Beyond Dubai: Foreign Ownership in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Sharjah

Many buyers from India look beyond Dubai, at an island project in Ras Al Khaimah or Umm Al Quwain, or a community in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, and assume that "UAE freehold" works the same everywhere. It does not. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation, and land ownership is set by each emirate's own law. In each of the four emirates covered here, the official texts we read say that a foreign buyer can generally own only where that emirate has designated an area or approved a project. So the first question for a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) buyer is not whether a brochure says "freehold". It is which emirate's register will issue the title, under which designation, and whether the project is registered with that emirate's regulator. This guide sets out what the official sources say, emirate by emirate, read on 30 October 2026, and says plainly where we could not confirm something. It makes no claim about prices, rents or future values.

Most of what foreign buyers read about UAE property is about Dubai, and Dubai's system has its own vocabulary: the Dubai Land Department, the interim Oqood register, and Dubai's escrow law. Our guides to Dubai's freehold and leasehold zones, the Oqood register and Dubai escrow explain them. None of that carries over automatically to another emirate. Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) and Sharjah each have their own ownership rules, their own land registers and their own rules on developer escrow.

In Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, the texts below reserve ownership for nationals by default; in all four, foreign ownership of a home depends on an area or project the emirate designates. The designation is the thing to check. A developer's word that a project is "freehold" is a statement about a designation; it is not the designation itself. Our general guide to foreign property ownership and our guide to foreign ownership in the other markets we list give the wider picture.

Abu Dhabi's rule is in Law No. 19 of 2005 on real estate ownership, whose articles 3 and 4 were replaced by Law No. 13 of 2019, issued 16 April 2019 (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre copy, read 30 October 2026). Under the new article 3(1), the right to acquire property is limited to citizens and those treated as citizens, public joint stock companies in which non-citizen shareholding does not exceed 49%, and anyone named by a resolution of the Crown Prince or the Chairman of the Executive Council. Under article 3(2), non-citizens, whether individuals or companies, may acquire all original and subordinate real rights over property located within the investment zones, and dispose of it.

The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre's compendium of real estate legislation defines investment zones as zones to be specified by an Executive Council resolution (read 30 October 2026). We could not confirm the current list or map of investment zones from an official source, so we name none. Ask for written confirmation that the plot sits in an investment zone, from the authority that will register the title.

The 2019 law also changed article 4: a person holding a usufruct or musataha right for more than ten years may dispose of it, including by mortgage, without the owner's consent, unless the parties agree otherwise. That matters if what you are offered is a long right of use rather than ownership.

RAK regulates real estate development under Law No. 12 of 2023, which applies to the whole emirate, including the RAK Economic Zones (article 2) (RAK Municipality copy, read 30 October 2026). Its preamble cites Emiri Decree No. 19 of 2016 on granting special authorisation for freehold of property in the emirate. Article 6 sets out the competences of a committee that considers applications for major real estate projects needing special approvals and submits recommendations.

The RAK Municipality's page for its Real Estate Regulatory Administration lists Law No. 11 of 2021 on the land register in RAK and Emiri Decision No. 22 of 2008 on real estate development escrow accounts, alongside Law No. 12 of 2023 (read 30 October 2026). So in RAK, the title comes from RAK's land register and escrow follows RAK's own decision, not Dubai's.

Al Marjan Island needs particular care. We could not open RAK's legislation portal on 30 October 2026 to read any decree on Al Marjan Island, and we could not confirm from an official source whether Al Marjan Island is designated for freehold ownership under the 2016 decree. So we do not call it freehold. As a general note, do not read "free zone" as "freehold": a free zone is about licensing companies; freehold is about who can hold title to a home. Before paying, ask the developer for the RAK land register designation for the plot, and confirm it with the RAK land register yourself.

On 23 September 2021, the Ruler of UAQ issued Resolution No. 4 of 2021 on foreign freehold ownership, as reported by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the federal news agency (read 30 October 2026). Under it, foreigners, limited liability companies partly owned by foreigners, free zone companies and offshore companies may hold freehold property. The resolution also says that the specific freehold zones will be set by a further resolution of the Ruler.

That second step is the one to check. We could not confirm from an official source which zones the Ruler has designated, or whether Siniya Island is one of them. So treat Siniya Island's status as a question you put to the UAQ authorities, not as a fact.

On 6 September 2023, WAM reported that the Ruler issued six laws on real estate (read 30 October 2026). They include Law No. 2 of 2023, establishing an interim real estate register for UAQ, and Law No. 3 of 2023, on regulating real estate development, the pricing of projects and real estate escrow accounts. The same report lists Law No. 6 of 2023, on protecting investors where projects are delayed or face obstacles. So UAQ now has its own interim real estate register and its own escrow rules; ask which register your unit will be recorded in and which escrow account your payments go into.

Sharjah's rule is in Law No. 5 of 2010 on real estate registration, whose article 4 was replaced by Law No. 2 of 2022, dated 27 October 2022 (Sharjah Official Gazette, read 30 October 2026). The new article 4 limits ownership in the emirate to citizens of the UAE and of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, with exceptions. These include ownership with the Ruler's approval, by inheritance, by transfer to a first-degree relative, and ownership in real estate development areas and projects under rules set by the Executive Council.

On 1 November 2022, the Sharjah Executive Council announced a decision allowing all nationalities to own real estate of all kinds, without limit of time, in real estate development areas and projects (Sharjah Executive Council, read 30 October 2026). Sharjah Executive Council Decision No. 37 of 2024 on regulating real estate development projects, dated 22 October 2024, defines the escrow account as the bank account for a development project that the developer opens with an escrow agent, into which buyers' payments are deposited (read 30 October 2026). We give no per-project ownership limit or fee for Sharjah, because we could not confirm one from an official source.

Several of the projects foreign buyers hear about outside Dubai sit next to large resort or infrastructure schemes. The statements below come from the operator or developer, not from a government source, and each is dated. None of them says anything about prices.

Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah

• Wynn Al Marjan Island: the operator's site says the resort is under construction and debuts in 2027 (read 30 October 2026). Khaleej Times reported on 5 August 2026 that Wynn Resorts' chief executive said it will open in September 2027 (read 30 October 2026). Status: under construction, by the operator's statement.
• Marjan Bay Bridge: in a release dated 2 February 2026, the operator said the 548 metre bridge was 48% complete and on schedule for completion in late 2026. Status: under construction as of February 2026, by the operator's statement. We could not confirm its status since then.

Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwain

• Anantara Sobha Siniya Island: in a release published on 6 October 2026, the developer said the groundbreaking had taken place, through Sobha Al Siniya FZC (a free zone company), a joint venture of Sobha Realty and Umm Al Quwain Properties, and that the resort and residences are scheduled to open in 2030. Status: groundbreaking, by the developer's statement.
• Siniya Island bridge: the same release describes the island as connected to the mainland by a bridge about 1.7 kilometres long. We could not confirm the bridge's status from an official source.

A resort or a bridge does not change the ownership question. It also does not tell you whether the plot you are offered is designated for foreign ownership.

The pattern across the four emirates gives a short list of questions to ask before you pay even a booking amount:

• Which emirate's register will record my title, and under what designation: an investment zone in Abu Dhabi, a designated area in RAK, a freehold zone named by Ruler's resolution in UAQ, or a development area or project in Sharjah? Ask for the designation in writing.
• If the unit is off-plan, in which register will my interest be recorded before completion? In UAQ, the 2023 laws created an interim register.
• Which escrow account will my payments go into, under which emirate's rules, and with which bank?
• Is the project registered with the emirate's regulator? Ask for the registration number and check it yourself.
• If what is offered is a long right of use rather than ownership, how long is it, and can it be sold or mortgaged?

Our listing data does not answer these questions. As listed on avacasa.life on 30 October 2026, counting all 1,304 live listings, we have 30 in these four emirates: 21 in Umm Al Quwain, 4 in Abu Dhabi, 3 in Ras Al Khaimah, all on Al Marjan Island, and 2 in Sharjah. That is 21 plus 4 plus 3 plus 2, making 30, of which UAQ is 21 out of 30, or 70%. None of those records carries a land department or project registration number, so take each question above to the developer and the emirate's own register. Our guides to Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah and Dubai describe the places.

For the money side, our guides to buying property in Dubai as a foreign buyer, Dubai transaction costs, master communities and who controls what, buyer protection on under-construction property and tax collected at source on foreign remittances for property cover related ground, mostly from a Dubai or Indian angle. Our guide to property-linked residency visas covers residency in general; we make no claim here about residency through property in any of these four emirates.

This is not a guide to whether any project outside Dubai is a good purchase, or to prices, rents or future values; we make no such claims. It does not name Abu Dhabi's investment zones or UAQ's freehold zones, confirm Al Marjan Island's or Siniya Island's designation, give transfer or registration fees for any of the four emirates, or cover residency through property, because we could not confirm those from official sources. It does not cover the remaining emirates. And it is not legal advice: for a specific purchase, a lawyer in that emirate should read the documents.

Outside Dubai, "freehold" is a claim about a designation that each emirate makes for itself. Abu Dhabi opens ownership to foreigners in investment zones, RAK through its designations, UAQ in zones its Ruler names, and Sharjah in approved development areas and projects. So find out which emirate's register will issue your title, get the designation in writing, confirm it with that register, and check where your payments will be held. If the answers come back clear and consistent, you have a basis to proceed. If any of them is vague, stop before any money moves.

• Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre: Law No. 13 of 2019 amending Law No. 19 of 2005 on real estate ownership
• Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre: compendium of real estate legislation
• RAK Municipality: Law No. 12 of 2023 on regulating real estate development in Ras Al Khaimah
• RAK Municipality: Real Estate Regulatory Administration rules and regulations
• Emirates News Agency: UAQ Ruler issues resolution on foreign freehold real estate ownership, 23 September 2021
• Emirates News Agency: UAQ Ruler issues six laws to regulate real estate sector, 6 September 2023
• Sharjah Official Gazette: Law No. 2 of 2022 amending Law No. 5 of 2010 on real estate registration
• Sharjah Executive Council: decision allowing all nationalities to own real estate, 1 November 2022
• Sharjah Official Gazette: Executive Council Decision No. 37 of 2024 on regulating real estate development projects, 22 October 2024
• Wynn Al Marjan Island: operator site
• Wynn Resorts newsroom: Marjan Bay Bridge release, 2 February 2026
• Khaleej Times: Wynn Al Marjan Island pushes opening to September 2027
• Sobha Realty: Anantara Sobha Siniya groundbreaking release, 6 October 2026