Short answer
- To verify an escrow account for off-plan property in Dubai, buyers in Canada should match the account on the payment request with the one shown for the project in the DLD's Dubai REST app.
- The DLD says off-plan investors can see the escrow account number in Dubai REST; the Mashrooi (Project Status) service shows escrow account details.
- Escrow accounts in Dubai can only be run by a UAE Central Bank-licensed bank or financial institution operating in Dubai and approved by RERA (DLD FAQ).
- Foreign investors can log in to Dubai REST only with UAE PASS or a title deed; UAE PASS has a passport-based Visitor path.
- Canadian card protections do not extend to wire transfers, so the check has to come before the money leaves.
Verify escrow account (off plan, Dubai): how do buyers in Canada do it?
Look the project up in Dubai REST and match its escrow number, digit for digit, against the payment request; if they differ, hold the money until you have a written explanation. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, the escrow account is the project-named bank account that receives off-plan buyers' payments, and a RERA director has urged buyers to pay nowhere else.
Set this up once, then repeat before every transfer
Dubai REST escrow from Canada: getting access first
Access is the slow step, so sort it out well ahead. Version 7.0.0 of Dubai REST limits foreign investors to UAE PASS or title deed login, and with no deed yet, an off-plan buyer will in practice rely on a UAE PASS Visitor account opened with a passport.
Phase 1: access from Canada
Escrow account number check in Dubai: Canadian buyers' matching routine
Put the official project record beside the payment request; any mismatch means stop.
Phase 2: before each transfer
…there is no escrow account for the project.
That buyer's project sat outside Dubai, yet the check that would have caught it is the one above.
| Check | Match | Mismatch |
|---|---|---|
| Account number | Same as Dubai REST | Any difference, even one digit |
| Account holder | Escrow account in the project's name | Developer's general account, broker or individual |
| Bank | Licensed escrow agent shown in the record | A different bank or country |
What makes escrow checks different for a buyer in Canada?
Canadian rules leave the cost of a wrong wire largely with you, since banks need not refund transfers you approved.
Phase 3: timing the call-back
Already sent money elsewhere? Read what to do after paying outside escrow. Pair this with the pre-payment progress routine and, at the EOI stage, what an EOI is and who holds it. See also the global escrow verification guide, the hub for Canadian buyers, and look up a project's escrow record before any transfer.
Where is the escrow account number for a Dubai project shown?
Can I use Dubai REST from Canada without a title deed?
Which banks can hold a Dubai escrow account?
What should I do if the account numbers do not match?
Related guides
- Canada guidePaid the developer, not the escrow account, in Dubai: a recovery checklist for Canada investors
- Canada guideCheck construction progress before each off-plan payment in Dubai: a routine for buyers in Canada
- Canada guideIs an expression of interest on Dubai property refundable? A pre-payment checklist for buyers in Canada
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change; check the official source before acting. Published 12 October 2026, last updated 12 October 2026.