Dubai Islands projects: a verified launch, construction and handover map (2026)
Nakheel's source trail dates the Rixos Bay construction-contract award to 2 February 2024, the Bay Grove final-phase launch to 3 July 2025 and the Bay Villas construction-contract award to 18 August 2025. Ellington dates The Meriva Collection launch to 11 February 2026.
Imtiaz reported the Beach Walk Residences handover on 25 February 2026 and the Beach Walk 2 handover on 9 July 2026, while Nakheel announced the Island B infrastructure award on 20 April 2026. No single official public page provides a complete, like-for-like inventory, so this map includes eight projects only where a normally fetchable developer page or dated release confirms a launch, contract award, construction update or handover, with every status checked on 12 September 2026.
The verified Dubai Islands project map
Eight projects meet the same test: an accessible, first-party source states a dated event or displays a project-specific construction record. “Not publicly stated” means the cited source did not give a completion date. It does not mean that no date exists in a contract or DLD record.
This table is deliberately shorter than a portal inventory. It can be compared row by row because each entry is tied to an official developer source pulled on the same date. For the wider location, transport context and area-level numbers, use the Dubai Islands area guide. The existing Bay Villas fact sheet carries that project's deeper format and construction detail without repeating it here.
A launch, a contract and a handover prove different things
A dated launch confirms that a developer publicly introduced a project. A construction-contract award confirms that a contractor was appointed for a defined scope. A project progress page adds a later developer-reported construction signal. A handover notice is evidence that the named project has reached completion and transfer activity according to that developer.
Those stages cannot be substituted for one another. A sales page does not by itself establish that construction has started. A contract award does not establish the current percentage complete. A stated target date is not the same as a completion notice.
The distinction changes how the map is read. Bay Grove's cited evidence is a final-phase launch for 257 units on 3 July 2025. Bay Villas' cited evidence is an AED 2.6 billion construction contract for 636 units on 18 August 2025. Rixos Bay has a contractor appointment dated 2 February 2024. None of those releases is presented here as a current construction percentage or handover date.
Master-developer infrastructure is a separate layer
Nakheel's Island B infrastructure programme supports the district, but it does not certify completion of every project on that island. On 20 April 2026, Nakheel announced an AED 527 million contract for primary infrastructure and utilities on Island B, including roads, water, electricity, telecoms, drainage, sewage and district-cooling integration. The same linked release describes Dubai Islands as five interconnected islands spanning 18.6 square kilometres.
That is masterplan evidence. It explains the enabling layer under later residential and hospitality construction. Individual buildings still need their own launch, contract, construction and handover evidence. The separation is especially useful when a masterplan page and a project sales page use similar language but document different scopes.
Match the documented format and stage to the decision you are making
The strongest fit depends on what you need to verify, not on a universal ranking.
- For a completed-project comparison: Beach Walk Residences and Beach Walk 2 have dated developer handover notices in 2026. That gives a reader a completed reference point within the wider Dubai Islands pipeline.
- For a project with a current developer progress page: Beach Walk 4 and Côtier House displayed 51% and 52% overall progress when read on 12 September 2026. Their pages state Q2 2027, with June 2027 in Beach Walk 4's FAQ, and Q1 2027 respectively. DLD remains the separate registry check.
- For a villa-led format: Bay Villas is the clearer documented villa and townhouse case in this set. Its contract release names five property types. The dedicated Bay Villas project guide carries the fuller comparison.
- For a hospitality-led format: The Meriva Collection's 11 February 2026 release describes five residential buildings, a signature beachfront residence and a hotel. Rixos Bay is also hospitality-linked, while its cited milestone here is the 2 February 2024 contractor appointment.
- For a design-led developer comparison: The existing Ellington developer page provides the broader entity context behind The Meriva Collection.
This routing describes the records available for each format. It does not substitute for price, contract, financing, service-charge or title review on a particular purchase.
Verify the registered project and escrow trail in DLD
DLD provides the official verification layer through Project Status Enquiry and the Dubai REST app. Mashrooi is the project-status service inside Dubai REST. As of 12 September 2026, DLD says the service can be searched by project name or project number, and DLD's Dubai REST page says the app can display completion percentage, actual project photos and the escrow account number for off-plan projects.
Start with the exact registered name
Open DLD Project Status Enquiry or Project Status (Mashrooi) in Dubai REST. Search the project name shown on the reservation form or contract. If the marketing name produces no clear match, use the project number supplied in the documents.
Match the project and developer record
Open the project card and compare the registered project name, project number, developer name and developer number with the transaction documents. Similar building names are not enough; the registered identity is the useful match.
Read status as a dated registry field
Check the registered, started and completion fields, the displayed status, the completion percentage and the “Updated On” date. DLD says Dubai REST also carries actual project photos. Record the date because a progress field is a snapshot, not a permanent description.
Check the escrow details
Escrow is the project account used for off-plan receipts. DLD's Register Project service links project registration with opening an escrow account for off-plan sales. In the project record, compare the escrow bank name and account number with the payment instructions before treating a payment destination as project-linked.
The developer page and DLD record answer different questions. The developer page can document its own launch, contractor or construction update. DLD is the primary source for registry status and the escrow fields shown in Mashrooi. Keep screenshots or exported details with the contract file so the evidence date is clear.
Methodology and limits
This is a verified sample, not a claim that only eight projects exist. Inclusion required a normally fetchable official developer project page or dated release that supported at least one permitted status: announced or launched, contract awarded, under construction, or completed and handed over. The source had to load during this research run on 12 September 2026.
Portal inventory and search snippets were used to discover names, never to establish construction or handover. Projects with only broker pages, undated summaries or unverified delivery claims were left out. “Not publicly stated” is limited to the cited first-party source, and every buyer should check the exact registered name in DLD because marketing names and registered project names can differ.
What are the upcoming projects on Dubai Islands?
The official-source sample above includes Bay Grove Residences and The Meriva Collection at launch stage, Bay Villas and Rixos Bay at contract-award stage, and Beach Walk 4 and Côtier House with developer construction updates. It is not a complete inventory because no single official public page provides a like-for-like list of every developer's projects.
Which developers are building on Dubai Islands?
This verified sample includes Nakheel, Ellington Properties and Imtiaz Developments. Other developers may have projects in the district, but inclusion here required a normally fetchable first-party source that met the stated evidence rule.
What projects has Imtiaz developed on Dubai Islands?
The sample includes Beach Walk Residences, Beach Walk 2, Beach Walk 4 and Côtier House. Imtiaz's dated notices say the first two were handed over in 2026, while the latter two had developer progress pages when checked on 12 September 2026.
Are the Dubai World Islands projects completed?
Dubai Islands and The World Islands are different developments. Do not transfer a status statement from one master development to the other; search the exact project name or project number in DLD Project Status Enquiry.
Is Dubai Islands a good investment?
An area label does not settle that question for every buyer. The relevant comparison is the documented project format and stage, the purchase contract and total cost, the intended use, and the current DLD registry and escrow record.
