If someone buying off-plan in Abu Dhabi has told you to "get your Oqood done", you have been given Dubai advice. Oqood is a Dubai system. Abu Dhabi records off-plan sales through a different mechanism, the interim real estate register, operated by the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC). The end goal is the same, an official record that ties your name to a specific unit before the building physically exists, but the platform, the paperwork and the fee follow Abu Dhabi rules.
This guide explains what Oqood actually is, what Abu Dhabi uses instead, who registers the sale, what that registration protects, and what it costs.
What Oqood is, and why it does not apply in Abu Dhabi
Oqood is the Dubai Land Department's online platform for registering off-plan property sales, and it does not operate in Abu Dhabi. The name comes from the Arabic word for "contracts", and the system records your sale and purchase agreement (SPA) on Dubai's interim property register while a project is still under construction. In Dubai, that registration typically carries a fee of around 4% of the purchase price.
Abu Dhabi is a separate emirate with its own property law, its own regulator and its own digital register, so Oqood has no legal effect in the capital. Buyers relocating from Dubai often search for "Oqood Abu Dhabi" and find nothing useful, because the correct term here is the interim real estate register. The concept is close, but the process described below is the one that governs your purchase.
How Abu Dhabi registers off-plan sales: the interim real estate register
Abu Dhabi records every off-plan sale on the interim real estate register, a government-held register established under Law No. 3 of 2015 and operated by ADREC through the DARI platform. DARI is the emirate's official real estate services system, and the interim register is the part of it that deals specifically with units sold before completion.
The register exists to close a timing gap. When you buy off-plan there is no finished building, and therefore no title deed to issue, because a title deed can only be created once the unit physically exists and the project is handed over. In the meantime, the interim register is the official, government-maintained record of who holds the right to each unit and on what payment terms. The registration is submitted and approved digitally, with the transaction passing to the Department of Municipalities and Transport for approval before it is finalised.
What interim registration protects, and what it does not
Interim registration gives you a government-recorded claim to a specific, identified unit before the building is finished and before any title deed can exist. Once your SPA is on the interim register, the same unit cannot be quietly registered to a second buyer, and your payment plan and expected completion date are recorded against your name.
It also connects to the escrow protection built into Abu Dhabi's off-plan framework. Money paid on a regulated project should go into a project-specific, ADREC-supervised escrow account rather than straight to the developer, and it is released to the developer in stages against certified construction progress. If a developer fails to deliver within the contracted terms, the framework contemplates recourse such as a refund from escrow or an alternative unit, subject to your SPA and the regulations.
What interim registration does not do is equally important. It is not a title deed, it does not guarantee that a project will complete on time, and it does not promise any particular resale value or rental income. It also does not replace your own due diligence on the developer's delivery history and the project's escrow and approval status. Nothing here is investment, legal or tax advice, and the register is a record of your claim, not a warranty of the outcome.
Who registers the sale, and what you should hold afterwards
In Abu Dhabi the developer, not the buyer, submits the off-plan registration through DARI. You cannot lodge it yourself, which makes it worth confirming that the developer has actually done it rather than assuming it happened.
The developer uploads the signed SPA, a power of attorney if anyone is signing on a party's behalf, and a sealed company contract where the buyer is a corporate entity. Working through DARI, the developer selects the unit, enters the sale date, the expected completion date and the price, adds the payment-plan instalments and any broker details, attaches the buyer's information, and submits the file for approval. Once it is approved and the fee is paid, a sales certificate is issued that both the buyer and the seller can download.
Your job as the buyer is to obtain that sales certificate and keep it with your SPA and payment receipts. It is your evidence that the sale sits on the interim register, and you will want it for any future assignment sale before handover, mortgage drawdown or dispute.
The fee, who pays it, and the registration deadline
The off-plan registration fee in Abu Dhabi is generally around 2% of the sale price, the same headline rate applied when a completed property is transferred. Small administrative and platform charges sit on top, and mortgage buyers add separate financing and mortgage-registration costs. Who bears that fee is a commercial point rather than a fixed rule, and it is set out in the SPA, so read that clause before you sign.
Timing matters too. The registration is expected to be completed within roughly 21 days of the contract date, and late registration generally attracts a penalty of around AED 10,000. Because the developer controls the submission, a slow developer can expose you to that charge, so it is reasonable to ask, in writing, when they will lodge the registration.
Treat that fee as part of your cash-to-close, alongside the down payment, agency commission and any mortgage fees. If you are financing part of the purchase, our mortgage calculator helps you map the registration fee and instalments against your monthly budget before you commit.
Dubai's Oqood versus Abu Dhabi's interim register
The two systems do the same job in different jurisdictions, and the differences below are the ones that affect your paperwork and your costs.
| Feature | Dubai (Oqood) | Abu Dhabi (interim real estate register) |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Dubai Land Department | ADREC |
| Platform | Oqood | DARI |
| Legal basis | Dubai property law | Law No. 3 of 2015 |
| Who submits | Developer | Developer |
| Headline fee | Typically around 4% | Generally around 2% |
| Output document | Oqood certificate | Sales certificate on the interim register |
| Converts to | Title deed at completion | Title deed at completion |
The single practical takeaway is that the mechanism in the capital is Abu Dhabi's own, and the term Oqood should not appear anywhere in your Abu Dhabi paperwork.
Where this fits in your wider off-plan decision
Registration is the safety layer, not the reason to buy, so keep it in proportion to the bigger questions of location, developer and price. Off-plan activity is concentrated in Abu Dhabi's freehold investment zones, the areas where foreign buyers can own, and primary-market pricing across them varies widely. On our platform, indicative primary (off-plan) prices have recently sat at around AED 3,699 per square foot on Fahid Island, roughly AED 1,780 per square foot on Yas Island and about AED 1,502 per square foot on Al Reem Island, against a city-wide median of around AED 1,624 per square foot that eased by roughly 0.6% quarter on quarter. You can cross-check current primary prices community by community on Knownable's interactive map, and read more about the freehold zones that allow off-plan foreign ownership in the guide to Abu Dhabi.
Before you pay any booking money, confirm three things: that the project is ADREC-registered with a live, project-specific escrow account, that the developer will lodge your interim registration promptly, and that the roughly 2% fee and its payer are stated in your SPA. Those checks are what turn an off-plan booking into a properly recorded claim on a specific unit.
Common questions from off-plan buyers
Does Oqood exist in Abu Dhabi?
No. Oqood is the Dubai Land Department's off-plan registration platform and has no legal standing in Abu Dhabi. In the capital, your off-plan sale is recorded on the interim real estate register operated by ADREC through the DARI platform.
How much does off-plan registration cost, and who pays it?
The registration fee is generally around 2% of the sale price, plus minor administrative charges. Responsibility for paying it is a commercial matter set out in your SPA and commonly falls to the buyer, so check the clause before signing rather than assuming the developer covers it.
Do I get a title deed when my off-plan sale is registered?
Not yet. Interim registration produces a sales certificate that records your claim to the unit while it is under construction. A title deed is issued only once the project is completed and the unit is handed over and transferred to your name.
What happens to my registration if the project is cancelled?
If a developer cancels and is permitted to resell, ADREC can remove the unit from the interim register, and the escrow framework governs how buyer funds are handled. The exact outcome depends on your SPA terms and the regulations, which is why confirming a live, project-specific escrow account before paying is so important.