If your Dubai lease is coming up for another term, the short answer is this: Dubai tenancy contract renewal means registering your renewed lease with the Dubai Land Department through Ejari, and it costs AED 177.75 online or AED 220 at a trustee centre. There’s no separate “renewal application” outside this — renewing your Ejari is the renewal process.
This guide from Bolo Asan walks through the exact fees, the documents you’ll need, the online and in-person steps, what happens if you miss the renewal, and how rent increases work when your contract comes up again. Everything here is checked against the Dubai Land Department’s own service page and current UAE tenancy rules, so you can go into your renewal knowing exactly what to expect.
What Dubai Tenancy Contract Renewal Actually Involves
A tenancy contract in Dubai is usually signed for one year. When that year ends, the lease doesn’t just carry on by itself in the eyes of the government — someone has to register the new term with Ejari, the Dubai Land Department’s official tenancy registration system.
Ejari renewal and tenancy contract renewal are, in practice, the same action. You (or your landlord, or a property manager) submit the newly signed or extended tenancy contract through the Ejari system, pay the applicable fee, and receive an updated e-Contract Registration Certificate. That certificate is what proves your lease is current — it’s what DEWA, immigration authorities, banks, and schools will ask to see.
It’s worth being clear about one thing: Dubai tenancy contract renewal does not automatically happen just because you and your landlord agree verbally to continue the lease, or because rent keeps getting paid. The Ejari record has its own expiry, tied to the contract period, and it needs to be actively renewed each time.
Dubai Tenancy Contract Renewal Fees in 2026
According to the Dubai Land Department’s official “Register / Renew Tenancy Contract” service page, the fee structure for registering or renewing a tenancy contract is the same regardless of whether it’s a first-time registration or a renewal — what changes is simply the channel you use.
Renewing online (Dubai REST app or DLD website):
| Fee component | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| Tenancy contract registration fee | 100 |
| Knowledge fee | 10 |
| Innovation fee | 10 |
| Service partner fee | 55 |
| VAT on service partner fee | 2.75 |
| Total | 177.75 |
Renewing at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre:
| Fee component | Amount (AED) |
|---|---|
| Tenancy contract registration fee | 100 |
| Knowledge fee | 10 |
| Innovation fee | 10 |
| Service partners’ fee (including VAT) | ~100 |
| Total | 220 |
The online route through Dubai REST or the DLD website is the cheaper option and is generally the fastest for straightforward renewals where nothing about the lease has changed. The trustee centre route costs more because of the added in-person service partner fee, but it’s useful if you need someone to check your paperwork in person or if your case has any complication — a Power of Attorney, a company-held lease, or a landlord who isn’t available to complete the online step themselves.
You may see other figures quoted elsewhere online, sometimes AED 250 or higher, especially on typing-centre and property-management websites. Those higher totals usually bundle in a separate typing or agent service charge on top of the government fee, not a different official rate. For Dubai tenancy contract renewal done directly through Ejari or Dubai REST, AED 177.75 is the figure the Dubai Land Department itself lists.
Documents You Need for Dubai Tenancy Contract Renewal
The exact document list depends on which channel you renew through, but the Dubai Land Department’s own service page keeps this fairly short.
If you’re renewing through the Dubai REST app:
- A copy of the Unified Tenancy Contract for the new term (this applies to both individual and company tenants)
If you’re renewing at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre:
- The original Unified Tenancy Contract
- The applicant’s Emirates ID
- An official Power of Attorney, if the applicant is a representative and not the tenant or landlord themselves — if the POA was issued in Dubai, only the reference number is needed; if it was issued in another emirate, the physical document must be attached
In practice, most people renewing also keep a copy of their current DEWA account number and their previous Ejari certificate on hand, since some channels ask for these as reference points even if they’re not formally listed as mandatory documents. If your Emirates ID or passport has been renewed or your visa status has changed since your last tenancy contract renewal, it’s worth updating those details in the system at the same time rather than leaving the record outdated.
How to Renew Your Dubai Tenancy Contract Online
This is the route most tenants and landlords use, since it’s the cheapest and, when nothing about the lease has changed, the quickest.
- Get the new tenancy contract signed first. Ejari registers a contract that already exists — you can’t renew Ejari before the new lease term has been agreed and signed by both landlord and tenant.
- Log in to the Dubai REST app or the Dubai Land Department’s website, using UAE Pass or your registered account.
- Select “Register / Renew Tenancy Contract” and choose the renewal option for your existing Ejari record.
- Enter the updated tenancy details — new contract dates, rent amount, and any changes to the parties involved — and upload a copy of the signed Unified Tenancy Contract.
- Pay the AED 177.75 fee.
- Wait for review. A Dubai Land Department employee checks and approves the request through the system.
- Receive your renewed e-Contract Registration Certificate, which is issued electronically once approved.
Because this route is fully digital, it works well when the lease terms are simply continuing — same landlord, same property, same or an agreed new rent. It’s less suited to cases involving a change of landlord, a dispute over the renewal terms, or a Power of Attorney issued outside Dubai, where a trustee centre visit tends to be more practical.
How to Renew a Tenancy Contract at a Trustee Centre
If you’d rather have someone check the paperwork in person, or your situation is a bit more complex, you can renew at any Real Estate Services Trustee Centre in Dubai.
- Visit your nearest trustee centre, or use a property management company if your building is managed by one.
- Submit the required documents — the original Unified Tenancy Contract, your Emirates ID, and a Power of Attorney if you’re acting as a representative.
- An employee reviews the request and checks that nothing is missing before it’s processed in the system.
- Pay the AED 220 service fee and collect your receipt.
- Receive your e-Contract Registration Certificate.
According to the Dubai Land Department, this in-person process typically takes around 25 minutes at the counter, not counting any waiting time before you’re seen. Trustee centres also accept payment by credit card, cash, or Noqodi wallet, so you don’t need to arrange payment in advance.
What Happens If You Don’t Renew on Time
There’s no government fine for renewing your Dubai tenancy contract late. The Dubai Land Department doesn’t issue a penalty simply for an expired Ejari record. What actually happens is more practical: your Ejari record sits expired, and you lose access to anything that depends on a currently valid one.
That includes connecting or transferring a DEWA account, renewing or applying for a residence visa tied to that address, opening certain bank accounts, registering for a school place, or filing a case with the Rental Disputes Centre if a dispute comes up. Since a tenancy contract in Dubai generally continues automatically under the law even when Ejari itself isn’t renewed, you won’t be evicted just because the registration lapsed — but you’ll be stuck until someone renews it.
You can renew at any point after the expiry date. The system records the actual dates of the signed contract, so a renewal filed late is still registered for the real lease period, not backdated or penalized for lateness. That said, leaving it too long can create a scramble later — for instance, if you suddenly need a DEWA transfer or a visa renewal and discover your Ejari has been sitting expired for months.
Rent Increases During Dubai Tenancy Contract Renewal
Renewal time is also when rent increases legally come into play, and this is one of the areas where tenants most often get caught off guard.
Under Dubai’s tenancy rules — most notably Decree No. 43 of 2013, which governs rent increases — a landlord can only raise the rent within limits set by the RERA Rental Index (now branded the Smart Rental Index), and only if they give proper written notice.
The core rules to know:
- A landlord must give at least 90 days’ written notice before the contract renewal date if they intend to raise the rent or change any other term.
- Without that 90-day notice, the increase cannot legally take effect, and the contract is expected to renew on the previous terms.
- The maximum allowed increase depends on how far below the market rate your current rent sits, based on the Smart Rental Index:
- Up to 10% below market: no increase allowed
- 11–20% below market: up to 5% increase
- 21–30% below market: up to 10% increase
- 31–40% below market: up to 15% increase
- More than 40% below market: up to 20% increase
You can check whether a proposed increase is within these limits yourself using the Dubai Land Department’s Rental Index calculator, which compares your property against similar units in the same area. If a landlord proposes an increase that doesn’t match what the calculator allows, or gives less than 90 days’ notice, you’re within your rights to reject it — and if the disagreement can’t be resolved directly, either party can file a case with the Rental Disputes Centre.
This guide from Bolo Asan would add one practical note here: keep any renewal notice from your landlord in writing, whether it’s an email, a notarized notice, or a message through a registered channel. Verbal notice of a rent increase generally isn’t considered sufficient under the law.
Automatic Renewal: What Happens If Nobody Sends Notice
If your contract’s expiry date is approaching and neither you nor your landlord has sent any written notice about changes, non-renewal, or a rent increase, the tenancy is generally treated as continuing automatically on the same rent and the same terms as the year before.
This automatic continuation covers the tenancy agreement itself, though — it doesn’t cover the Ejari record. Even if the lease rolls over on the same terms, the Ejari registration still needs to be actively renewed through the DLD system for that new period. In other words, “automatic renewal” of the contract and “automatic renewal” of your Ejari are two different things, and only the first one happens without anyone doing anything.
If you’re a tenant who wants to move out rather than continue, the same 90-day principle generally applies in reverse — most tenancy contracts expect either party to give notice of non-renewal within a similar window, though the exact notice period can also be set out directly in your specific contract, so it’s worth checking your lease terms rather than assuming.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During Ejari Renewal
A few patterns come up repeatedly with Dubai tenancy contract renewal, and most are easy to avoid once you know about them:
- Renewing Ejari before the new contract is signed. The system needs an actual signed Unified Tenancy Contract to register — you can’t renew based on a verbal agreement or a draft.
- Assuming the landlord has already renewed it. Either party can technically initiate renewal, but it’s often left to whoever needs the certificate first. Don’t assume it’s been done — check your Ejari status directly.
- Ignoring an expired Ejari because rent is still being paid on time. Paying rent keeps the lease itself going, but it doesn’t renew the Ejari registration.
- Accepting a rent increase without checking the notice period or the Smart Rental Index. A landlord asking for more rent doesn’t automatically make the increase valid.
- Letting Emirates ID or passport details go out of date in the system. An expired ID on file can hold up the renewal even if everything else is in order.
- Using an unofficial “typing service” that charges well above the trustee centre rate without explaining what the extra charge covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a tenant renew Ejari without the landlord’s involvement?
Yes, in most cases. Since a signed tenancy contract from both parties is treated as the landlord’s consent, a tenant can generally complete the renewal themselves online or at a trustee centre, using that signed contract along with their Emirates ID.
Is there a grace period before Ejari renewal is considered late?
The Dubai Land Department doesn’t publish a fixed grace period or issue a fine for late renewal. The practical deadline is really whenever you next need a service — like a DEWA transfer or visa renewal — that requires a current Ejari certificate.
Does Dubai tenancy contract renewal cost more for commercial properties?
Commercial tenancy renewal follows the same registration requirement as residential leases, and landlords and tenants of commercial units are also required to renew each time the lease extends. Fee specifics can vary by property type and channel, so it’s worth checking the current rate for your specific case through the DLD portal.
What if my landlord refuses to renew the lease?
A landlord generally can’t refuse renewal without a valid legal reason, such as selling the property or reclaiming it for personal use — and even then, they’re required to give 12 months’ written notice, delivered by notary or registered mail. If you receive an eviction notice that doesn’t meet these conditions, you can raise it with the Rental Disputes Centre.
Can I renew my Dubai tenancy contract for more than one year at a time?
Multi-year tenancy contracts are possible in Dubai, and Ejari can register a contract covering more than one term. The specific process and any documentation required for multi-year contracts is best confirmed directly with the DLD or your trustee centre, since it can depend on the property and the agreement between both parties.
Do I need to renew Ejari if I’m not changing anything about the lease?
Yes. Even when the landlord, property, and rent all stay exactly the same, the Ejari record still needs a newly signed tenancy contract registered for the new period — the system doesn’t roll over automatically.
The One Thing to Remember
Dubai tenancy contract renewal isn’t a separate bureaucratic hurdle on top of your lease — it’s simply the act of registering your renewed contract with Ejari, done online for AED 177.75 or at a trustee centre for AED 220. Get the new contract signed first, renew promptly through whichever channel suits your situation, and keep an eye on the 90-day notice rule if a rent change is on the table. Handled that way, it’s one of the more straightforward parts of renting in Dubai.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and reflects publicly available information from the Dubai Land Department and related UAE authorities at the time of writing. Bolo Asan is an independent informational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of the Dubai Land Department, RERA, the Rental Disputes Centre, or any other UAE government or regulatory body.
Fees, processing times, required documents, and legal provisions relating to Dubai tenancy contract renewal can change, and this article is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Before renewing your tenancy contract or acting on any information here, please verify current requirements directly through the official Dubai Land Department channels or consult a qualified legal professional.
Last Updated: September 3, 2026
