October 2026
Can an American buy property in Dubai?
Yes. An American can buy in Dubai without moving there. The Land Department identifies a non-resident with a valid passport, not with a residence visa. The real limit is where. Foreign ownership exists only in areas the emirate designated, under Law No. 7 of 2006. The name of a community on a brochure is not that designation.
1. The law opened areas, not the map
Law No. 7 of 2006 let foreigners own property in designated areas. It did not list Downtown, the Marina, or this month's launch. Those are names. Whether one plot can be owned by a foreigner is a fact about that plot, and the only record that counts is the Land Department's. Most of the time the answer is yes. Most of the time is not the record.
2. A passport is the identity test
A resident shows an Emirates ID. A non-resident shows a passport. That is why someone sitting in New York can be the buyer. If another person will sign, the same checklist asks for a power of attorney. It does not promise that the version a US notary produces is the one the trustee will take. You can be absent. You cannot invent the paperwork.
3. The visa is a different decision
AED 2 million, about $545,000 at the dirham's peg of 3.6725, is the figure that can support a Golden Visa application. The Land Department and the federal residency authority still disagree in public about whether that visa lasts five years or ten. The threshold applies to each owner's share, not to the price on the brochure. Two people can buy one AED 2 million apartment and both miss it. The title deed says who owns the home. It says nothing about who may live there.
4. The IRS lets you skip a form, not the tax
Hold the home in your own name and the IRS does not want it on Form 8938. It is not an FBAR asset either. That is the sentence that gets repeated. The one that gets dropped is simpler. A US citizen is taxed on worldwide income, so rent is income, and so is a gain when you sell. Put a foreign company between you and the deed and the exemption reverses. The interest in the company can be reportable, and the value of the building is counted inside it. The apartment never gets its own line. The structure does.
The accurate sentence is short. An American can buy in a designated area, on a passport, without moving. Any plot, a visa, and a tax-free investment are three other subjects.
Sources: Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006; Dubai Land Department sale-registration requirements, checked 16 October 2026; IRS, "Basic questions and answers on Form 8938," and the IRS comparison of Form 8938 and the FBAR. The dirham peg of 3.6725 is the Central Bank of the UAE's published rate. This reflects Moonlanding Group's opinion and is general information only, not legal, tax or immigration advice.
This article reflects Moonlanding Group’s opinion and is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, tax or investment advice. Figures come from the sources named and may change. Consult a qualified professional before making any decision.
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