Moving to Dubai to become an agent
For people deciding from abroad whether, and how, to move to Dubai to sell property: who is eligible, the order the steps come in, the money to bring, what part time and freelance work the rules allow, getting hired with no background, and checking an offer before you pay or travel.
The short answer
Moving to Dubai as an agent starts with a checked brokerage and a job offer issued through MOHRE, not a visit visa, on which working is prohibited. Residency, the medical test and the Emirates ID come next, and the broker card after them, since it needs an Emirates ID. Bring savings for setup and for months without commission, and never pay recruitment fees.
Questions about this
The ones that come up most often, answered without a pitch.
The Dubai Land Department's list of what is needed to add a broker to a licensed firm contains no nationality condition and no university degree. It asks for the real estate qualification course and exam, a Dubai Police good conduct certificate, residency on the brokerage's licence and the card fee. Whether your own visa permits the work is for GDRFA, ICP and MOHRE to confirm.
Choose and check the brokerage first, then get an offer issued through MOHRE and signed by both sides; the employer applies for the work permit and entry permit. After you arrive come the medical test, Emirates ID and residence visa, and the broker card after them, because the Land Department lists the Emirates ID among the card's documents.
Add runway, meaning your monthly living and job costs multiplied by the months you can fund with no commission, to setup costs. Setup includes published fees such as the DEWA deposit of AED 2,000 for a flat and Ejari registration, plus rent paid in advance by cheque and a security deposit.
Only as a registered broker at a licensed brokerage, because Dubai's broker rules bar brokerage without a licence and registration. MOHRE lists part-time and freelance work permits, but no Land Department text we found says either covers brokerage, so confirm any arrangement with RERA and MOHRE first.
Check the brokerage's ORN and trade licence yourself, confirm the person works there by contacting the office independently, and verify the offer by its number in MOHRE's enquiry service. UAE labour law prohibits an employer charging a worker recruitment fees, so a request for money before a verified offer is the point to stop.
Written by House Of Orange, a licensed Dubai brokerage that also recruits agents
House Of Orange Real Estate is a licensed Dubai brokerage, ORN 49865. We publish this because we recruit, and we would rather you put the questions on these pages to us than take our word for anything. If a firm cannot answer them, that is the answer.