Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need approval to start a mortgage brokerage?
No. Activity 6619.03 needs no third-party approval before your business license is issued. The Central Bank of the UAE regulates the banks and the loans themselves. It does not require prior approval for the broking work.
How big is Dubai's mortgage market?
Dubai recorded 50,974 mortgage deals worth AED 179.26 billion in 2025. That is 22.5 percent more deals than in 2024. The wider property market closed the year at AED 917 billion across 275,442 deals.
Can I lend money under this license?
No. Lending is credit granting. It sits under the 6492 codes and needs Central Bank of the UAE approval. Activity 6619.03 lets you arrange and advise on loans made by licensed banks.
Who pays the mortgage broker?
In the UAE the bank usually pays the broker a commission when the deal completes. The buyer pays nothing. That is why the service is free to use for most clients. You can charge the client a fee instead if you prefer.
Can I sell property as well as arrange the loan?
Not under this license. Selling property is activity 6810.99 and needs RERA approval. Arranging the loan and selling the home are two separate activities with two separate licenses.
How much can my clients borrow?
The Central Bank sets the limits. They change with the buyer's nationality, the price of the home, and whether it is their first purchase. Loan repayments are capped at 50 percent of income. A UAE national buying a first home worth AED 5 million or less can borrow up to 85 percent.
Can a foreign firm set up in Meydan Free Zone?
Yes. Meydan Free Zone allows full foreign ownership with no local partner. Setup is done online. This activity needs no third-party approval, and that is the same for foreign and UAE-owned firms.
How to Start Mortgage Broker Business and Succeed with Meydan Free Zone
A mortgage broker sits between the buyer and the bank. Your client wants to buy a home. You work out what they can afford. You find the banks most likely to say yes. You prepare the file and push for a better rate. You do not lend the money. The bank does. And in most cases the bank pays you, not the buyer. That is why brokers are often free to use.
Dubai is a strong market for this. The emirate saw 50,974 mortgage deals in 2025, worth AED 179.26 billion. That is 22.5 percent more deals than the year before[1]. The wider property market closed the year at AED 917 billion across 275,442 deals[2]. Sales alone hit AED 682.49 billion, up 30.64 percent[1].
One number tells the real story. Deal volume rose 22.5 percent. But total mortgage value fell 4.5 percent[1]. So the average loan got smaller. More people are buying. Each one is borrowing less. That points to a growing mid-market, not a luxury boom. And mid-market buyers are the ones who need a broker to find them a lender.
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More Buyers, Smaller Loans: How Dubai's Mortgage Market Grew in 2025
A Dubai mortgage brokerage works in a market with 50,974 mortgage deals worth AED 179.26 billion in 2025. Deal volume rose 22.5 percent that year. Total mortgage value fell 4.5 percent. The wider property market closed 2025 at AED 917 billion across 275,442 deals.
Sources: Dubai Land Department (2025), Dubai Government Media Office, Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook
Who Is This Activity For?
6619.03 - Mortgage Advisers And Brokers
Activity 6619.03 sits inside the wider class of other activities auxiliary to financial service activities. That class covers firms that support financial markets without taking risk of their own. This activity is the mortgage advice and broking part of it.
Under code 6619.03 you can advise clients on mortgages and broker their applications to lenders. That covers working out what they can afford, picking the right bank, preparing the file, agreeing the rate and terms, and seeing the loan through to drawdown. There is one clear limit. You never lend the money yourself. You arrange the loan. A licensed bank makes it.
Beyond this activity, Meydan Free Zone also supports related licences such as Mortgage Consultancy, Investment Advisory Services, and Real Estate Mortgage Consultancy.
The mortgage advice and broking range covers:
- Working out how much a client can borrow
- Comparing banks and picking the right lender
- Getting pre-approval and preparing the full application
- Agreeing rates, terms and arrangement fees with the bank
- Advice on refinancing, equity release and moving a mortgage
- Handling files for non-residents, expats and the self-employed
- Arranging finance for buy-to-let and investment property
- Guiding clients through valuation, offer and drawdown
Service Scope
Home Purchase Broking
You place home loan applications for clients who will live in the property. You match their income, visa status and deposit to the banks most likely to approve. Then you run the file through to offer. The bank pays your commission when the deal completes.
Refinancing and Equity Release
You move a client's existing mortgage to better terms. Or you release cash from a home they already own. This is repeat business, not one-off work. It grows more valuable as your client base gets older.
Non-Resident and Expat Lending
You arrange loans for overseas buyers and expat residents. The rules on eligibility, paperwork and deposit size differ from those for UAE nationals. Banks vary a lot here. That is where a broker earns their fee.
Self-Employed and Complex Income
You handle clients who do not have a simple salary certificate. Think business owners, freelancers and people with several income streams. Banks judge these files very differently. Knowing which bank likes which income type is the whole skill.
Investor and Portfolio Finance
You arrange finance for buy-to-let buyers and clients with several properties. Deposit rules are tighter here. Banks look at rental income as well as salary. These clients are investors, and they tend to come back.
WHAT THIS ACTIVITY EXCLUDES
It is worth being clear on what activity 6619.03 does not cover. Lending the money is credit granting. That sits under the 6492 codes and needs Central Bank of the UAE approval. Selling the property rather than the loan is real estate brokerage, code 6810.99, and needs RERA approval. Real estate mortgage consultancy is its own code, 6619.94. It needs RERA approval and can only be paired with RERA Group 3 activities. Property valuation is code 6820.94, also under RERA. General investment advice with no mortgage in it falls under 6619.02 and 6619.11. Insurance broking, including the life cover often sold with a mortgage, is code 6622 and needs Central Bank approval.
In short: if you advise on the loan and arrange it, you are in. If you lend the money, sell the property, or broker the insurance, you are not.
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Licensing & Compliance
Third-Party Approval:
This business activity does not need third-party approval before your business license is issued. Keep in mind that the Central Bank of the UAE sets the rules for the loans you broker. It caps how much of a home's value a client can borrow. It also limits loan repayments to 50 percent of their income.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance:
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirement.
References
[1] Gulf News, reporting Dubai Land Department data. Dubai property market closes 2025 with record Dh682.5 billion in sales, including mortgage deal volumes and values. gulfnews.com
[2] Public Debt Management Office, Dubai Department of Finance. Dubai's Real Estate Market Records New Historic Milestone with Transactions Exceeding AED917 billion in 2025. dmo.dof.gov.ae
[3] Central Bank of the UAE Rulebook. Regulations Regarding Mortgage Loans, on how much a buyer can borrow and the limit on repayments. rulebook.centralbank.ae
[4] Dubai Media Office. Dubai real estate transactions exceed AED431 billion in H1 2025, Dubai Land Department data. mediaoffice.ae
