Moving to Dubai: the process in 7 steps

Overview: living in Dubai means getting a residence permit

A visit visa does not allow you to work or live in the UAE. To stay, you need a residence visa. Your situation decides the route: an employment contract, your own company, freelancing, investment, family, study, remote work or retirement. The seven steps below show the typical process. Documents, fees and deadlines depend on the route and can change, so confirm each step with the responsible office.

Step 1: Check whether Dubai suits you

Before planning, take an honest look at budget, career, family, climate and values. Rent in Dubai is usually paid a year in advance, and summer averages are around 34 to 36 °C. In the app, the self-check with traffic lights (from Starter) covers seven areas, each green, yellow or red. The app does not judge you; it shows where to look more closely.

Step 2: Choose your visa route

There are ten common routes to residence, from work visas to the Green and Golden Visa and the retirement visa from 55. Which one fits depends mainly on how you earn your income. A short version of all ten routes with the main requirement is in our guide UAE visa routes.

Step 3: Plan your costs and budget

The biggest items are rent and, for families, school fees. As a guide for a medium level, our cost overview gives about €3,220 to €4,080 a month (AED 12,900 to 16,300) for a single person and about €7,520 to €10,400 for a family with two children. Add one-off costs such as the deposit (usually 5% of annual rent), agency fees, visa, furniture and removal. All ranges and sources are in Cost of living in Dubai.

Step 4: Test everyday life on a trial stay

A holiday is not everyday life. Testing Dubai for one to four weeks shows you commutes, school runs, supermarkets and neighbourhoods in a new light. British passport holders get a free visit visa on arrival for up to 90 days within 180 days (FCDO); US citizens up to 30 days (State Department). Working is not allowed on a visit visa. See Trial stay in Dubai.

Step 5: Prepare your documents

Work, family and Golden visas often need legalised documents such as marriage and birth certificates or degrees. Allow several weeks for the legalisation chain through your country's authorities, the UAE embassy and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and get the documents while you are still in your home country.

Step 6: Sort out leaving your home country

Tax, health cover, pension and benefits follow the law of your home country. We have separate guides for moving from the UK and moving from the USA.

Step 7: Arrive, from entry permit to Emirates ID

1. Entry permit: applied for by your employer, the free zone, your sponsor or, for Golden and Green visas, by you. You must enter within 60 days of issue.
2. Entry or status change: if you are already in the country as a visitor, the permit can be activated inside the UAE; ICP lists AED 500 for this.
3. Medical fitness test from age 18 (blood test and chest X-ray) at a Dubai Health centre.
4. Health insurance: mandatory in Dubai. No residence is issued or renewed without a valid policy.
5. Residence permit and Emirates ID: one joint application. Residence must be issued within 60 days of entry, otherwise AED 50 a day.
6. Then: set up UAE PASS, register your tenancy (Ejari), power and water (DEWA), bank account.

If you stay outside the UAE for more than 180 days in a row, you usually lose your residence; exceptions include the Golden Visa.

This page provides general information and is not legal, tax or migration advice. Rules, amounts and fees can change; the office named is authoritative. Euro amounts use the guide rate €1 = AED 4.00.