About this calculator
UAE mortgages are annuity loans over a maximum term of 25 years, but the rate you start on is rarely the rate you keep: most products fix for one to five years and then float at a margin over EIBOR, the dirham interbank rate. That is why this calculator takes a single rate as an average to plan around — and why the follow-on margin, not the headline fixed rate, is the number that decides what the loan really costs.
The Central Bank writes the down-payment rules, and they are tiered by who you are and what you buy. Following the 2020 uplift, a first home up to AED 5 million can be financed to 80% for an expatriate and 85% for a UAE national; above AED 5 million the caps drop to 70% and 75%. A second or subsequent property falls to 60% (65% for nationals), and off-plan purchases are capped at 50% for everyone — the regulator prices construction risk into the deposit. LTV is measured against the lower of the price and the bank’s valuation, so a soft valuation raises your cash even when the cap does not change.
How to use it
- Enter the price and your buyer status — expatriate or UAE national, first or subsequent property, ready or off-plan.
- Set the LTV: the calculator refuses anything above the Central Bank cap for that combination, and shows the cap it applied.
- Enter a rate you can plan around (for a fixed-then-floating loan, model the follow-on rate, not just the teaser).
- Read the total cash line: down payment plus the DLD stack (4% transfer fee on the buyer-pays-all convention, trustee fee, mortgage registration and deed admin) — about 4.5% of the price on top of the deposit for a ready home. Agency commission (customary ~2% + VAT, not a statutory rate) and bank/valuation fees are not in that row; the fees calculator in this section itemises them, and on an agent-mediated resale they push the all-in figure to roughly 6–7% of the price. A direct off-plan purchase with no buyer-side agent, or a genuine 50/50 split of the statutory transfer fee, lands well below 6–7%.
The formula
The repayment is the standard annuity formula. The cap schedule (Central Bank Mortgage Loans Regulation as amended in 2020): nationals 85%/75%/65%, expatriates 80%/70%/60% for a first home up to / above AED 5 million and for subsequent properties; off-plan 50% regardless. Two further Central Bank tests — the 50% debt-burden ratio and the cap of seven years’ income (eight for nationals) — are run in the affordability calculator in this section.
Worked example
An expatriate buying a ready AED 1,800,000 apartment as a first UAE property: the cap is 80%, so the mortgage is AED 1,440,000 and the down payment AED 360,000. At 4.49% over 25 years the repayment is AED 7,995.82 a month and total interest over the term is AED 958,745. Price the same home at AED 5.2 million and the tier flips: the cap is 70% of the whole price, not a blend — the deposit jumps from 20% to 30% of everything.
Sources: Central Bank of the UAE Mortgage Loans Regulation (Notice 226/2013) as amended by Board Resolution 31/2/2020 (first-home LTV uplift in force from 8 April 2020); tier schedule current October 2026. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some websites still say expats can only borrow 75%?
They are quoting the original 2013 mortgage cap. Central Bank Board Resolution 31/2/2020 added five points to first-home LTVs from 8 April 2020, taking expatriates to 80% and nationals to 85% on homes up to AED 5 million. The pre-2020 figures (75%/65%) survive on outdated pages — check any source against the amendment before trusting its deposit maths.
Can the fees be added to the mortgage?
No. The LTV caps are measured against the property value, and the Central Bank framework expects the down payment and the purchase costs — DLD transfer fee, registration, agency commission — to come from your own funds. The DLD stack alone (4% transfer fee on the buyer-pays-all convention, trustee, mortgage registration and deed admin) is about 4.5% of the price on top of the deposit; on an agent-mediated resale, customary agency commission (~2% + VAT) and bank/valuation fees push the all-in figure to roughly 6–7%. The fees calculator in this section itemises the full stack.
What is EIBOR and why does my rate change?
EIBOR is the Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, the dirham benchmark published by the Central Bank. Most UAE mortgages fix for 1–5 years, then revert to EIBOR plus a fixed margin (often 1.5–2.5 points) for the remaining term. Because the dirham is pegged to the US dollar, EIBOR broadly follows US Federal Reserve policy — when the Fed moves, floating UAE repayments follow within a reset cycle or two.
Is there a minimum salary for a UAE mortgage?
The Central Bank does not set one; banks do. Most lenders look for a monthly salary of around AED 10,000–15,000 for expatriate applicants (some publish AED 15,000 minimums), six months or more in employment, and a clean AECB credit report. The binding regulatory tests are the LTV caps here and the 50% debt-burden ratio in the affordability calculator.
Can a non-resident buy with a UAE mortgage?
Yes, but outside the resident framework: non-resident lending is bank policy rather than the Central Bank tiers, and most lenders offer roughly 50–65% LTV on ready property in the main freehold areas, with larger down payments and more documentation. The caps in this calculator describe the resident rules; treat non-resident offers as individually negotiated.
What formula does this mortgage calculator — uae calculator use?
Monthly payment = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n), r = annual rate ÷ 12, n = years × 12; loan ≤ price × LTV cap for your tier The repayment is the standard annuity formula. The cap schedule (Central Bank Mortgage Loans Regulation as amended in 2020): nationals 85%/75%/65%, expatriates 80%/70%/60% for a first home up to / above AED 5 million and for subsequent properties; off-plan 50% regardless. Two further Central Bank tests — the 50% debt-burden ratio and the cap of seven years’ income (eight for nationals) — are run in the affordability calculator in this section. The worked example on this page applies the formula step by step with real numbers, so you can verify the result by hand.