Checklist - Things you need to know when moving to the UAE by British Mums Dubai

Have you made the decision to up sticks and relocate to the oasis paradise of Dubai but don’t know where to start? As a vibrant, international city, Dubai encompasses all the good, the bad an

d the ugly of any sprawling metropolis and there are several hoops you need to jump through to set up here. It seems like a mind field and believe us it is! But never fear, we’ve got it covered, here is a list of all you need to know before and when you arrive.

Attestations

As an expat who wants to start a life in the UAE, you need to submit attested documents.

Your marriage certificate, educational certificates, medical certificates, business documents, child’s birth certificate and other legal paperwork will all have to be attested to obtain a residential visa. The process involves sending the certificate to various government departments in the issuing country and eventually to UAE authorities for signing and stamping. This process can take a lot of time and a fair bit of money. It’s worth hiring a professional attestation company to do this as it’s a lengthy, complicated process.

Medical (from company) & Medical Insurance

Definitely take out some standard international travel insurance to cover you until your medical insurance is set up. If your company is providing cover, it won’t necessarily be valid until you have your visa or Emirates ID.

By law, employers are required to provide health insurance cover for their employees, so this will probably have been arranged for you by your company before you arrive, but check what level of health insurance your employer offers. It could only be the basic level, in which case look into arranging additional cover to provide more benefits and higher limits.

Currently, Dubai employers do not have to provide cover for dependents and spouses, so you may also have to arrange this yourself. It’s worth checking policies that offer a family health insurance plan, as this could end up getting you a better deal. In Dubai, it is mandatory to have medical insurance. If you’re self-employed or not covered by your spouse’s policy, there are many private options. Comprehensive medical insurance premiums for expats can cost around AED 5,500 annually. For a family of four it can go up to AED 33,500. If you’re still in the process of negotiating a contract, try to make sure medical insurance for the whole family is included.

Photos

The UAE has very specific requirements for the photos you use for your Visa, Emirates ID and Driving Licence application. They must be 35 x 40 millimetres, taken with a white background within the last six months. Your face must be upright and have a natural facial expression, with the eyes must be completely open. Glasses are not recommended. Clothing that covers the head like hijabs can be worn if it’s part of your religious belief or national dress. The photo must have a minimum resolution of 600 DPI.

You can either get these taken in the UK before you leave in places like Max Speilman or once you get out here at Photo Magic.

Visa

UK passport holders get a 60-day entry to Dubai once you arrive at the airport – with a 10–day grace period for extensions.

For your company to sponsor your application, you will need a passport valid for at least six months and recent colour photos (matching the requirements mentioned above), your medical test results (see below) and any additional proof of identity requested.

If your company applies for you, you should receive your visa in two to three weeks. This may take slightly longer without employer sponsorship. Once you have received your residence visa, you will be able to sponsor, and apply for, visas on your family’s behalf. They will arrive on the standard 30–day tourist visa with a 10-day grace period for extensions.

Visa applications can be done in person at any of the Amer Centres in Dubai. As these are Government buildings please dress conservatively. And be warned, you will need a suitcase full of patience here. Come armed with a fully charged phone as there’s a lot of waiting! If your spouse is sponsoring you and your children, they don’t need to be with you but you will need to take their visa plus proof of salary. This can be obtained from your spouse’s company’s HR department.

In terms of application fees, a refundable deposit of AED 5000 per person (around £982) is taken, plus around AED 360 (around £70) for the visa itself and between AED 200-300 (around £39-£59) for medical tests, which consist of a blood test to check for HIV and a chest x-ray to detect TB.

Once you have your residence visa, you will then be able to open a bank account and obtain a driving licence.

There are several ‘upgrades’ available to extend the standard 2-3 year residency visa including a new five-year Green visa, and there’s also been a broadening of the criteria for those eligible for the coveted ten-year Golden visa.

Emirates ID

Together with your resident visa, you will also receive a plastic ID-card with a chip known as an Emirates ID (EID). Carry this with you at all times, it’s the key to everything in Dubai. To complete your EID application, you will need to visit one of the ICP’s service centres where your fingerprints will be scanned as part of the biometric testing. Again, this is a government building so please dress conservatively. There is now the option to getyour EID within 24 hours because of a new service offered by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP). Known as ‘Fawri’ (it means speedy in Arabic), is available if you’re a UAE or GCC national officially residing in the country. It can be used to issue Emirates ID cards for the first time, renew expired cards, or replace lost or damaged cards.

Bank Account

Opening a bank account in Dubai is not difficult, but you should make it your number one priority when you arrive. To get one, you will need five things: your passport, proof of employment, a letter from your employer stating your job role and salary, proof of address and your Emirates ID. If you’re not going to be working, Liv is a bit like the UK Monzo account, and you can do an online application via their app in minutes, with no need to supply a salary letter.

Mobile phone

Make sure you pick up a temporary sim card in arrivals at DXB. From that point it’s back to being teenager and the wonderful world of pay-as-you-go, unless you want to use your UK sim, but that will be very expensive. As soon as your employer issues your EID and you have a bank account, you can also take out a mobile phone contract for someone else. With Virgin you pay up front for the year which gets you 50% off the total price. It worked out at around £300 / AED 1500 per phone contract.

Driving Licence

While your EID is being processed you CANNOT drive on your UK licence – that’s the time you’ll have to use Careem, Uber or hire a driver from places like OneClickDrive. Once you have your EID you can convert your UK driving licence to an Emirates one at the RTA. You will need to take your UK driving licence (original and copy), your EID (original and copy), your passport with visa page (copy), passport photographs and pay to have an electronic eye test. Please note the RTA doesn’t accept Apple Pay, so come armed with cash or a bank card. The cost to convert your licence is normally less than AED 1,000 and it’s worth noting that if you covert your UK licence to a UAE one, then you cannot continue to drive on your UK licence when you return to the UK.

Cars

The debate of buying vs leasing depends on the needs of your family and financial choices. If you choose to buy your car you have to register it at the RTA. It sounds deceptively straightforward but it may turn into a nightmare if you don’t go prepared. You can only register a vehicle if your Visa and Emirates ID have been issued. If your residency visa is not for Dubai, you will need to bring an EJARI contract (see below) as proof that you live here. If you don’t have an EJARI issued in Dubai, you will have to register your car in the Emirates for which you have a visa. You’ll need to make sure that the car passes the inspection at one of the RTA bays (Like an MOT in the UK), and as the buyer, the inspection costs are your responsibility.Also bring your UAE drivers licence and arrange car insurance beforehand and bring proof of that with you.

Salik

If you decide to buy your own car you will need a Salik tag, which you can top up to automatically pay for toll roads in the city. When you register your car at RTA, the easiest thing to do is buy your Salik tag there and then. You can get one online but it takes up to seven days to arrive – just be careful not to drive on any toll roads in the meantime.

Housing

It’s worth noting that ‘traditionally’ accommodation is paid for up-front in one annual payment – which can come as a shock. Thankfully, landlords are becoming a bit more flexible with different payment options and will sometimes accept quarterly or six-monthly rental cheques. When signing for a rental property most agents take 5% and then it’s 5% deposit on top.

Education & Schooling

While many people expect they will be well recompensed for their work in Dubai, the days of the substantial ‘expat packages’are a thing of the past. An expat package will have a basic salary, children’s education, medical insurance for all the family, airfares and comfortable accommodation all covered. But, these days, this type of package is rare. Some jobs do offer them – but they’re just more of a pink unicorn.

When it comes to schools you can with choose between one with the traditional English National Curriculum or International Baccalaureate (IB). Both choices have their strengths so it’s important to choose a school that is right for you and your child. If you can do a recce trip we’d always recommend looking around a school in person, but after covid many do excellent virtual tours.

If you have found a school you love, but it has a LONG waiting list, it is possible to fast track your child to the top by paying a corporate debenture. A number of Dubai schools have arrangements with major international companies which give priority to children of employees. In most cases, the company will have invested in a few seats within the school. However, even with this arrangement, the company is not always guaranteed a place. If the school is full, a debenture may push your child’s application further up the waiting list, but it does not guarantee a place.

There are some not-for-profit schools in Dubai which appeals so some parents as they support the ability of the school to focus on the quality of education over satisfying any profit or investment expectations of owners or shareholders. But saying that, all schools in Dubai are good. The priority is to find the right fit school for you child, regardless of whether it’s a for profit or not for profit school.

Second to that, when choosing a school do consider the proximity to where you are working and living. No one wants to battle Dubai rush-hour and have an hour’s commute. Especially as a lot of the schools here start before 8am!

EJARI

EJARI means ‘My Rent’ in Arabic and is basically a regulatory system so all Dubai rental or lease contracts are recorded. The primary goal is to make the relationship between landlords and tenants in Dubai more formal.

Ok, number one rule of getting your EJARI – don’t take your children to the Typing Centres. It can take a long time to be seen! Our advice is to go early when it opens as it operates a traditional ticketing system (like you used to get in Clarks shoes in the 80s) Here is a list of the five Ejari Typing Centres.

To apply for your EJARI, have these documents ready before you head to the centre. These include your original signed tenancy contract, your Emirates ID and copies of your passport and visa, a copy of the landlord’s passport (the signature needs to be visible), and a copy of the title deed that you will get from your landlord.

DEWA

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is the sole provider of electricity, water and sewerage in Dubai. To apply and set up an account you’ll need to collect an application form from the DEWA Customer Service locations or do it online, then submit the signed form along with these documents: copy of signed Tenancy Contract, passport copy (tenant and landlord) with valid visa page, Proof of Ownership or Deed of Sale or Sales Agreement copy).

There is a DEWA security deposit required which is AED 4000 for a villa, AED 2000 for an apartment. The connection fee is AED 100 for small metres and AED 300 for large metres and anAED 30 admin fee.

Internet / Landline

There are two major network operators in the UAE that provide your landline and internet services. Etisalat’s internet offers various internet access options for residential users, from a basic dial up connection to high-speed ADSL connection. To apply for an Etisalat plan you need a standard telephone line which gets activated typically the same day if there’s not a technical visit needed. The documents required are, passport (original and copy), tenancy agreement (original and copy), residence permit (original plus 2 copies) and subscription fee (costs vary by package selected).

Most new developments are serviced by du which is packaged with their landline and television services. Activation usually takes 4-5 days and documents required to sign up are: passport (original and copy), tenancy agreement (original and copy), completed application form available at any du office or online

Gas

While the water and electricity supply in the emirate are solely managed by DEWA, there are multiple gas distributors in Dubai.

Emirates Gas and Lootah are the leading gas distribution companies here. They will help you get a new connection but can also provide gas cylinder deliveries.

British Mums tip: it’s better to apply for your DEWA, gas and internet the moment you receive your tenancy contract, preferably 2-3 days before you move into the new house.

Liquor Licence

In November 2020, the UAE removed the law which stated anyone consuming alcohol should have an alcohol licence in Dubai. Drinking alcohol without a licence is no longer a criminal offence, however you do still need one to buy and have alcohol in your home.

To purchase or consume alcohol, you must still be over the age of 21 and non-Muslim. To get a licence is now much easier and since January 2023 they’re FREE. All you need to get an alcohol licence in Dubai is your Emirates ID. You just need to head into an African + Eastern or MMI store with your ID and the staff will begin the process of your application which takes around four weeks.

In Conclusion…

We know moving to Dubai from the UK can be daunting and scary. This is why British Mums was set up. So PLEASE, ask lots of questions on the Facebook group and come to our events to meet new people. There’s also a guide here to help you find a new girl gang.

And we think that just about covers it! Have we missed anything that you think would be useful when moving to Dubai? Let us know by emailing blog@britishmums.com and we’ll add it in!

Good luck with the move and welcome to the UAE – once you get past the admin above, we promise it’s worth it!