Affection Plan Dubai
An affection plan is a property map that sets out a Dubai property’s physical position: its boundaries, dimensions and geographic coordinates. It answers where a property sits and how large it is, and it is a different document from the title deed, which evidences ownership. Maps and plans are issued by the Dubai Land Department and by Dubai Municipality, and what a particular one contains depends on the issuing authority and the type of property — zoning, permitted use, setbacks and floor-area limits are planning information that may have to come from the relevant planning authority’s records rather than from a DLD map. Ask for the current map or plan appropriate to the property, and check which authority issued it.
1 · Read the document
The drawing below is an illustration drawn for this guide. It is not an official document, carries no authority's seal or registration number, and its figures are invented. Real plans differ in layout and in which fields they carry — tap a number on the drawing, or a row in the list, to see what that field means and what to check it against.
Reading the plan tells you what the register says. It does not confirm ownership (that is the title deed), legal boundaries on the ground (that is a survey), or permission to build (that is the planning authority).
2 · Get the right plan
Dubai Land Department — Property Map Request. DLD issues maps for land, real-estate units, villas, buildings, shared areas, and additional parking or storage. Channels listed by DLD: the DLD website, the Dubai REST app, the Oqood developer portal, and trustee service centres. A representative needs a letter from the owner.
Open the DLD service page — fees and channels are DLD's and can change; the service page is the authority, not this summary.
Dubai Municipality. For land inside DM's planning jurisdiction, the map is typically the unified map issued through DLD together with DM (DLD lists it at AED 225 plus the two AED 10 fees). Planning information — zoning, setbacks, permitted use, GFA — comes from Dubai Municipality's planning channels, not from the map itself.
If your question is what you may build, start with DM's planning services for the plot; if you only need the map, use the DLD Property Map Request and choose the unified map.
Dubai Development Authority — Site Plan Issuance. In DDA-regulated areas the planning document is the DDA site plan, issued in the plot owner's or lessee's name and used to obtain construction approvals and to register the plot with DLD. Applicants: plot owners, master developers and their representatives. Online only, through DDA's zoning eServices portal.
Open the DDA service page. A DDA site plan and a DLD property map are different documents; a transaction may need both.
Not sure who issued it? That is a normal starting point.
Buying or selling: compare the plan with the title record using the checklist below, and make sure the plan is the current issue. A difference is resolved before the transfer, not at the trustee's counter.
Mortgage or valuation: the bank or valuer will want a recent plan and will compare area and reference with the deed. Ask them which authority's document they need and how recent it must be before you order one.
Building or extending: the map locates the plot; it does not grant permission. The planning position — use, setbacks, height, GFA — comes from the planning authority for the area (Dubai Municipality or DDA). A plan that is silent on these is not a yes.
Boundary or area question: the plan records the register's dimensions and coordinates. Whether the fence is in the right place is a survey question; whether the record is wrong is an authority and record-correction question. Note exactly which figure differs and from what before you contact anyone.
Just understanding it: work through the eight fields above, then read it beside the title deed. The reference and area should agree; everything else on the plan describes where the property is and how it sits, not who owns it or what may be built.
3 · Compare it with your title record
Lay the plan beside the title deed (or the record in Dubai REST) and mark each row. This is a reading aid: it does not establish ownership, legal boundaries or planning permission, and nothing you mark is stored or sent anywhere.
| Compare | Result |
|---|---|
| Property referencePlot or unit number and community, plan vs deed | |
| Issuing authorityIs it the authority that regulates this area? | |
| DateIssued after the last change to the property or its record? | |
| AreaPlan vs deed, same unit of measure | |
| BoundariesDimensions and shape vs the site and any earlier plan |
Everything matches. Keep the plan with the deed; if a transaction is coming, make sure the copy you hand over is this current one. Nothing further is needed from the record side.
Reference or area differs. This is a record question. Note which document shows which figure; a record-detail review is the route, not a new map. A sale or mortgage should wait until it is resolved.
Wrong or unexpected authority. Use the selector above to find the authority that regulates the area and request the plan from it. Two different authorities' documents may both exist and both be valid for different purposes.
Older plan. Request a current issue from the authority before relying on it — banks, developers and trustees usually ask for a recent one, and a change to the record since the issue date will not be on it.
Boundaries differ. Whether the ground or the record is wrong is for a licensed surveyor and the issuing authority — not a conveyancer and not this page. Record the measurements you took and where.
Not sure on something. Go back to the field in the reader above; if the plan simply does not carry that field, mark it as not shown rather than differing — a missing field is not a discrepancy.
TitleDeed and Conveyance are Cendale services with their own scope and fees, agreed before any work starts. Planning and survey questions belong with the relevant authority or a licensed surveyor, not with a paid desk.
The drawing is an invented illustration for teaching purposes only. Fees and procedures are the authorities' and change; their service pages prevail over this page. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Where a title deed answers “who owns this property,” a property map answers “where is it and how big is it.” It fixes the plot or unit on the city map and states its dimensions and coordinates. What may be done with the land is a separate question: zoning, permitted use, setbacks and permissible built-up area are planning matters, and the authoritative position on them may have to come from the relevant planning authority’s records rather than from the map itself. For anyone buying, building, modifying, subdividing, valuing or mortgaging a property, the map is where the physical position is checked — compare its identifiers, boundaries and area against the title record, and confirm the planning position separately.
An affection plan typically sets out the plot boundaries and dimensions, the geographic coordinates and the surrounding road network and access. Some plans also carry planning information such as the zoning classification, setbacks, building limits or Gross Floor Area (GFA); whether they do depends on the issuing authority and the purpose, and the authoritative planning position may have to come from the planning authority. The detail, and how to read it, is on what an affection plan shows.
People routinely confuse the affection plan, the title deed and the architectural site plan. They are three different documents with three different jobs. The distinction — and why it matters in a transaction or a permit — is on affection plan vs title deed.
An affection plan is examined or required for property transactions, mortgage applications, valuations, construction permits, modifications, subdividing or merging land, and resolving boundary disputes. The full list is on when you need an affection plan.
Receiving an existing copy and requesting a fresh issuance are two different things. In the primary market — buying from a master developer such as Meraas or Nakheel — the property is usually presented for sale with its map already in place. In the secondary market a copy commonly travels with the property, and one of the first things to ask the seller for is the current map; a seller who cannot produce one is worth questioning. Where a copy is supplied to you, there is nothing to pay for it. Where a fresh map has to be issued, DLD charges for the property map request, so check the current fee and requirements on the DLD service listing rather than assuming the document is free in every situation.
Check the document’s issuing authority, date and property reference. Compare the identifiers and area shown with your title record. Fields vary by document and issuing authority: do not assume a property map alone confirms permitted use, setbacks or building limits.
Found a difference in your property records? The TitleDeed desk can assess the record issue and explain the next step. Surveying, boundary determination and planning approval may require the appropriate authority or qualified professional.
Choose the issue you need to resolve. A record correction and an ownership transfer need different support.
Is an affection plan the same as a title deed?
No. The title deed proves ownership; the affection plan is the property’s legal map — its boundaries, size and position. Planning information such as zoning and building controls appears only where the issuing authority includes it.
Is an affection plan the same as a DLD property map?
The terms overlap in everyday use, but they are not automatically the same document. DLD issues property maps and Dubai Municipality issues plans of its own, and what a given map or plan shows — including whether it carries the planning information needed for construction or zoning work — depends on which authority issued it and for what purpose. Ask for the map or plan appropriate to the property and the purpose, and confirm with the issuing authority which one is required.
Who issues it?
The Dubai Land Department or Dubai Municipality, depending on property type; some zones are handled by the relevant development authority.
Do I pay to obtain one?
It depends on whether an existing copy is supplied or a fresh one has to be issued. A copy commonly accompanies the property — in the primary market from the developer, in the secondary market from the seller — and a copy handed over costs the buyer nothing. If no current copy is available, or a new one is needed, the map has to be requested from DLD and DLD charges for issuance; check the current fee and requirements on the DLD service listing.
Do I need one to buy a property?
It is the first document a serious buyer asks for — see it and check it against the title deed before you commit.
affectionplan.ae is an independent guide published by Cendale Documents Clearing Services FZCO (Trade Licence 78065).
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affectionplan.ae is an independent reference resource. It is not a government website.
The information on this site is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice.
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Last reviewed: October 2026