The back story
Buying in Abu Dhabi: investment zones, DARI and the rules for foreign buyers
Where foreigners may buy, how the investment zones work, and DARI. We never publish prices.
Abu Dhabi opens property ownership to foreign buyers inside designated investment zones: Saadiyat, Yas, Al Reem and Al Maryah among them. Outside those zones, ownership is largely reserved for UAE nationals. The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) regulates the market, and DARI, its digital platform, is where transactions, eligibility checks and registrations happen.
The investment zones
Non-UAE individuals and companies may own, acquire and dispose of real rights over property in the investment areas (DARI law directory). ADREC reported 50 investment zones in the first half of 2026, after eight more were approved, open to investors of all nationalities (ADREC).
DARI
DARI, the platform of the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, shows whether a buyer of your nationality is eligible for a given area, and handles registration and transactions online (dari.ae).
Before you buy
Use a registered broker and your own lawyer, confirm the developer and the project on DARI, and read the sale and purchase agreement before any payment.
Check the plot’s zone and your eligibility on DARI before you pay any deposit.
Our advice: ask which investment zone a building stands in before you ask anything else.
Why it's on our list
- The investment zones
- DARI
- Before you buy
Location
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