"Abu Dhabi Real Estate" Announces New Regulations for Handling Gifts in Citizens’ Housing Grants

The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, has launched a new regulatory service to organize the gifting (Hiba) of housing grants to UAE nationals. The initiative comes in implementation of directives issued by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and aims to facilitate the transfer of ownership between spouses and first-degree relatives under clear procedures that safeguard rights and enhance transparency. The announcement coincides with the designation of 2026 as the “Year of the Family.”
Key Points:
•Gifting limited to spouses and first-degree relatives only.
•Unified service pathway covering application submission, electronic verification, judicial documentation, and official ownership transfer.
Core requirements include:
•Submission of all approved legal documents.
•Confirmation of no financial liabilities or legal restrictions on the granted property.
•In some cases, at least 60% construction completion for built properties.
•Procedures vary by property type: undeveloped residential land, developed residential land, or ready-built housing.
•Alternative housing requirement may apply in certain cases, with a commitment not to dispose of the alternative property.
•Joint ownership cases require approval from all concerned parties and signing of legal declarations.
•Exceptional cases addressed, including the presence of minors, lack of consent from partners or adult children, or ownership of properties outside the emirate.
•The beneficiary must pledge not to sell or lease the gifted property.
•Applications that meet all conditions proceed to official ownership transfer as a “grant,” while non-compliant applications are rejected.
Overall Objective:
The new framework strengthens family stability, ensures fairness and transparency in the transfer of housing grants, and supports the development of a sustainable and well-governed housing system in Abu Dhabi.
 

Statement issued by the competent authorities:

"Abu Dhabi Real Estate" Announces New Regulations for Handling Gifts in Citizens’ Housing Grants:

Abu Dhabi, February 18 / WAM / – The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center, the entity responsible for regulating the real estate sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, announced the launch of a new service to regulate the handling of gifts in housing grants, in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, regarding the procedures and regulations for transferring gifts in housing grants to citizens among spouses and first-degree relatives, and facilitating ownership transfer procedures according to clear regulations and organized procedures that ensure rights and enhance the highest levels of transparency in real estate transactions..
The implementation of these directives comes in conjunction with the announcement of 2026 as the “Year of the Family,” reflecting a comprehensive institutional approach aimed at enhancing family cohesion, providing flexible solutions that support the social stability of Emirati families, and simplifying procedures related to housing services, within clear frameworks that protect the rights of all parties and reinforce the reliability and transparency of the real estate system.
The three authorities confirmed that the service framework has been developed through the integration of roles among them, to provide a unified path that organizes the gift process starting from submitting the application, verifying eligibility, and reaching judicial documentation, ensuring clear procedures and ease of access to the service.
This cooperation represents an advanced model of governance, flexibility, and transparency of housing services by linking real estate regulation with judicial documentation within an integrated system.
The new regulatory framework sets out a set of general and specific requirements to ensure clarity of procedures, most notably limiting transfers to spouses and first-degree relatives, providing all required documents, adhering to legal procedures approved by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, verifying the completion of documents before completing the gift process, and ensuring the absence of financial obligations or restrictions preventing the transfer of the grant.
The regulations also include applying conditions related to the type of ownership, including the requirement to complete construction by at least 60% in some cases.
The regulations also consider special cases that may require exceptional handling, such as the presence of a minor among the owners, refusal of any partner, spouse, or adult child to approve, the desire of the grantee to retain joint ownership, in addition to cases involving ownership outside the emirate or properties within the targeted category.
The regulations include a clear framework for handling housing grants according to the type of ownership, where procedures differ between undeveloped land grants, developed land grants, and ready-made homes, specifying cases that require alternative housing or do not allow transfer.
Specific requirements for shared ownership include the necessity of obtaining approval from all parties and signing legal declarations, as well as adherence to additional regulations that ensure protection of rights and enhance transparency.
The customer experience has been designed in six main clear and simplified steps, starting with submitting the application through the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, followed by an electronic audit to ensure no restrictions exist on the gifted property through electronic linkage, then issuing the gift declarations from the Judicial Department to the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center to complete the procedures.
The subsequent steps include signing by the donor on a declaration of not claiming any other grant and not transferring alternative housing, then signing by the spouse(s) or adult children to approve the gift, and finally signing by the grantee on a declaration not to transfer or lease the property.
After approvals are completed, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center studies the application and verifies the documents, and if conditions are met, the gift process is completed, and ownership as a “grant” is transferred after obtaining the necessary approvals. If requirements are not met, the application is rejected, and coordination is carried out between the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center and the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority to complete procedures for special cases and exceptions, until legal procedures are finalized, final documents issued, and the transfer of ownership officially approved.
Exceptions include cases where the grantee is not a first-degree relative, refusal of any partner, spouse, or adult children to approve, presence of a minor among the owners, cases related to owning properties outside the emirate or within the targeted category, cases involving shared ownership, desire to retain partial ownership, and any other special cases handled according to approved regulations to ensure protection of rights and transparency in all procedures..
This service represents a strategic step in developing the housing system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, through the joint cooperation between the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, and the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Center, ensuring smooth implementation of procedures and achieving objectives related to supporting Emirati families and their stability.
The updated framework for the gifting of housing grants not only develops procedures but also embodies a social dimension centered on the family, enhances cohesion among Emirati families, ensures fairness and transparency in the transfer of housing grants, and consolidates the flexibility of transferring family assets between generations, contributing to a stable and sustainable housing environment for Emirati families.
reference: https://www.wam.ae/ar/article/172w2k1