Real Estate Broker Licensing in Dubai Through RERA 2026: the Professional Practice Card, Exam, and Renewal

Any individual engaged in real estate brokerage in Dubai must obtain a Professional Practice Card — an electronic credential issued by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) through its regulatory arm, RERA, and the Trakheesi system.

The legal basis for regulating brokerage activity in Dubai is UAE Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai, still in force in 2026 without formal repeal or replacement by a new instrument.

The current RERA practice guide for brokers is the Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, 2nd Edition, issued November 2024 (document DLD/RERA/RL/LP/Manual/No.6/Vr.2).

The Professional Practice Card is not a one-time credential but a card requiring annual renewal, with its validity period directly tied to the validity of the brokerage company’s trade licence.

⚠ A rule cited in some sources limiting the number of brokers who may participate in a single transaction, reportedly introduced under an earlier version of RERA practice, does not appear in the text of the current 2nd Edition of the Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (November 2024) — this discrepancy is disclosed explicitly below rather than presented as a confirmed fact.

1. The Legal Basis for Regulating Brokerage Activity

Bylaw No. (85) of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai is the base instrument establishing mandatory registration in RERA’s brokers register for any real estate brokerage activity in Dubai.

Per the primary text of the current RERA practice guide, no individual may perform any activity requiring a Professional Practice Card without obtaining one — regardless of whether the employing company holds a valid trade licence.

ℹ Beyond brokers, a Professional Practice Card is also mandatory for other DLD-regulated professional categories — real estate consultants, evaluators, mortgage brokers, and property managers; each category has its own requirements and fee schedule.

A repeat verification pass established: RERA itself, as a public body, is governed by a separate, more recent instrument — Law No. (4) of 2019, which replaced Law No. (16) of 2007, under which RERA was originally established. Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 governs specifically the brokers register, not RERA as an institution — these are two distinct instruments that should not be conflated.

⚠ Per Law No. (4) of 2019, the function of registering lease contracts and regulating landlord-tenant relations was transferred directly from RERA to the Dubai Land Department — an important allocation of authority within the same system that was absent from the first version of this article.

The legal basis of the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) itself, whose training and exam are mandatory for obtaining a broker card, is Law No. (5) of 2020 pertaining to the Dubai Real Estate Institute, which replaced Law No. (13) of 2012 on the Establishment of Dubai Real Estate Institute.

2. Trakheesi and Dubai REST: RERA’s Digital Infrastructure

System/service	Purpose
Trakheesi	The unified licensing and permit system: issuing the Professional Practice Card, registering offices, processing violations
Dubai REST	The broker’s mandatory mobile app: broker data, smart contracts, the Green List, off-plan project status
Green List	A registry of property owners who have consented to broker contact; contacting an owner outside the list is a violation resulting in suspension
Smart contracts A/B/F	Contract A — property marketing agreement; Contract B — buyer’s intent to purchase; Contract F — sale and purchase agreement

⚠ A broker contacting a property owner not registered on the Green List is itself a violation under the current RERA guide and results in suspension of the broker’s activity upon a complaint from an investor or client — regardless of whether the contact was made in good faith.

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3. Step-by-Step Process for Obtaining a Professional Practice Card

Stage	Action	Authority/system
1	Obtain a trade licence for brokerage activity	DED or a free zone
2	Register the licence in the Trakheesi system	Trakheesi (dubailand.gov.ae)
3	Complete accredited training (the CTRB course)	Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI)
4	Pass the RERA qualifying examination	RERA / DREI
5	Submit a Professional Practice Card application via Trakheesi	Trakheesi
6	Pay the fees and receive the electronic card	Trakheesi

Per the primary text of the current practice guide, obtaining the card consists of four formal steps: obtaining a trade licence, registering the licence in Trakheesi, submitting a card application via Trakheesi, and paying the fees, after which the electronic card is issued.

ℹ Training through the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) and passing the qualifying exam are a mandatory stage of RERA practice preceding the card application, even though the guide’s formal step list describes the procedure starting from having a licence.

4. Smart Contracts A, B, and F

RERA requires brokers to use three types of standardised smart contracts when marketing and selling property in Dubai.

•       Contract A — a property marketing agreement between the seller and the brokerage.

•       Contract B — an agreement of intent to purchase between the buyer and the broker.

•       Contract F — a sale and purchase agreement between the seller and the buyer.

If a dispute arises under Contract F, the parties may use the Amicable Settlement Contract service through Trakheesi; if the conciliation process does not result in agreement, the parties must resort to the judicial authorities.

5. Classification of Brokerage Offices and Brokers

RERA assigns a rating classification to brokerage offices and individual brokers to encourage competition and raise service quality.

The official goal of the classification stated in the RERA guide is for a broker or office to achieve a five-star rating or the “golden category.”

6. Trustee Office Registers: Sales vs. Leasing

Trustee office type	Transactions handled
Real Estate Registration Trustee Offices	Registering sale and purchase transactions on behalf of the Dubai Land Department
Real Estate Services Trustee Offices	Registering lease contracts, issuing certificates, and other services unrelated to sales

⚠ Registering a sale transaction and registering a lease contract go through fundamentally different categories of DLD trustee offices — approaching the wrong type results in the document being refused processing.

7. Developer Verification When Marketing Off-Plan Projects

A broker marketing property sold off-plan must confirm the project is licensed and registered with RERA before commencing marketing activity.

The current RERA guide expressly requires an off-plan project to have an escrow account, and requires buyers to deposit funds exclusively into that account rather than directly to the developer or broker.

✅ A specific off-plan project’s licensing and registration can be verified through the Mashrooi section of the Dubai REST app.

8. Common Mistakes

•       Beginning brokerage activity before the Professional Practice Card is actually issued. Activity without a valid card is a direct breach of Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 regardless of the company’s trade licence status.

•       Contacting property owners not registered on the Green List. This is a standalone violation resulting in suspension of the broker’s activity upon a complaint.

•       Not verifying an off-plan project’s registration and escrow account before starting marketing. Marketing an unregistered project is a violation creating risk for both the broker and prospective buyers.

•       Confusing sales and leasing trustee offices. Different transaction types are handled by different categories of DLD trustee offices — approaching the wrong one delays registration.

•       Relying on unverified fee figures from third-party sources. The exact Professional Practice Card fee could not be consistently confirmed through a primary source during this verification pass — confirm the current amount directly via Trakheesi.

9. Who This Fits

•       Individuals planning a professional real estate brokerage career in Dubai. A Professional Practice Card is a mandatory condition of legal practice regardless of the scale of activity.

•       Brokerage companies building a reputation through RERA’s rating system. A five-star rating and the “golden category” are an officially recognised benchmark of service quality.

10. Who This Does Not Fit

•       Those expecting a one-time card with no subsequent annual renewal. The card’s validity is tied to the trade licence’s validity and requires regular reconfirmation.

11. When Professional Verification Is Essential

Self-assessment is worth supplementing with specialist advice when: choosing the optimal legal form for a brokerage company; confirming the current fee amount and exam content directly with DREI and via Trakheesi; and handling off-plan projects, which require heightened attention to the escrow mechanism.

FAQ

What is the RERA Professional Practice Card?

An electronic credential issued by the Dubai Land Department through RERA and the Trakheesi system, mandatory for any individual engaged in real estate brokerage in Dubai.

What law regulates brokerage activity in Dubai?

UAE Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai.

Is annual renewal of the broker card mandatory?

Yes, the card’s validity is tied to the brokerage company’s trade licence validity and requires regular reconfirmation.

What is the Green List in the Dubai REST app?

A registry of property owners who have consented to broker contact; contacting an owner outside this list is a violation risking suspension of activity.

Is there a limit on the number of brokers per transaction?

Such a rule was mentioned in earlier materials on RERA practice, but does not appear in the text of the current 2nd Edition of the Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (November 2024) — confirm the current status of this specific rule directly with RERA.

Key Takeaways

•       Brokerage activity in Dubai is regulated by Bylaw No. 85 of 2006, in force without formal repeal.

•       The current RERA practice guide is the 2nd Edition, issued November 2024.

•       A Professional Practice Card is mandatory and tied to the company’s trade licence validity.

•       Contacting owners outside the Green List is a standalone violation risking suspension.

•       Off-plan projects require registration and escrow account verification before marketing begins.

•       A per-transaction broker limit cited in some sources is not confirmed by the current 2024 guide’s text.

Summary

Licensing real estate brokers in Dubai is governed by UAE Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 Regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai; any individual engaged in brokerage activity must obtain a Professional Practice Card — an electronic credential issued by the Dubai Land Department through the RERA regulatory body and the Trakheesi system. The current practice guide is the Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, 2nd Edition, issued November 2024. The card’s validity is tied to the brokerage company’s trade licence validity and requires annual reconfirmation. Brokers must use the Dubai REST mobile app, which includes the Green List (property owners who have consented to contact) and three types of smart contracts (A — marketing, B — intent to purchase, F — sale and purchase). When marketing off-plan projects, a broker must confirm the project is registered with RERA and has an escrow account. A rule cited in some sources limiting the number of brokers per transaction is not confirmed by the text of the current 2024 guide.

Sources

• Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, 2nd Edition, November 2024 (official PDF, dubailand.gov.ae)

• Dubai Land Department — official portal (dubailand.gov.ae)

• Dubai Land Department — Trakheesi, the broker licensing system (trakheesi.dubailand.gov.ae)

• Gulf News — Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid makes RERA part of the Dubai Land Department, official announcement of Law No. 4 of 2019 (gulfnews.com)

• Gulf News — Mohammed bin Rashid issues new law on Dubai Real Estate Institute, official announcement of Law No. 5 of 2020 (gulfnews.com)

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or consulting advice. Exact fees, exam content, and specific procedural details are updated regularly by RERA and the Dubai Land Department — verify current conditions directly on the official dubailand.gov.ae portal or through the Trakheesi system before applying. Information is accurate as of July 2026.