Trakheesi Permit: What It Is and How to Verify a Dubai Property Listing
· 11 min read
The short answer
- Trakheesi is the DLD system for real estate licences and permits, and its address is trakheesi.dubailand.gov.ae.
- RERA requires real estate companies to obtain a permit before launching any marketing campaign and to include the permit number in all real estate ads.
- Since April 2023 each advertising permit also carries a QR code, issued through a service called Madmoun, that a reader can scan to confirm RERA approved the advert.
- The DLD's Verify License and Permits service runs on the DLD website and the Dubai REST app, and the DLD lists its completion time as immediate.
- RERA circulars set the fine for advertising without a permit at not less than AED 50,000, doubled for a repeat violation.
- A permit check confirms the advert was approved. It does not replace checking the broker, the owner or, for off-plan property, the project and its escrow account.
Key takeaways
- Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department system for real estate licences, broker cards and advertising permits, reached at trakheesi.dubailand.gov.ae.
- RERA requires real estate companies to obtain a permit before launching any marketing campaign and to include the permit number in all real estate ads.
- Since April 2023 every Trakheesi advertising permit carries a QR code under the Madmoun service, and RERA's circular sets the fine for leaving it off an advert at AED 50,000.
- The DLD's Verify License and Permits service is available on the DLD website and the Dubai REST app, and the DLD lists its completion time as immediate.
- A standard advertising permit costs the advertiser AED 1,000 plus a AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation Fee, and the DLD lists one working day as the expected completion time.
Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) system that handles real estate licensing, broker cards and advertising permits. A property advert in Dubai needs a Trakheesi permit from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), with the permit number and a QR code shown on it. You can verify both on the DLD website or the Dubai REST app.
What is Trakheesi in Dubai?
Trakheesi is the DLD's online system for real estate licences and permits. Companies and brokers use it, and the permits it issues are what a buyer or tenant can check before trusting a listing.
According to RERA's Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (second edition, 2024), the Trakheesi system provides services relating to real estate licences and permits: issuing professional practice cards and office registration certificates, and receiving and responding to violations or warnings issued to a company. The same guide gives the system's address as trakheesi.dubailand.gov.ae.
If you searched for "DLD Trakheesi" or "Trakheesi portal" to look up a listing, note that the DLD's permit procedure starts with logging in to the Trakheesi system, which real estate companies and brokers use for their licences, cards and permits. To check a listing, use the verification service described below.
What is a Trakheesi permit, and which adverts need one?
A Trakheesi permit is RERA's approval for one piece of real estate advertising, issued as an electronic certificate. The practice guide states that real estate brokerages must obtain a permit for any real estate advertisement or marketing material through the Trakheesi system, and that the permit number must be displayed on the ad.
The DLD's Real Estate Ad Permit service page lists 14 kinds of advertising the permit covers: newspaper, SMS, outdoor, vehicle, printed, electronic and billboard advertisements, promotional campaigns, open house events, classified advertisements, real estate exhibitions, project launch events, real estate promotion platforms and real estate seminars.
Online listings and social media are included. A RERA circular on real estate ads terms and conditions, published on the DLD site in 2022, addresses all real estate companies wishing to market or promote properties through various advertising channels, including real estate platforms or social media.
What must a legitimate Dubai property listing show?
A compliant advert shows a permit number, a QR code and the name of the real estate company, and off-plan adverts carry extra project details. The table sets out what RERA's circulars require.
| What the advert must show | Applies to | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| RERA permit number | Every real estate advert | RERA circular, real estate ads terms and conditions |
| QR code issued through Trakheesi | Every advert, in print or audio-visual format | RERA Circular 02-2023 |
| Name of the real estate company | Every advert, written or visual | RERA circular, real estate ads terms and conditions |
| Developer's name, project name, project number, project location and approved escrow account number | Off-plan projects | RERA circular, real estate ads terms and conditions |
| Only information approved in the permit | Every advert | RERA circular, real estate ads terms and conditions |
The portals have duties too. Under RERA's circular to real estate portals, adverts without an official RERA permit are not allowed to be posted, and the permit must be verifiable through the integration between RERA and the portal. A second 2022 circular gives brokerage offices 7 working days to have portals remove adverts for property that is no longer available for sale or rent.
For an off-plan advert, the project number and escrow account number are two more things to check. Our DLD project status check guide covers that step, and how to buy off-plan in Dubai covers the wider process.
How to do a Trakheesi permit check
There are two official routes: scan the QR code on the advert, or enter the permit number in the DLD's verification service. The DLD's Verify License and Permits page lists the completion time as immediate.
Route A: scan the Trakheesi QR code
- Find the QR code on the advert. RERA's Circular 02-2023 required all real estate companies to include it on their advertisements from 15 April 2023. The DLD's press release of 18 April 2023 gave the start date as 24 April 2023, so the two official documents differ by nine days.
- Scan it with your phone camera. The DLD says customers can then access its website to view the complete advertisement information, including details about the advertising company and the property's condition and specifications.
- Check where the scan lands. The DLD says the advertisement information is viewed on its website, and RERA's practice guide gives the Trakheesi address as trakheesi.dubailand.gov.ae.
- Compare the official record with the advert: the company, the property and whether it is still available. The DLD says the scan lets customers establish if a property has been sold or rented.
Route B: check the Trakheesi permit number
- Open the Verify License and Permits service on the DLD website or in the Dubai REST app. The service page lists logging in to the website or the app as the first step.
- Select the transaction type and enter the transaction number. The form marks both fields as mandatory.
- Submit and read the result. The service verifies the electronic copy of licences and permits issued by the Land Department through the Trakheesi system.
The App Store listing for Dubai REST names the Dubai Land Department as the developer and shows the app as free. Our Dubai REST app guide explains how to set it up.
What does a permit check tell you, and what does it not?
A valid permit tells you that RERA approved that advert for that company. It is one check among several, not proof that a deal is safe.
Two further checks are worth the time:
- The broker. Under Article 3 of Bylaw No. 85 of 2006, no person may engage in real estate brokerage in Dubai unless licensed and entered in the brokers register. The DLD's Licensed Real Estate Brokers page lets you search brokers, offices, mobile numbers, areas and ORN.
- The project, if off-plan. RERA's practice guide tells brokers to make sure a project is licensed and registered, that it has an escrow account, and to instruct buyers to deposit money only into that account. It names the Dubai REST app's Mashrooi section as the place to validate a project.
The rules cover adverts for rent as well as for sale. Our guide to renting in Dubai covers what follows once a listing checks out.
How to get a Trakheesi permit
The DLD lists this as a service for companies. Under "Residency Status" the service page shows "Company", and the only channel listed is the DLD website (Trakheesi). The DLD's 2020 announcement describes the permit as a requirement on real estate companies and establishments that wish to publish an advert.
The procedure on the DLD service page has five steps:
- Log in to the Trakheesi system and select the service.
- Fill in the required information and upload the documents.
- An employee reviews and approves the request.
- Log in again and choose a payment method.
- Receive the e-permit certificate.
| Item | What the DLD service page states |
|---|---|
| Project launch event permit | AED 5,000 |
| Other permits | AED 1,000 |
| Knowledge and Innovation Fee | AED 20 |
| Expected completion time | 1 working day |
| Document for advertisements, billboards and promotion campaigns | A copy of the advertisement form |
| Extra condition for brokers | A copy of the marketing contract with the property owner |
| Issued document | Permit e-Certificate |
The marketing contract matters to consumers. RERA's Circular 01-2022, dated 14 July 2022, said the smart e-marketing contract between broker and seller, known as Form A, would be linked to the real estate permit system "starting 1 August".
What happens when an advert has no valid permit?
The company that placed it can be fined, and repeat offences cost more. RERA's Circular 1-2020 states that the value of the violation is not less than AED 50,000 and is doubled for a repeat violation. Circular 02-2023 sets the fine for not displaying the QR code at AED 50,000.
In October 2020 the DLD announced that RERA had fined 10 real estate companies and warned 30 others. It named three kinds of violation: not obtaining an advertising permit, manipulating permit numbers, and using expired permits. The same announcement said penalties may reach cancellation of the company's licence.
Monitoring is now partly automated. In April 2025 the DLD said its AI-powered Real Estate Advertising Governance Platform had monitored over 279,000 adverts across platforms such as Property Finder, Dubizzle and Bayut since its launch, and that 29% of the monitored listings were automatically modified.
If you find an advert without a permit, RERA invites customers to report it through the Real Estate Violations System. The DLD's complaints page offers a "Complaint Against a Real Estate Company" option.
What is the difference between DLD and RERA?
The DLD is the government department for Dubai real estate, and RERA is the regulatory agency affiliated to it. For a listing, RERA is the body that approves the content of the advert and regulates and licenses real property activities.
| Dubai Land Department (DLD) | Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Established in January 1960, according to the DLD | Established under Law No. 16 of 2007 and now governed by Law No. 4 of 2019, which describes it as a public corporation affiliated to the DLD |
| Role in a listing | Hosts the Trakheesi system, the verification service and the Dubai REST app | Approves advertising permits and issues the circulars that govern adverts |
| Wider role | Its Real Estate Registration Sector ensures the documentation and auditing of real estate transactions, according to the DLD | Under Article 5 of Law No. 4 of 2019, regulates and licenses real property activities, and issues approvals of the content of real property advertisements and monitors that content |
The text of Law No. 4 of 2019 is published on the Dubai Government legislation portal. Article 10 of that law says it supersedes Law No. 16 of 2007, the law that first established RERA.
Why our project pages show "Not confirmed" for most permit numbers
UAE Realtys publishes information about projects, and no broker licence has been confirmed for the site. Our about page says that where a figure is not yet confirmed, the page shows "Not confirmed". Each project page in our off-plan directory has a permit number field, and for most projects it reads "Not confirmed" because we have not verified a permit number for that project. We show the gap instead of printing a number we have not verified, so run the permit check yourself on whichever advert or broker you deal with.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a number without checking it. The DLD's 2020 enforcement announcement listed manipulated permit numbers and expired permits among the violations it found, so a number printed on an advert is worth verifying before you rely on it.
- Stopping at the permit. The permit covers the advert. The broker and, for off-plan property, the project and its escrow account are separate checks.
- Ignoring a missing QR code. The DLD advises customers and investors to engage only with real estate advertisements that feature the QR code.
Frequently asked questions
What is Trakheesi?
Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department's online system for real estate licences and permits. According to RERA's Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, it issues professional practice cards and office registration certificates, and advertising permits for property listings are obtained through it.
What is a Trakheesi permit?
A Trakheesi permit is the approval that the Real Estate Regulatory Agency gives for a real estate advertisement in Dubai. RERA requires companies to obtain it before launching a marketing campaign and to include the permit number in every advert. The permit is issued as an electronic certificate.
How do I check a Trakheesi permit number?
Use the Verify License and Permits service on the Dubai Land Department website or in the Dubai REST app. Select the transaction type, enter the transaction number and submit. The DLD lists the completion time for this service as immediate.
What is the Trakheesi QR code?
It is a QR code issued through the Trakheesi system for each real estate advertising permit, under a service the DLD calls Madmoun. RERA's Circular 02-2023 required companies to include it on adverts from 15 April 2023, while the DLD's press release of 18 April 2023 gave the start date as 24 April 2023. Scanning it lets a reader confirm that RERA approved the advert.
How do I get a Trakheesi permit?
A real estate company applies through the Trakheesi system on the DLD website. The DLD service page lists a fee of AED 1,000 for most permits, or AED 5,000 for a project launch event permit, plus a AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation Fee. A broker must also supply a copy of the marketing contract with the property owner.
What is the difference between DLD and RERA?
The Dubai Land Department is the government department for real estate in Dubai. RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, is a public corporation affiliated to the Land Department. It was established under Law No. 16 of 2007 and is now governed by Law No. 4 of 2019, under which it regulates and licenses real property activities and approves and monitors the content of real property advertisements.
Does a valid Trakheesi permit mean a property deal is safe?
No. A valid permit shows that RERA approved the advert for the company that placed it. Still check that the broker is on the DLD's licensed brokers list and, for off-plan property, that the project is registered and payments go to its escrow account. For a contract or a payment dispute, speak to a qualified property lawyer.
Last checked against official sources on 10 November 2026.