Quick answer: A RERA broker card in Dubai costs AED 520 to issue (AED 500 plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees) and the same to renew, paid to Dubai Land Department. The RERA broker exam costs AED 700 plus AED 20, with a AED 50 ERES fee plus VAT. The often-quoted AED 5,020 is the brokerage company's licence fee, not the agent's.
Key takeaways
Card: AED 520 to issue and AED 520 to renew (AED 500 + AED 10 knowledge fee + AED 10 innovation fee), per DLD's own service pages.
Exam: AED 700 + AED 20, plus a AED 50 ERES fee and VAT, about AED 772.50 in total.
Course: priced by DLD-accredited institutes, not DLD. One lists AED 2,400 plus VAT.
AED 5,020 is not the card fee. It is the yearly RERA activity licence a brokerage company pays (AED 5,000 + AED 20).
The card is applied for through the brokerage's Trakheesi account, its validity follows the company's trade licence, and renewal needs a pass in DLD's annual test.
Rules and fees last verified: 4 October 2026.
What are the Dubai RERA broker card fees in 2026?
Every figure below comes from DLD's e-service pages, checked on 4 October 2026, except the training course, which DLD does not price.
| Item | Fee | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Broker training course | Set by the institute. Example: AED 3,000 list price, AED 2,400 + 5% VAT on offer (Innovation Experts) | DLD-accredited institute |
| RERA broker exam | AED 700 + AED 10 knowledge fee + AED 10 innovation fee | DLD |
| ERES fee (listed with the exam) | AED 50 + VAT | DLD |
| Broker card issuance | AED 500 + AED 10 + AED 10 = AED 520 | DLD |
| Broker card renewal | AED 500 + AED 10 + AED 10 = AED 520 | DLD |
| Annual test (needed to renew) | Required; no separate fee on DLD's renewal page | DLD |
| Card cancellation | Free | DLD |
| For comparison: brokerage company's RERA activity licence | AED 5,000 a year + AED 20 | The company, not the agent |
Sources: DLD's card issuance, renewal, cancellation and activity licence pages. DLD does not define "ERES". The AED 772.50 exam total is our sum: AED 700 + AED 20 + AED 50 + 5% VAT on the AED 50.
Rule: DLD's card page sets two conditions: "a certificate of good conduct issued by the Dubai Police" and a pass in "the annual test to practice the mediation profession". It adds that "the validity of the card is linked to the validity of the trade license". Source: DLD, Issuance of a real estate professional practice card.
How much does a RERA card cost in the first year?
Here is the sum of official fees plus the course, for a first-time pass. Visa costs, desk fees and re-sits are left out.
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Training course (example institute, incl. 5% VAT) | AED 2,520 | AED 3,150 |
| RERA broker exam, one attempt | AED 772.50 | AED 772.50 |
| Card issuance | AED 520 | AED 520 |
| Total | AED 3,812.50 | AED 4,442.50 |
The DLD fees alone, exam and card, come to AED 1,292.50. Course prices differ by institute, so compare a few. Add the Dubai Police good conduct certificate, which Dubai Police prices.
Why do some sites say the RERA card costs AED 5,020?
AED 5,020 is a real DLD fee, just not for the card. DLD's real estate activity licence page charges "Other Activities", which covers sales and leasing brokerage, an AED 5,000 annual fee plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees. The brokerage company pays it. The agent's card is AED 520. Renewal figures such as "AED 1,000" or "AED 5,100" are not on DLD's renewal page either; it lists AED 500 + AED 20.
Watch out: one practice card really does cost AED 5,000: the real estate evaluator card for valuers. A broker card is AED 500. Source: DLD card fee list.
Can I get a RERA card as a freelancer?
DLD publishes no route for an individual to hold a broker card outside a licensed company. Its pages say:
The 2024 Brokerage Practice Guide: a real estate licence must first be obtained and registered in Trakheesi, then the card is applied for through Trakheesi.
The card page links the card's validity to the company's trade licence.
DLD's exam registration form starts with the company's trade licence number.
Cancelling an expatriate's card requires the employment visa to be cancelled or the visa profession changed.
So you join a DLD-licensed brokerage or license your own company. Our guide on how to become a real estate agent in Dubai covers the full route.
How to get a RERA card: steps and documents
Join a licensed brokerage. It needs a trade licence registered in Trakheesi.
Get a Dubai Police good conduct certificate.
Take the broker training course at a DLD-accredited institute. In 2023 DLD signed agreements with Elite Gulf, Innovation Experts and ThinkProp. (The Dubai Real Estate Institute was dissolved by Law No. 16 of 2020.)
Register for the RERA exam through DLD's exam registration page, using the company's trade licence details, and pay about AED 772.50.
Pass the exam. You are exempt if you are 55 or older, have 5 consecutive years in the same office, or hold a start-up licence.
The brokerage applies for your card in Trakheesi. DLD reviews it, the company pays AED 520 and prints the e-card.
Put your renewal in the calendar. It falls due with the company's trade licence, and you need the annual test passed first.
Documents DLD asks for
For a new card: a personal photo, a copy of your Emirates ID, the good conduct certificate and your exam pass. For a renewal: a copy of your Emirates ID and a valid passport copy.
How long it takes
DLD lists the card service time as 5 minutes after approval, and one institute lists its course at 20 credit hours. The real wait is course dates and exam slots. You cannot work in the meantime: DLD says no one may practise "except after registering and obtaining the card".
RERA card renewal in Dubai: how often, and is there a test?
The card's validity is tied to the brokerage's trade licence, so you renew when the company renews, usually once a year. Renewal is done in Trakheesi or the Dubai REST app for AED 500 + AED 20, with automatic approval. DLD's renewal page lists two conditions: you have passed the annual test, and every salesperson at the company holds a card.
The annual test dates from 2018, when Gulf News reported that brokers had to book it a month before expiry or retake a course. We found no separate CPD-hours rule on DLD's pages today.
Cancelling a card when you move
Cancellation is free and takes 8 hours in Trakheesi. Expatriates need their employment visa cancelled or profession changed first. Your new brokerage then applies for a new card.
Your first months with a RERA card
Every listing still needs its own Trakheesi permit before it is advertised. After that, new agents mostly lose deals on speed: portal enquiries go to whoever answers first. A CRM such as Majlis CRM gives each agent their own WhatsApp number on Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform, captures and assigns portal leads from Property Finder and Bayut, and shows managers each agent's response times. Book a demo to see it on your own leads.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the RERA broker card fee in Dubai?
DLD charges AED 500 to issue a real estate broker card, plus a AED 10 knowledge fee and a AED 10 innovation fee, so AED 520 in total. Renewal is also AED 520. The broker exam is separate: AED 700 plus AED 20, with a AED 50 ERES fee and VAT, about AED 772.50. The training course is priced by the institute.
How much is the RERA exam fee?
DLD lists the broker exam at AED 700 plus a AED 10 knowledge fee and a AED 10 innovation fee. Its card page also lists a AED 50 ERES fee plus VAT, bringing the total to about AED 772.50. The exam is booked through DLD's exam registration page using the brokerage's trade licence details. Agents aged 55 or older, with 5 consecutive years in one office, or holding a start-up licence are exempt.
Is the RERA card AED 5,020?
No. AED 5,020 is the yearly RERA activity licence that a brokerage company pays DLD: AED 5,000 plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees. An individual agent's broker card costs AED 500 plus AED 20. The only practice card DLD prices at AED 5,000 is the real estate evaluator card used by valuers.
How often do I renew my RERA card in Dubai?
The card's validity is linked to the brokerage's trade licence, so you renew when the company's licence renews, usually once a year. Renewal costs AED 520 through Trakheesi or the Dubai REST app. DLD requires you to have passed the annual test, and every salesperson at the company must hold a card.
Can I get a RERA card without a company?
DLD does not describe any route for an individual to hold a broker card outside a licensed company. Its Practice Guide says a real estate licence must be obtained and registered in Trakheesi first, then the card is applied for through Trakheesi. You either join a licensed brokerage or license your own firm.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check current requirements with DLD and RERA or a licensed adviser. Rules and fees last verified: 4 October 2026.
Sources
Cancellation of a real estate professional practice card, DLD.
Exam registration, DLD.
Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide, 2nd edition (Nov 2024), DLD / RERA.
Real Estate Brokerage Training Certificate, Innovation Experts Real Estate Institute.
Property agents must pass annual test to renew license (2018), Gulf News.