Emaar payment plans, explained

Construction installments are typically ~10% each, tied to calendar dates aligned with construction progress benchmarks (e.g. Golf Meadow: ~10% steps roughly every 5-8 months, then 20% at handover), and the exact schedule is confirmed at launch and locked contractually at booking. New launches start with a refundable EOI deposit that converts into the 10% down payment; the buyer separately pays the 4% DLD/Oqood registration fee (plus a small admin fee) at or shortly after SPA signing - Emaar does not routinely waive DLD on off-plan launches. All installments are paid into RERA project escrow accounts, and buyers manage statements of account (SOA) and online payments through the Emaar One app and the eservice.emaar.com portal, with credit/debit card payment supported. Because Emaar varies the split per project and per phase, any specific percentage must be confirmed against the project's launch payment schedule rather than assumed.

80/20 (10% booking): Emaar's workhorse plan for 2025-2026 launches: 10% down payment at booking, ~70% during construction in roughly 7-8 installments of ~10% each tied to dates/construction milestones (Golf Meadow's published tables run ~10% steps roughly every 5-8 months), and 20% on handover. No post-handover component. Recent examples, as reported at launch: Selvara / Selvara 2, Grand Polo Club & Resort (launched 2025, handover Q2 2029); Grand Polo Townhouses / Equiterra clusters (bookings opened 9 Nov 2025, from AED 3.5M); Altan, Dubai Creek Harbour (2025 launch, 10% down, handover Q3/Jul 2029).

90/10 (10% booking): Used on villa/townhouse phases Emaar wants to move fast: 10% down payment at booking, ~80% in construction-linked installments (Greenway 2's plan spreads the 80% over ~39 months from booking), and only 10% on handover. Common on Emaar South and The Oasis phases in 2025-2026. Recent examples, as reported at launch: Greenway and Greenway 2, Emaar South (2025 launches; Greenway 2 from AED 2.72M, phase-1 pricing now higher - verify per availability; handover May/Q2 2028); Fairway Villas 3, Emaar South (90/10, handover Q1 2028); Palmiera 2, The Oasis (10% down / 80% construction / 10% handover, handover Jun 2028).

Mid-split variants (10/75/15 and similar): Some individual launches carry in-between splits: still 10% at booking, but ~70-75% during construction and 15-20% at handover (Engel & Volkers describes the 10%-down family as 70-75% construction + 15-20% handover). Treat the exact handover % as launch-specific. Recent examples, as reported at launch: Salva, The Heights Country Club & Wellness (10% down / 75% construction / 15% handover, handover Q3 2030); Equiterra (Grand Polo), Mareva (The Oasis), Sera 2 (Rashid Yachts & Marina), Altan (Creek Harbour) - all cited by Engel & Volkers in the 10%-down family with 15-20% handover balance.

20/80 (20% booking) on select premium launches: A minority of premium launches ask 20% at booking, ~55-60% during construction and 20-25% at handover (Engel & Volkers' "20/80" family). Some broker tables also show 20% down on Downtown/Dubai Hills 2026 launches (e.g., Elysian Tower, Parkwood), but broker down-payment labels are inconsistent, so verify per launch. A caution on named examples: Engel & Volkers' roundup classes Creek Haven, Vindera (The Valley) and Creek Bay as 20% down, yet the projects' own payment pages show 10% booking on 80/20-style plans - treat any 20%-down label as unverified until it appears on the launch fact sheet.

Post-handover plans: legacy only, not current practice: Emaar's 2025-2026 plans settle 100% by handover. Post-handover terms were a roughly 2017-2021 phenomenon (Beach Isle: 80% to handover + 20% over 24 months post-handover; Sunrise Bay: 30% at booking, 50% at handover, then 20% post-handover in four 5% installments at 6/12/18/24 months; Golf Place II similar) and those projects are long handed over. Multiple 2025-2026 guides state post-handover is rare-to-absent now - e.g., The Oasis (2025) offered no post-handover option. Don't rely on, or quote to a client, post-handover terms on a current Emaar launch unless they appear in the launch payment schedule. Legacy examples: Beach Isle, Emaar Beachfront (2 yr post-handover); Sunrise Bay, Emaar Beachfront (30/50/20 with 24-month post-handover tail); Golf Place II, Dubai Hills Estate.

Buyer portal: Emaar One app + eservice.emaar.com for SOAs and payments. Emaar One (iOS/Android) lets owners instantly generate and download their Statement of Account (SOA) as a PDF and make online payments (installments, service charges); the web equivalent is eservice.emaar.com, and a Salesforce-based customer portal (emaarsales.my.site.com) handles sales-side logins. This is where agents should point clients for payment status.

Booking flow: refundable EOI converts into the 10% down payment. New Emaar launches open with an Expression of Interest deposit that is fully refundable if no unit is allocated and credited toward the down payment if the buyer proceeds; at booking the buyer signs the booking form and pays the 10% down payment, then signs the SPA. Dubai EOI norms run AED 20,000-50,000+ (higher for limited villa launches); for Grand Polo Townhouses (booked 9 Nov 2025) the EOI was marketed as the 10% down payment itself. Exact EOI amounts are set per launch.

DLD fee: buyer pays the 4% (plus small Oqood/admin fee); Emaar does not routinely waive it. On Emaar off-plan purchases the buyer pays the 4% DLD registration (Oqood) fee at or shortly after SPA signing - typically registered through the developer portal within ~60 days - plus a small admin fee (AED 40 DLD admin for off-plan Oqood; developer admin fees on the order of a few thousand AED). Emaar investor guides show no standing DLD waiver on off-plan launches. Broker pages occasionally advertise Emaar DLD promotions on ready inventory, but these are time-limited campaigns - confirm any waiver in writing with Emaar before relying on it; there is no standing waiver on off-plan launches.

All installments go into RERA project escrow accounts. Emaar off-plan installments are paid into project-specific escrow accounts, ring-fenced and released against verified construction progress; buyers receive escrow receipts per payment. This is standard Dubai off-plan law and applies to every Emaar plan.

Emaar accepts credit/debit card payments for property purchases online. Emaar publishes an official guide on using credit and debit cards to purchase property, and online payment is a headline feature of Emaar One / eservice.emaar.com - useful for remote/international buyers making booking payments and installments.

Plan specifics are set per launch and locked at booking; broker tables disagree on down payments. Emaar varies the split per project and even per phase (Selvara 80/20 vs Greenway 90/10 in the same year), and final payment plans are confirmed at launch and contractually locked at booking. Broker-published tables contradict each other on down-payment percentages for the same project (e.g., Golf Meadow shown as 80/20 with 10% down by several sources but 60/40 with 40% down by one 2026 roundup) - always verify against the launch payment schedule or Emaar's fact sheet before quoting a figure to a client.

Pricing is generally identical direct vs through an accredited broker. Emaar's launch prices and payment plans are published per project and are generally the same whether the buyer books directly with Emaar or through an accredited broker; neither channel carries a standing payment-plan advantage.

Late-payment risk: installment calls are date-driven, penalties apply. Emaar construction calls are largely calendar-scheduled (aligned to progress benchmarks such as foundation/structure/finishing), and late payment triggers contractual penalties; investor guides recommend keeping 3-6 months of upcoming installments in reserve. Tracking these date-driven calls is exactly what the Dealr.ae payment-plan tracker is built for.