Russia’s Federal Tax Service has begun sending some taxpayers requests for information about property transactions in the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai. Specialists at NSV Consulting and Tranio, along with other lawyers interviewed by RBC, reported the requests on October 28. The transactions under scrutiny date back to 2023.
Lawyers said they knew of dozens of such requests. Property owners were asked to explain foreign real-estate transactions and how they took place. That number of known inquiries does not establish that all Russian owners of UAE property have received similar notices.
The tax service confirmed to RBC that it monitors compliance with tax rules on foreign-source income. It described several channels for obtaining information, including automatic, on-request and spontaneous exchanges between countries, as well as information from law-enforcement bodies. It separately said that automatic exchanges with the UAE do not currently cover income directly arising from the use or sale of real estate.
Receiving an inquiry does not mean a tax violation has been established. The lawyers view the requests as evidence of increased scrutiny of overseas assets, but the reporting does not identify precisely how the authorities obtained information about each transaction.