, with a golf course, marina and yacht club, beach hotels and a mall. It is the mainland gateway to Al Marjan Island.

RAK Central. Marjan's mixed-use business district near Al Hamra Golf Club, planned for offices, more than 4,000 apartments, hotels and shops, with 100% foreign ownership.

Al Mairid. A mainland coastal district about 8 km from downtown Ras Al Khaimah, home to Mira Coral Bay, which Mira Developments is building in partnership with Marjan.

Freehold attaches to the project as well as the place, so confirm in writing that your unit is in a freehold project open to your nationality before you pay a deposit. Marjan describes its land bank as more than 120 million sq ft of master-planned land with more than 15 km of developed coastline, across Al Marjan Island, RAK Central and Marjan Beach.

RAK Municipality. Its Lands and Properties Sector registers property and issues title deeds, and its Real Estate Regulatory Administration, known as RAK RERA, regulates developers, off-plan sales and escrow.

RAK RERA was established by Emiri Decree No. 22 of 2008. RAK Municipality lists the laws it applies as Emiri Decree No. 10 of 2014, Law No. 12 of 2023 on regulating real estate development in Ras Al Khaimah, and Administrative Decision No. 43 of 2026 on the developer's contribution when registering a project.

On the sale of a completed home with a title deed, RAK Municipality charges the buyer 2% of the property's market value and the seller 2%. There are also fees of AED 200 for issuing the plan and AED 200 for issuing the title deed.

A worked example. On a ready home with a market value of AED 1,500,000, the buyer's 2% is AED 30,000. Add AED 200 for the plan and AED 200 for the title deed, and the buyer's government fees come to AED 30,400. The seller pays its own 2%, also AED 30,000.

Market value, not price. The percentages are charged on the property's market value. If you agree a price below market value, the fee may be higher than 2% of what you pay.

What the service needs. RAK Municipality's sale contract service lists Emirates IDs for the seller and the buyer, a power of attorney if a representative acts, the original title deed, a no-objection letter from the developer for freehold sales, and company documents if a company is a party. The title deed is issued in three working days and collected from the Customer Happiness Center. A non-resident buyer should ask what identity documents are accepted.

Off-plan purchases. Buying from a developer before completion runs through RAK RERA's off-plan sale registration rather than the completed-property sale service. Ask the developer for the registration fee, who pays it, and when, and check that your sale and purchase agreement says the same.

Other costs. Budget for any agency commission, mortgage valuation and arrangement fees if you borrow, utility deposits with Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), which supplies the Northern Emirates, and the service charge from handover. Our guide to the true cost of buying off-plan lists the categories with Dubai's figures for comparison.

Register itself and the project with RAK RERA, fund part of the construction, open an escrow account and obtain an Off Plan Sale Permit. Until it holds the permit, it may not advertise or market the project.

Registration. Any developer, master or sub-developer, must be entered on the Real Estate Development Register and prove its financial capacity. RAK RERA reviews the developer's cash flow before registration. Each project must then be registered, plot by plot, before infrastructure or construction work starts or units are offered for sale.

The developer's own money. At the start, the developer submits a financial plan and must contribute no less than 20% of the construction cost, so the building does not depend only on buyers' payments.

Escrow. Every project needs an escrow account in its own name, opened with a trustee registered with RAK RERA. Each unit has its own sub-account, and buyers' payments go into it. Withdrawals for construction costs need RAK RERA's approval, and the trustee closes the account only after the project is complete.

The Off Plan Sale Permit. To sell off-plan, a developer needs a permit from RAK RERA. The conditions include project registration, an open escrow account and RAK RERA's approval of the reservation form and sale contract. Developers also need written RERA permission to advertise locally or abroad, or to exhibit.

After completion. The trustee retains 5% of the total construction cost for one year from the completion certificate, to cover the repair of defects.

Construction finance. A developer can mortgage units to fund construction only once more than 50% of the work is done, and only over units still in its name. All third-party financing must go into the escrow account, and the sale contract of a mortgaged unit must say so.

Use RAK RERA's published lists. RAK Municipality publishes lists of registered developers, registered projects and escrow accounts, and it also names projects that are not registered with RAK RERA.

Before you pay a deposit, check three things:

1. The developer appears on RAK RERA's list of registered developers.
2. The project is registered and holds an Off Plan Sale Permit. Ask the developer for the permit.
3. The escrow account is on RAK RERA's list, and your payment instructions name that account and your unit's sub-account.

If a seller cannot show you these, or asks you to pay into any other account, stop. For master and sub-developer questions, owners' association management and facility management, RAK RERA is the point of contact.

The process is close to Dubai's, with different names and offices. The developer handles most of the paperwork, but each check is yours.

1. Shortlist projects in a freehold area, comparing developer, handover date, payment plan and running costs. The live tables below list what is on sale.
2. Check registration and the permit. Confirm the developer and project are registered with RAK RERA and ask for the Off Plan Sale Permit.
3. Confirm freehold. Get written confirmation that the unit is freehold and open to your nationality.
4. Reserve. Sign the RAK RERA-approved reservation form and pay the booking deposit into the project's escrow account.
5. Sign the sale and purchase agreement. Read the price, payment schedule, completion date, grace period, specification and late-payment terms.
6. Register the purchase. The developer registers the off-plan sale with RAK RERA. Ask for the registration fee and the certificate.
7. Pay instalments into escrow, into your unit's sub-account, and keep every receipt.
8. Handover and title deed. Inspect the home, list defects in writing, pay the balance and collect the keys. The title deed is issued by RAK Municipality.

Our handover guide covers inspection and snagging in detail; it is written for Dubai, but the practical checks carry over.

The tables below list the projects we track in each of Ras Al Khaimah's main freehold areas, with starting prices, payment plans and handover dates. They update as we add projects and as prices change.

Al Marjan Island:

Mina Al Arab:

Al Marjan Beach:

Al Mairid:

Al Hamra Village:

RAK Central:

For life on the ground in each place, read our guides to living in Al Marjan Island and living in Mina Al Arab, and our guide to Wynn Al Marjan Island for what the resort is and is not.

Yes, from UAE banks, but the limits on off-plan homes are tight. The Central Bank's mortgage regulations cap lending on off-plan property at 50% of its value, so most of the price comes from your own funds.

Banks decide which projects and developers they will lend on, and they lend against their own valuation. Ask your bank early whether it lends in your chosen project, and plan how you will pay the handover instalment.

Eligibility, non-resident lending and worked examples are in our guide to off-plan mortgages in the UAE. Payment plan structures are compared in our guide to off-plan payment plans.

It can, through the federal Golden Residency. The rules are the same in Ras Al Khaimah as in Dubai, because the scheme is run by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).

ICP's conditions for real estate investors are:

• Value. One or more properties in the UAE worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total, fully registered in the investor's name.
• Off-plan. Off-plan units count, with a total value of at least AED 2,000,000, if bought from an approved local real estate company authorised by the competent local authority.
• Mortgage. Financing is allowed if the loan is from an approved local bank.
• Health insurance. Valid cover for the investor and family members throughout the residency.

ICP's guide describes the real estate route as a ten-year Golden Residency, and holders can sponsor family members, including spouses and children. Confirm the term and documents with ICP before relying on them.

The test is the registered value of the property, not the price in an advert. Our Golden Visa guide explains how value is assessed and how mortgaged and jointly owned property is treated.

Yes. For long lets, sign a tenancy with your tenant and register it as RAK Municipality requires. For short stays, you need a holiday home permit from the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA).

RAKTDA licenses holiday homes through an online system in which owners and operators register units, book an inspection and have them classified as standard or luxury. Ask RAKTDA for current permit fees, and check that your building allows short stays before you plan on them.

Some branded residence projects offer rental programmes run by the hotel operator. Get the terms and costs in writing; this guide makes no claim about what any programme earns.

The steps are similar, but the offices, the fee and the names differ. The biggest difference for a buyer is the fee: Dubai's Land Department charges 4% of the price, while Ras Al Khaimah's sale service charges the buyer 2% of market value.

If you are comparing the Northern Emirates, see our guide to buying property in Sharjah as a foreigner.

1. Freehold. Written confirmation that the unit is freehold and open to your nationality.
2. Developer. On RAK RERA's list of registered developers.
3. Project and permit. Registered with RAK RERA, with an Off Plan Sale Permit.
4. Escrow. The account is on RAK RERA's list, and your payments go to your unit's sub-account.
5. Contract. A RAK RERA-approved reservation form and sale contract, with the completion date, grace period and late-payment terms.
6. Fees. The off-plan registration fee, who pays it, and the 2% transfer fee if you later sell or buy a ready home.
7. Financing. A bank that lends in this project, if you will need a mortgage.
8. Letting. Holiday home rules for the building, and any rental programme terms in writing.

Freehold area. A place where non-UAE nationals may own property outright, without a time limit.

RAK RERA. The Real Estate Regulatory Administration of RAK Municipality, which regulates developers, off-plan projects, escrow, brokers and owners' associations.

Off Plan Sale Permit. RAK RERA's permission for a developer to sell and market units before completion.

Escrow sub-account. The part of a project's escrow account that belongs to your unit and receives your payments.

Retention. The 5% of construction cost held back for a year after completion to cover defects.

ZL13. RAK Municipality's sale contract service, which registers the sale of a property with a title deed and issues the new deed.

Start with a project in a freehold area, check it on RAK RERA's lists, and get the permit, escrow details and freehold confirmation in writing before you pay. Browse every project on our Ras Al Khaimah page, or all off-plan projects across the UAE.