Off-plan on Al Marjan Island: payment plans, handover dates and the risks

Published 23 October 2026, updated 4 November 2026

Data as of 30 October 2026.

Most projects on Al Marjan Island are still being built. In our sample report (data as of 27 September 2026), 63 of 82 tracked projects were under construction and one had not started. Buying off-plan means paying in stages for a home that will be handed over later, sometimes years later. Done well, it spreads the cost and can buy in early. Done badly, it ties money to a building that runs late.

This guide covers how off-plan works in Ras Al Khaimah after the new law, what the payment plan means for you, and where the real risks sit.

How much of the island is still off-plan

A great deal. Of 72 tracked projects with a known delivery date, handovers peak in 2028, when 28 projects are due. In our sample report of 27 September 2026, 7 of 82 tracked projects were complete, 63 under construction, 1 not started and 11 unknown.

The wider pipeline is large too:

• Marjan, the master developer, plans 18,650 residential units on the island (Marjan, Al Marjan Island masterplan).
• Knight Frank counts 23 branded residence schemes on Al Marjan Island, all yet to be delivered (Knight Frank, 28 September 2026).

The new rulebook: RAK Law No. 10 of 2026

Ras Al Khaimah issued Law No. 10 of 2026 on Regulating Real Estate Development on 21 July 2026. It came into force sixty days after issue and replaced Law No. 12 of 2023 (RAK Government legislation portal). The Real Estate Regulatory Administration (RERA) within RAK Municipality applies it.

The parts that matter most to a buyer:

Before a developer can sell

• It must hold a sale permit from RERA before selling any unit off-plan (Article 13).
• It needs a separate permit to advertise off-plan units, at home or abroad, including at exhibitions (Article 14).
• A sub-developer needs the master developer's approval before selling (Article 12).
• The developer must fund at least 20% of construction cost itself, and the project cannot rely entirely on off-plan sales (Article 9).

When you reserve and sign

• You receive a reservation document. The developer must sign the sale contract within 30 days and cannot sell that unit to anyone else meanwhile (Article 16).
• The developer must record your purchase in the interim real estate register. If it delays, you can ask RERA to record it in your name, for a fee (Article 17).
• You have a right to see the project's data and to be told of changes (Article 18).

Where your money goes

• You pay into the project's escrow account, into a sub-account for your unit. For most projects, the developer may not take any part of the price outside escrow, or deduct an agent's commission from it (Article 32).
• Money leaves escrow only with RERA's approval, and only for construction or costs RERA deems necessary to finish. The land price cannot be paid from escrow before completion (Article 34).
• RERA can freeze withdrawals if completion looks at risk (Article 35).

Payment plans: what to look for

Developers on the island offer a wide range of plans. Our census does not yet record them, so we give no typical split here.

What the law changes is the link between paying and building.

• Milestone plans protect you. If a payment is tied to a stage of construction and the developer has not reached it, you may withhold that payment, provided you tell the developer in writing before it falls due (Article 19).
• Date-only plans protect you less. If instalments fall on fixed dates regardless of progress, you keep paying while a building stalls.
• Post-handover plans shift risk to after completion. Read what happens if you miss one. The resale rules below still apply.
• Resale before handover is allowed for units in the interim register, with the developer's consent. The developer may not charge a fee for the resale, beyond actual third-party costs that RERA approves (Article 21).

If you miss a payment

This is the clause buyers most often skip.

If you default, the developer must notify RERA. RERA checks the default and the project's actual progress, then gives you 30 days to pay. If you do not, RERA issues a document allowing the developer to cancel the contract without going to court (Article 20). Either side can still go to court or arbitration.

The developer may then keep a share of the contract price, capped by completion:

The amount kept can never exceed what you have paid. RERA must approve it. The balance must be refunded to you, or deposited with the Municipality, within six months of cancellation. These rules apply to all off-plan contracts, old and new, except projects already holding a completion certificate.

The full step by step is in our answer on what happens if you miss an off-plan payment in Ras Al Khaimah.

Handover dates and what happens if a project stalls

Delivery dates move.

In our data, no project's delivery date slipped between the snapshots of 18 and 25 October 2026. One quiet week proves little. We track slips weekly.

The law gives RERA tools for late projects:

• Construction must start within six months of the project's registration, unless RERA grants one extension (Article 23).
• Developers file progress reports. If work falls behind, RERA asks the developer for reasons, and if the developer does not comply, it can treat the project as stalled and refer it to the judicial committee (Article 24).
• A project idle for more than six months without good reason can go to a judicial committee, and sales can be suspended (Article 27).
• If a project is cancelled, buyers are refunded under the committee's priorities (Article 29).

These are protections, not guarantees. A refund through a committee can take time.

Five checks before you pay a deposit

1. Registration and sale permit. Ask RERA whether the project and developer are registered and hold a sale permit. RERA publishes notices naming projects that lack a sales and marketing NOC. In our sample report (data as of 27 September 2026), six projects in our census appear on a RERA notice dated 28 September 2026 (sample report).
2. Escrow details. The contract should name the escrow bank and your unit's sub-account. Pay nowhere else.
3. Milestones. Prefer payments tied to construction stages.
4. Interim register. Confirm your contract is recorded, and get the certificate.
5. Price check. Compare the asking price with resale listings in the same area. Our guide to price per sq ft on Al Marjan Island gives the island median by bedroom.

Golden Visa and off-plan

The federal rules allow a 10-year Golden Residency for buyers of one or more off-plan units worth at least AED 2 million in total, bought from an approved local real estate company authorised by the competent local authority (ICP, Golden Residency guide). Confirm with ICP how this applies to your purchase before you rely on it.

The bottom line

Off-plan on Al Marjan Island is safer on paper than it was a year ago. Escrow, milestone withholding and capped cancellation deductions are real protections. The main risk is now timing. Handovers peak in 2028. A buyer should plan for a later handover than the brochure shows, and for more competition on resale when it arrives.

Related: Sample report, Al Marjan Island price per sq ft, Janu brings branded homes to the plot beside Wynn, Missed an off-plan payment?

Sources

• RAK Government, Law No. 10 of 2026 on Regulating Real Estate Development (Arabic text, issued 21 July 2026). Articles 9, 12 to 14, 16 to 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 32, 34, 35, 50 and 51.
• RAK Municipality, Real Estate Regulatory Administration.
• RAK Radar: latest snapshot, 30 October 2026; sample report, data as of 27 September 2026, reopened 30 October 2026.
• Marjan, Al Marjan Island masterplan, opened 30 October 2026.
• Knight Frank, Why Middle East branded residence markets are developing differently, 28 September 2026, opened 30 October 2026.
• ICP, UAE Golden Residency guide (page last updated 10 September 2026), opened 30 October 2026.