Eligibility, then the letter
A calculator is a first view. Pre-approval is the letter. Viewings follow the letter, not Instagram.
First home
First-Time Buyer Mortgages in Dubai
Eligibility first. Viewings second. Offer third.
The first purchase goes wrong when people tour buildings before they know the budget, then discover DLD and agency on top of the deposit.
A first-home mortgage is a UAE loan for your first property. The order is eligibility, pre-approval, a building the bank will finance, then Form F and transfer.
The anxiety is rarely the interest rate. It is not knowing what you can borrow, what cash sits besides the deposit, or when it is safe to offer. We settle those in that order.
Service charges, furniture, and the first year of living costs are not in the mortgage. A unit at the top of eligibility with nothing left for DLD is how first purchases stall at the trustee.
You do not need the jargon. We translate. You still need the documents, and you still decide after you have seen the options you actually qualify for.
How a file can look
Illustrative only. Not an offer and not your number. An advisor replaces this with the file.
Ready apartment, first purchase, you have the deposit
Pre-approval, then three or four bankable buildings, then one offer. We list DLD and other cash against that unit so the trustee date is not a shock.
Rules we refer to: Dubai Land Department. Banks still apply their own, often tighter, limits.
- A budget that includes DLD, agency, and valuation, not only the down payment.
- Pre-approval before weekends of viewings.
- Buildings checked for whether banks actually lend there.
- Form F explained before you sign it.
- One person from the first call to the keys.
Do not spend the maximum the bank might lend
Eligibility is a ceiling, not a target. Existing loans and card limits bring it down. Life after transfer needs a buffer. Stretching to the last dirham is how a small delay becomes a crisis.
Residents and buyers from abroad
Both can buy a first home. Deposits, documents, and which banks will look at the file differ. That is a first-conversation fact, not a slogan on every page. If you are buying from overseas, pre-approval can start before you fly so the trip is for viewings.
How it works
The first purchase, in the order that works
What else you need in cash
Deposit, typically DLD 4% in Dubai on a sale, agency if an agent is involved, valuation, trustee. We list this against the specific unit once you are close.
The offer
A numbered buyer is taken seriously. We review the Form F so the completion date can survive valuation.
After the keys
DEWA, service charges, and the first statement from the bank. The advisor does not vanish at the trustee door.
See what you can borrow.
A Crelco advisor maps the file, compares banks, and you decide. Crelco does not charge any consultation fees.
Documents
What we typically ask for
- Passport, visa, Emirates ID if resident
- Salary certificate or trade licence
- Three to six months of statements
- A written list of loans and card limits
- Proof of the deposit source if the bank asks
Exact lists vary by bank and employment type. We collect only what the file requires.
Also useful
Related at Crelco
Questions
Asked, answered.
Direct answers first. If yours is not here, an advisor will take documents, timing, and the bank that actually fits.
Private consultation
Speak with a Crelco mortgage advisor.
Independent advice. Banks compared for your file. Crelco does not charge any consultation fees.