Buying Property Jointly in Abu Dhabi: Shares, Mortgages, Death and Divorce (2026)

Can you buy property jointly in Abu Dhabi?

Yes. A residential unit can be registered in two or more names, and the title deed records each owner and the percentage they hold. Spouses buy together most often, but parents and adult children, siblings, friends and business partners can also be co-owners. The usual tenure rules apply to every name on the deed: a foreign co-owner can hold freehold only inside an investment zone, which our freehold areas guide lists.

Do not confuse this with the term jointly owned property in Abu Dhabi regulations. That phrase refers to buildings and communities with shared common areas (strata), governed by owners’ committees and licensed management companies, and it applies to almost every apartment whether it has one owner or several. This guide is about several people owning one unit.

How are shares shown on the title deed?

Each co-owner appears on the deed with a percentage, for example 50:50 or 70:30. The split is agreed by the buyers and entered when the sale is registered on DARI, or with the ADGM Registration Authority for units on Al Reem and Al Maryah Islands. Our title deed guide shows how to read and download a deed.

Choose the split deliberately. It decides how sale proceeds are divided, what each owner’s estate inherits and, in practice, how much bargaining power each person has if they disagree. Many couples default to 50:50 even when one partner paid most of the deposit; others match the percentages to the money each put in. Either can be right, but write the reason down.

How does a joint mortgage work in Abu Dhabi?

Banks assess every applicant and usually combine incomes against the Central Bank’s 50% debt burden ratio, so each person’s existing loans count against the total. The loan-to-value caps are the same as for a single buyer: up to 80% for a resident expat’s first home of AED 5m or less, 60% for an investment property and 50% for off-plan. Our mortgage guide has the full rules.

Liability is joint and several. Each borrower owes the whole loan, not just their percentage. If one co-owner stops paying, the bank can pursue the other for the full instalment. Leaving the country, or a divorce order giving the home to one spouse, does not on its own release a borrower; that normally takes a refinance or the bank’s consent to remove a name, covered in our refinancing guide.

Who banks accept. Spouses are the standard pairing. Some lenders accept a parent and adult child or siblings; unmarried partners and friends are rarely accepted as joint borrowers, even though they can both be on the deed. Ask the bank early, before you agree a price.

What happens to a jointly owned property when one owner dies?

We have not found an Abu Dhabi rule that gives a surviving co-owner the deceased’s share automatically. The safer assumption is that the share forms part of the deceased’s estate. For a non-Muslim couple with children and no will, Law No. 14 of 2021 gives half the estate to the spouse and half to the children, so a surviving spouse with a 50% share would end up with 75%, and the children with 25% between them. Muslim owners’ estates follow fixed Sharia shares.

Mirror wills registered with the ADJD Civil Family Court, leaving each partner’s share to the other, avoid this. Any mortgage is usually covered by life insurance assigned to the bank. Our guide to inheritance and wills covers the rules, and our guide to selling inherited property covers what heirs do next.

What happens on divorce or separation?

The deed does not change because a relationship ends. Each person keeps their registered share and, if there is a joint mortgage, stays liable for the whole loan until the bank agrees otherwise. Couples usually choose between three routes: one partner buys the other out and refinances the loan into one name, they sell and divide the proceeds, or they keep the property and let it while they decide.

A family court ruling can decide who is entitled to what, but the transfer still has to be registered on DARI and the bank still has to approve any change to the borrowers. Non-Muslim couples’ divorces fall under the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court; take legal advice on how the court is likely to treat jointly owned property in your case.

What if one co-owner wants to sell and the other does not?

A sale of the whole unit needs every registered owner to sign, in person, through DARI or through a properly drafted power of attorney. Buyers of a part-share are rare, so a co-owner who wants out usually has two practical options: be bought out by the others at an agreed valuation, or persuade them to sell. If co-owners cannot agree, the dispute goes to the courts, which is slow and expensive.

That is why a written co-ownership agreement matters more than the percentage on the deed. It should set out who pays the deposit, instalments, service charges and repairs; how rent is shared; how a buy-out price is fixed (for example by an independent valuation); a notice period before anyone can force a sale; and what happens if someone stops paying.

Does a jointly owned property count for the Golden Visa?

The Abu Dhabi Residents Office requires real estate worth at least AED 2m, with at least AED 2m of the investor’s own capital if the property is mortgaged, and the visa covers spouses and children. Its published conditions do not say how co-owned property is treated. Many advisers work on the basis that each applicant’s own share must reach AED 2m, with possible flexibility for spouses, but this is not stated by ADRO, so confirm with ADRO or through TAMM before relying on a joint purchase. Our Golden Visa guide covers the rest of the rules.

*General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with DARI, ADRO or a UAE lawyer before you act.*