Ejari Cancellation Process in Dubai

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Checked against the Dubai Land Department's Cancel Tenancy Contract service page, its Ejari FAQs and Dubai's tenancy law. Sources are listed at the end.

Key Takeaways

• Ejari cancellation is a Dubai Land Department (DLD) service. It is free through the Dubai REST app or the Ejari system, and costs a service partner fee of AED 40 plus VAT at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre.
• The DLD asks for the original unified tenancy contract and the applicant's Emirates ID, plus a power of attorney if someone applies for you. If the contract is still active, it also needs a letter from the owner requesting cancellation.
• At a trustee centre the service takes 25 minutes, excluding waiting time. The DLD publishes no processing time for online requests, only an email on approval.
• Until the old contract is cancelled, the next tenant cannot be registered. The DLD's FAQ says the new tenant's account is not created while the previous one is open.
• A tenant can cancel only their own contract. The owner, or a company managing the property, cancels through the app, the Ejari system or a trustee centre.
• Cancelling the Ejari record does not end the lease. Under Article 7 of Law No. 26 of 2007 a tenancy contract cannot be ended by one party alone during its term, so settle rent, deposit and DEWA first.

What Is Ejari and Why Does Cancellation Matter?

Ejari is the Dubai Land Department system that registers every tenancy contract in the emirate. If you have rented in Dubai, you dealt with it when you signed your tenancy contract. It is what makes your lease officially recognised, gives you access to DEWA, and gives both landlord and tenant a record to rely on if a dispute arises.

When a tenancy ends, the Ejari contract has to be formally closed. Skipping this step blocks the landlord from registering the next tenant and leaves your name attached to a property you no longer live in. The DLD's FAQ puts it plainly: if the existing tenant's record is not cancelled, the new tenant's account will not be created. Do not assume it is handled. It is not, unless someone requests it.

When Can You Cancel Ejari?

The DLD describes the service as cancelling a tenancy contract that has expired, for a property that has been vacated. That is the normal case: the lease has run its course, the keys are back with the landlord, and the record needs closing.

An active contract can also be cancelled, but the DLD then asks for a letter from the property owner requesting it. This is the situation after an early termination of the tenancy contract agreed with the landlord. Cancelling the record does not release either party from the lease. Article 7 of Law No. 26 of 2007 says a valid contract cannot be terminated by one party alone during its term, only by mutual consent or as the law provides. Agree the exit in writing first, then cancel the registration.

Before you submit, tie up the loose ends: rent paid to the agreed date, the property handed over, the DEWA account closed and the final bill settled, and the deposit position agreed. What to photograph and sign off is set out in the handover checklist. If a new tenancy is the reason you are moving, you can pay your rent monthly on the new contract through Keyper, with it registered in Ejari as normal.

Do You Need an NOC to Cancel Ejari?

Not in every case. The DLD's document list includes a letter from the owner requesting cancellation only where the contract is still active. For an expired contract on a vacated property, it lists the original tenancy contract and the applicant's Emirates ID, nothing more. Many landlords and trustee centres still call the owner's letter an NOC, and some ask for it as routine. A short signed note from your landlord confirming handover costs nothing, and removes the most common reason for a second trip.

What a tenant cannot do is cancel a contract that is not theirs. The DLD FAQ is explicit that a new tenant cannot cancel the previous tenant's Ejari. If the app tells you a property you are moving into is still leased, the owner has to cancel the old record before your registration can go ahead.

Documents Required for Ejari Cancellation

The DLD lists the following for a trustee centre. Online, the request is made against the contract already in the system, so fewer copies are needed.

• The original unified tenancy contract being cancelled. If it is still active, it must be presented.
• The applicant's Emirates ID.
• An official power of attorney if a representative applies. One issued in Dubai is referenced by number, one issued elsewhere must be attached.
• A letter from the property owner requesting cancellation, if the contract is still active.

The DLD does not list a DEWA clearance. Close the DEWA account anyway: the deposit is your money, and the final bill is part of the handover your landlord will want before releasing the security deposit.

How to Cancel Ejari in Dubai

There are three channels, and which one you use depends on who you are. Tenants and individual landlords use the Dubai REST app. Property management companies and owners with Ejari system access use the Ejari system on the DLD website. Anyone can go to a trustee centre, as long as the property is not managed by a company or by an owner with system access.

On the Dubai REST App

This is the route for tenants and individual landlords. The DLD's terms for the app require both parties to be individuals and the owner's details to be up to date.

1. Open the Dubai REST app and log in with UAE Pass.
2. Go to Services, then RERA, and open the Ejari services.
3. Select the tenancy contract registered under your Emirates ID.
4. Choose the cancellation option, check the details and submit.
5. Wait for the confirmation. The DLD sends an email once the request is approved.

There is no fee. If the contract is still active, have the owner's letter ready to upload. The same app handles title deeds, permits and dispute filing.

Through the Ejari System on the DLD Website

Companies that manage property, owners who manage their own units, and representatives holding a power of attorney cancel through the Ejari system. The DLD requires a company to hold a licence for a property management activity and an individual owner to own and manage the property themselves. Log in, open the contract, submit the request and wait for the approval email. This channel is also free.

At a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre

If you prefer to do it in person, or the app cannot find your contract, visit a trustee centre with the original documents. Staff check them, enter and audit the transaction, and approve it. You pay AED 40 plus VAT by card, cash or Noqodi wallet and receive a receipt. The DLD lists the service time as 25 minutes. The applicant must be the tenant, the owner or a representative with a power of attorney.

Ejari Cancellation Fees and Time

These are the figures on the DLD's Cancel Tenancy Contract page in October 2026.

What Happens After the Ejari Is Cancelled

Once approved, the DLD sends a confirmation email. Keep it with your tenancy paperwork as evidence of the date the contract was closed. From that point the property is free for the next tenant, and your Emirates ID is free for your next registration. Register the new contract as soon as it is signed: AED 177.75 in the app or AED 220 at a trustee centre, and DEWA will not open your account without the Ejari number. Opening the next account is the mirror image of this.

Common Problems with Ejari Cancellation

• The app cannot see the contract. The property is probably managed by a company or an owner with Ejari system access. The cancellation has to come from them, and the trustee centre route is not open to you.
• The landlord will not cancel. Ask in writing. If the contract has expired and you have vacated, apply yourself with the original contract and your Emirates ID. If it is still active, the DLD needs the owner's letter, so an agreed exit is the only clean path.
• The new tenant is refused registration. The DLD FAQ confirms the new account is not created until the previous one is cancelled, and that a new tenant cannot cancel someone else's contract. The owner has to do it.
• Early termination penalties still apply. Cancelling the registration waives nothing written in the contract. Only the DLD channels and its trustee centres can cancel Ejari, so anyone else offering to is adding a fee to a free service.

FAQs

How do I cancel Ejari?

Log in to the Dubai REST app with UAE Pass, open the Ejari services under RERA, select your contract and submit the cancellation. It is free, and the DLD emails you when it is approved. Alternatively take the original tenancy contract and your Emirates ID to a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre, where the service costs AED 40 plus VAT and takes about 25 minutes.

How do I cancel Ejari on the Dubai REST app?

Log in with UAE Pass, go to Services, then RERA, then the Ejari services, select the contract registered under your Emirates ID and choose the cancellation option. Submit and wait for the approval email. The app route is for individual tenants and landlords, and the owner's details must be up to date in the system.

How do I cancel Ejari as a tenant?

You can cancel your own contract through the Dubai REST app for free, or at a trustee centre for AED 40 plus VAT, with the original contract and your Emirates ID. If the contract is still active, the DLD also needs a letter from the property owner requesting the cancellation. You cannot cancel a contract registered in someone else's name.

Can I cancel Ejari online?

Yes. The Dubai REST app and the Ejari system on the DLD website both accept cancellation requests, and both are free of charge. The DLD does not publish a processing time for online requests, but it sends an email once the request is approved.

How do I cancel a tenancy contract in Dubai?

Ending the lease and cancelling the Ejari record are two different things. The lease ends at expiry, or earlier by agreement between you and the landlord, because Article 7 of Law No. 26 of 2007 does not allow one party to end it alone during the term. Once the exit is agreed and the property handed over, cancel the Ejari registration through the app, the Ejari system or a trustee centre.

How do I cancel Ejari as an owner?

An individual owner cancels through the Dubai REST app or at a trustee centre, as the DLD FAQ confirms. An owner or company with Ejari system access cancels through the system on the DLD website. If the tenant has left and the contract has expired, the DLD needs the original contract and Emirates ID. If the contract is still active, your letter requesting cancellation is also required.

Before You Hand Back the Keys

Treat Ejari cancellation as the last item on the move-out list, after the rent, the deposit and DEWA. In the app it is free and takes a few minutes. Left undone, it blocks the next tenant and keeps your name on a property you have left. If you are the one moving in and the old record is still open, read what happens without Ejari and ask the owner to cancel before you pay anything. Your next tenancy starts with a fresh Ejari registration, at the same fee.

Sources

• Dubai Land Department: Cancel Tenancy Contract (channels, documents, owner's letter for an active contract, free online, AED 40 plus VAT and 25 minutes at a trustee centre)
• Dubai Land Department: Frequently Asked Questions (new tenant's account not created until the old contract is cancelled, a tenant cannot cancel someone else's contract, owner cancels via the app or a trustee office)
• Dubai Land Department: Register / Renew Tenancy Contract (AED 177.75 in the app, AED 220 at a trustee centre)
• Dubai Land Department: Dubai REST app
• Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai (Article 7, no unilateral termination during the term)