Foreigners’ real estate property in United Arab Emirates : comparative study

الملخص EN

Real Estate property investment is one of the main economic activities, which most countries rely on, to increase and flourish its financial sources, this reflects on the payment balance especially in the developing countries.

Most countries encourage investors in general, whether nationals or foreigners and especially executing and left other issues to be legislating and administrating by local authorities in the Emirates, the real estate sector is considered one of these later issues.

Therefore, the study concern by the legal organization of the real estate sector in the seven emirates, especially in the side of the foreigners’ property for the real estates and the incentives which delivered to them in the same time the restrictions and limitations for this privilege.

This is to stand on the similarities and differences in the local real estate legislations in the seven emirates, to reach one method in legislating this sector for the foreigners in the country.

The study concluded that there are differences between local laws in the context of foreigners’ property; emirates go to forbid the freehold ownership, others permit the usufruct ownership for an extended period, sometimes it reaches 90 years, and the third distinct between the ownership in the economic and free zones and the other areas in the country.

All local legislations agreed in giving preferential treatment for the GCC national, rather they had contrasted in its extent.

The study recommended that it is better to develop a federal legislation for the real-estate property.

the later in facilitating the access of its real estate markets in a legal context that permit for them real estate property.

UAE, is one of these countries that concern by this sector.

it is considered a pioneer in the Arab region for the incentives, which it delivers to the foreigners in owning flats and stores particularly in free and economic zones.

As UAE is considered a federal country, which includes seven independent Emirates, each Emirate has its monarch, and all the Emirates are gathered in a union entity, through a federal constitution that organizes the relationship between the union and the Emirates.

The Emirati constitution provide that there are some issues the Federal entity has the exclusivity in legislating and