Training and exams for real estate brokers in Dubai

Who regulates brokers

Dubai Land Department describes its Real Estate Regulatory Agency as the body that manages the real estate licensing and training systems. Among the department's stated core service areas are licensing and regulating brokers, developers and other real estate professions, and professional real estate training, certification and qualification programmes delivered through the Dubai Real Estate Institute. This page was read on 15 October 2026, and the department's pages showed a site update stamp of 7 October 2026.^[1]

The Real Estate Regulatory Agency's Brokerage Practice Guide, second edition, November 2024, collects the information brokers are expected to follow. It points to UAE Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 regulating the Real Estate Brokers Register in Dubai, sets out ten ethical principles, and requires brokers to use the Dubai REST app. It also states that advertisements need a permit obtained through the Trakheesi system and that the permit number must appear on the advertisement.^[2]

What the training page says

Dubai Land Department's training page says courses are conducted only in English and that people whose visa is not under a company can still apply. Participants receive a course of completion certificate. Asked whether an exam follows the training, the page answers that there is none, although exams are conducted separately for certain categories such as brokers. Payment is made online through the Noqodi gateway. The page offers a list of courses to select from and an exam registration link.^[3]

Several points could not be confirmed from official pages and are left out here: the length and content of any broker course, the exam format and pass mark, and whether a specific course is a formal prerequisite for the exam. Anyone preparing for the exam should rely on the department's own pages and, if the question is unresolved, ask the department directly.^[3][2]

Exam and practice card

The card service covers several activities, including real estate broker and national broker. The practice guide says a real estate licence must first be obtained from the licensing authorities and registered in the Trakheesi system, and that a card application is submitted through that system. The service page describes creating an account, entering details and uploading documents, receiving acceptance, paying online and printing the card. It lists a good conduct certificate from Dubai Police and a pass in the annual test for the mediation profession as terms.^[4][2]

Fees listed on the page read were AED 500 for the broker card, AED 700 for the broker exam with AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees, and AED 50 plus VAT for an ERES fee. The page lists exemptions from the broker exam only for people above 55 years of age and brokers with five consecutive years of service in the same real estate office, and says start-up licence holders are exempt from exam attendance. Fees and terms are the department's to change.^[4]

The practice guide sets out the route to the card in four steps: a real estate licence is obtained from the licensing authorities, that licence is registered in Trakheesi, an application for a broker card is submitted through Trakheesi, and the electronic card is issued once fees are settled. It describes Trakheesi as handling licences and permits, practice cards, office registration certificates and any violations or warnings issued to a company.^[2] The card service page lists a personal photo and a copy of the Emirates ID among the documents required, and covers several card types, including real estate broker, national broker, mortgage broker and real estate consultant.^[4]

The guide also lists ten ethical duties for licensed brokers, among them maintaining privacy and preserving all documents. It says brokers may not contact owners who are not on the green list of registered owners' contact details available through the Dubai REST app.^[2]

Renewal

The renewal service is available through Trakheesi and the Dubai REST app. Documents listed are a copy of the Emirates ID and a valid passport copy. The page lists AED 500 to renew a real estate broker card, plus the AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. Its terms say the applicant must have passed the annual test to practise the mediation profession and that all sales personnel must be registered with cards issued. The card can be printed from the system after online payment.^[5]

How long a card lasts is described in two ways. The issuance page says the card's validity is linked to the validity of the trade licence. A June 2025 department news item says participants in the Dubai Real Estate Broker Programme, who complete required training, are issued a card valid for three years. The sources do not reconcile these statements, and the programme item concerns an Emirati-citizen scheme, so a broker should confirm the validity period that applies to their own card.^[4][6]

Wider pathways

The Dubai Real Estate Broker Programme is aimed at Emirati citizens and offers training, a national broker licence and employment support. The department's June 2025 statement says the number of qualified Emirati brokers exceeded 180 percent of the annual target and that 231 new brokerage firms had been licensed. These are the department's own reported figures. The department's programme page, read for this guide, stated that registration for the programme's second phase had closed.^[6][7]

Academic routes are also emerging. In September 2026 the department highlighted a Level 4 Diploma in Real Estate and Property Management with the Higher Colleges of Technology, accredited by the National Qualifications Centre, with a first cohort scheduled for autumn 2026. It also noted a partnership with the University of Dubai covering certificates, diplomas, bachelor's and postgraduate degrees. These are separate from the broker card, which the guide says is obtained through the licensing and Trakheesi process.^[8][2]

Questions