Short answer
A Dubai landlord can sign the unified tenancy contract, addendum, renewal letter and management agreement online with Sign PDF, wherever they live, and then register the tenancy with Ejari using the signed copy. Owners who manage their own unit and hold UAE PASS can also use the DLD's Ejari service in Dubai Now. Notices to take the property back are different and must go through a notary public or registered post.
Updated 25 October 2026
Signing a tenancy when you are not in Dubai
Many Dubai landlords live in London, Mumbai or Toronto. The tenancy is on the DLD's unified tenancy contract, with your own addendum, and it has to be registered with Ejari. The DLD's app and website ask for a copy of the signed contract; a trustee centre asks for the original.
With Sign PDF you upload the filled contract and addendum, add the tenant and yourself, and both sign from an email link. Then you or your agent upload the signed copy to Ejari. If you own and manage the unit yourself and have UAE PASS, the Ejari service in Dubai Now lets you create and sign the contract there instead.
Who may sign for you
The DLD said in 2018 that leasing brokers may not sign tenancy contracts or take rent for the units they arrange, and that it would not honour a power of attorney given to an independent broker on a real estate visa. If you cannot sign yourself, a DLD-licensed property management company can act for you, under a management agreement that is itself registered in Ejari. Check the current position with the DLD.
Renewals and notices
To change the rent at renewal you must tell the tenant at least 90 days before the tenancy ends, and any increase must be allowed by the DLD rental index. A renewal letter the tenant signs is the cleanest proof they received it.
Wanting the property back is a different matter. A landlord who wants to sell or move in at the end of the term must give 12 months' notice through a notary public or by registered post. Do not send that by e-signature link. This is not legal advice; ask a UAE lawyer before serving any eviction notice.
Inventories that settle deposit disputes
At move-in, walk the unit with the tenant or your manager, photograph each room and have the tenant sign the inventory on their phone there and then. At move-out, repeat it. Two signed, dated reports with photos are what the Rental Disputes Centre will want to see if the deposit is argued over.
Cost and limits
Prices are in US dollars. A landlord with one or two units signing a few documents a year will usually be fine on Light at $5 a month for 2 documents; Full is $10 a month for unlimited documents. Either can be cancelled at any time.
Signing pages can be in English or Arabic, and links go by email or from your own WhatsApp. We do not register Ejari contracts, collect rent cheques or hold deposits.
Questions people ask
Can I sign a Dubai tenancy contract from abroad?
Yes. You receive the link by email and sign in your browser. Then the signed contract is uploaded to Ejari through the DLD website, the Dubai REST app or a trustee centre.
Does the tenant need UAE PASS to sign?
Not in Sign PDF; they need an email address. UAE PASS is used if you choose the DLD's Dubai Now Ejari service instead.
Can I e-sign the notice to end a tenancy?
Not for the 12-month notice to sell or move in, which must go through a notary public or registered post. Renewal offers and inventories can be e-signed.
Does this work for Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi tenancies are registered through Tawtheeq on DARI or TAMM, and guides report that contracts must be in Arabic or bilingual. Our signing pages can be shown in Arabic, and you can upload a bilingual contract, but check DARI's requirements first.
Send your next tenancy renewal offer for signature
Upload it from your phone or laptop. The boxes go in the right places, your client signs on their phone, and you get a sealed copy back.
Upload a document