Table of Contents
How to Open a Real Estate Representative Office in Dubai
A real estate representative office is the local presence of a parent property company: a non-trading office that represents the parent, liaises with the market and coordinates on its behalf, without itself transacting. In Dubai, a magnet for international property capital, such offices are a practical way for overseas firms to establish a foothold.
The pull of the market is clear in the numbers. Dubai attracted around 110,000 new investors in 2024, a 55 per cent increase year on year, within a sector that turned over AED 761 billion. 1 Activity accelerated into 2025, with AED 431 billion in transactions in the first half alone, up 25 per cent. 2 For international developers and property groups watching this growth, a local representative presence is often the first step.
A representative office lets a parent company maintain that presence under a Meydan Free Zone business license, within the limits of a non-trading role, as set out below.
Why Overseas Property Firms Look to Dubai
Dubai's pull on international property capital makes a local representative presence valuable. The figures below show the investor momentum drawing firms in.
Sources: Dubai Land Department; Dubai Media Office
Who Is This Activity For?
[blockCTACostCalculator]
7010.94 – Real Estate Representative Office
Activity 7010.94 sits within the broader Activities of Head Offices class, which covers offices that represent, oversee and coordinate on behalf of a parent enterprise, including regional and representative offices. Within that class, this activity is a real estate representative office: a local presence acting for a property parent company.
The activity is representation and coordination, not trading. It does not itself buy, sell, broker, develop, lease or value property in the market, which are separate licensed activities, as the exclusions below make clear.
[blockFaqsCategory]
Compliance
THIRD-PARTY APPROVAL
This activity does not require third-party approval to obtain a business license from Meydan Free Zone.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
This business activity is not subject to AML compliance requirements.
[blockCTABizActivityList]
References
1 Dubai Land Department. Dubai's real estate sector records AED 761 billion in transactions and 110,000 new investors in 2024.
2 Dubai Media Office. Dubai real estate transactions exceed AED 431 billion in H1 2025.
