Residents who have yet to register details of co-occupants are only required to declare the number of cohabitants living with them, the Dubai Land Department (DLD) has clarified. Earlier, residents were required to provide their co-occupants' names, Emirates IDs and birthdates.

According to fresh directives from the DLD, shared with the media on Saturday, October 8, residents only need to declare the number of cohabitants living with them; all other personal data is optional.

In a statement to all Dubai residents, the DLD said, “As part of Dubai Land Department’s efforts to provide the highest standards of quality of life and enhance the health and safety standards in the existing buildings, we would like to inform you that residents must declare the number of occupants within a rented property in the system.”

Moreover, the two-week deadline to register the names of family members, or flatmates, has also been done away with, an official with the DLD told Khaleej Times. Residents can complete the registration on the Dubai REST app.

The official said, “Only the number of occupants living in a home is needed to be known. Emirates ID, passport details, and other information are optional.”

On September 23, the housing department said that residents in the emirate had two weeks to register the individuals living in their properties — whether owned or rented. To complete the registration, all owners, developers, property management companies and tenants had to follow an eight-step process.

With the latest update, the Dubai REST app now asks for only the number of co-occupants to complete registration.

Once registered, details will automatically be updated on the tenancy contract. Registering all the people living in a home allows each resident to use an Ejari contract as proof of address.