Ejari Cancellation: How to Cancel Ejari and When You Need To

To cancel Ejari, you file a cancellation request through the Dubai REST app or the Ejari system on the Dubai Land Department (DLD) website, or at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre. As of October 2026 the DLD lists online cancellation as free and a trustee centre fee of AED 40 plus VAT. The service is meant for a tenancy that has ended and a property that has been vacated, and a still active contract needs the owner's agreement.

When do you need to cancel Ejari?

You need to cancel when a registered tenancy ends and a new one will follow, or when the tenancy ends and you want the record closed. The DLD FAQ says a new tenant's Ejari cannot be created until the previous tenant's Ejari is cancelled. That makes cancellation the step that unblocks the next tenant, so owners usually push for it. Typical cases are:

• You are moving out at the end of the contract.
• The landlord is re-letting the home or moving back in.
• You have agreed an early exit with the landlord.
• The contract was registered with wrong details and must be replaced. Active Ejari details cannot be modified, so you cancel and register again.

Our Ejari explainer shows where cancellation sits in the life of a tenancy.

Who can cancel Ejari?

The DLD sets different rules for each situation.

Situation	What the DLD says
Lease has expired	Landlord approval is not required to cancel
Lease is still active, at a trustee centre	A letter or NOC from the owner requesting cancellation is required
Lease active, via Dubai REST	An approval request goes to the owner
Property has a management company	The management company handles the cancellation, not the tenant
Someone else's contract	A tenant cannot cancel another person's Ejari contract

How to cancel Ejari online

1. Log in to the Ejari system on dubailand.gov.ae or the Dubai REST app.
2. Choose the Cancel Tenancy Contract service.
3. Complete the required data and submit the request electronically.
4. Wait for approval. The DLD sends an email once the request is approved.

The online route is free according to the DLD service page. App cancellation is limited to cases where the tenant and landlord are both individuals and the owner's data is up to date. The official page is Cancel Tenancy Contract.

How to cancel Ejari at a trustee centre

1. Visit a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre.
2. Submit the documents for a completeness check.
3. Staff enter and approve the transaction.
4. Pay the fee and keep the receipt.

Take the original Unified Tenancy Contract and your Emirates ID. If you act for someone else, take a power of attorney. A power of attorney issued in Dubai can be referenced by number, while one from another emirate must be attached. If the contract is still active, add the owner's letter requesting cancellation. The DLD lists about 25 minutes of service time, excluding waiting.

The trustee route works only where the property is not managed by a real estate company, or by an owner with Ejari system access.

Documents you need to cancel Ejari

Document	When it is needed	Source
Original Unified Tenancy Contract	At a trustee centre. If the contract is still active it must be presented	DLD service page
Emirates ID of the applicant	At a trustee centre	DLD service page
Power of attorney	If you act for the tenant or owner. A Dubai power of attorney can be given by number, one from another emirate must be attached	DLD service page
Owner's letter requesting cancellation	If the contract is still active	DLD service page
Final DEWA bill showing no balance	Listed by Dubizzle and betterhomes for online requests	Published guides, not the DLD page
Landlord NOC	Listed by guides for early cancellation	Published guides

The DLD page does not list documents for the online route, so follow the screens in the app and have the items above ready in case it asks for them.

What published guides describe for cancelling in the app

Betterhomes says you log in with UAE Pass, select the active contract in your property section, upload the final DEWA bill with a zero balance and a signed cancellation letter or landlord NOC, choose a reason and submit. It says that after approval the property status changes to vacant within a few working hours. Bayut and Property Finder describe a similar flow on the DLD website that ends with a termination reference. Screens differ between versions, so treat these as a guide and follow what the app asks for.

How much does it cost to cancel Ejari?

Channel	Fee
Dubai REST app or Ejari system	Free
Real Estate Services Trustee Centre	AED 40 plus VAT service partner fee

The DLD FAQ also says cancellation is free when the owner or real estate company cancels, and AED 40 at a trustee office. Payment methods are credit card, cash and Noqodi Wallet.

Ejari cancellation and your DEWA final bill

DEWA and Ejari are linked. The DLD says all customers must obtain Ejari for DEWA move-in, and PropSpace reports an integrated move-out process in 2026 for qualifying properties, where starting the cancellation prompts DEWA to contact the tenant for final settlement. Whether or not that applies to your building, the order below keeps things clean:

1. Give notice to the landlord as your contract requires.
2. Book a move-out inspection and photograph the home.
3. Settle the DEWA and chiller accounts and keep the final bills.
4. Hand back the keys and get a signed handover.
5. Cancel Ejari, or confirm the landlord or manager has done it.

What happens if you do not cancel Ejari?

• The Ejari record keeps showing the home as leased to you. The DLD says a new tenant's Ejari cannot be created until yours is cancelled, so your landlord cannot register the next tenant.
• Without proof that the property was returned, the DLD FAQ says the lease may be treated as continuing.
• You may get stuck in a dispute over who owes what, so keep the handover proof and the approval email.

Cancelling Ejari when you leave, renew or sell

Situation	What happens to Ejari
You move out at the end of the contract	Cancel the old record. A new tenant gets a new registration
You renew with the same landlord	You do not cancel. You register the renewed term, see our guide to renewing your tenancy
The landlord sells the home	Ask the new owner or manager how they will handle the record, and read what happens when your landlord sells
The registration has a mistake	Active details cannot be edited, so cancel and register again

Can a tenant end an active contract early?

Cancelling Ejari does not end the lease by itself. It records that the tenancy is over. If the contract is still running, you need the landlord's agreement first, and the contract's early termination clause governs what it costs. Our guide to renting in Dubai notes that leaving early usually costs one to two months' rent, but only if the contract says so. Read that clause before you sign, and again before you give notice.

How to agree an early exit in writing

1. Ask the landlord for a move-out date and any early termination charge in the contract.
2. Agree the date, the charge and the handover in writing, signed by both sides.
3. Ask the landlord for the written request or NOC that the DLD asks for on an active contract.
4. File the Ejari cancellation once the date is agreed.
5. Complete the handover, settle DEWA and agree when the deposit comes back.

What should you do after you cancel?

Prove the property was handed back

The DLD FAQ advises the tenant to return the property in its original condition and obtain proof of its return to the owner. Without proof, the lease may be treated as continuing. Take dated photographs and a signed handover.

Recover the deposit

The DLD says the landlord must return the security deposit, or the remaining part, once the lease ends and the property is back in the same condition. Our guide to getting your deposit back explains what can be deducted and how to document it.

Settle utilities

Close DEWA and any chiller accounts, and keep the final bills. See our page on DEWA and chiller charges.

Register the next tenancy

If you are moving to a new home, the new landlord or agent registers a fresh Ejari for it. Browse apartments for rent to compare options.

Cancellation certificate and common problems

The DLD FAQ says a rental cancellation statement from Ejari is not needed to register a court claim. If you want a record, keep the approval email. Common problems are a management company that must act for you, an owner who has not approved the request, and a contract number that does not match. If a dispute follows, read how the Rental Dispute Centre works.

For landlords and property managers

If you let out a home, cancellation is your task as much as the tenant's, because you cannot register the next tenancy until the old one is closed. The DLD FAQ says cancellation is free when the owner or real estate company cancels, and the system route is open to licensed management companies and to individual owners who own and manage their own properties. Make closing the record part of your move-out checklist, next to the inspection and the deposit. If you would rather not handle the paperwork, our property management service covers tenancy registration and renewals for owners.