If you’ve got a job in Dubai and are about to make the move to live in the Emirate you’ll undoubtedly have a million questions and concerns buzzing around your brain – fortunately for those with employment already secured it’s often easy to speak to the company’s HR department and get many concerns addressed, but for others it can be hard to know who to ask, what to ask, what to expect and where to start with the relocation process.
Don’t panic - here are 10 top tips for expatriates moving to live in Dubai that cover essential information, what to expect and how to make the move a smooth and successful one. Before you know it you’ll be settled into life in the UAE and you’ll wonder why you got so stressed out about the move in the first place.
Tip One – think seriously about how much of your personal ‘stuff’ you want to move with you to Dubai. You can buy anything and everything in the Emirate anyway and often you can buy cheaper than you can in the UK or mainland Europe for example.
Obviously the less you take the less it will cost - and once you have decided what you want to ship get removal quotes only from companies who are members of the British Association of Removers Overseas Group.
Find out realistically how long it will take to get your personal effects to Dubai so that you can plan to live without your bed or sofa for that period and make sure you get a door to door service so you have a shipping agent helping you out with customs and delivery in Dubai.
Tip Two - Speak to the airline you’ll be flying out to Dubai with and advise them that you are moving to live in Dubai and they might increase your personal baggage allowance for no extra charge. Get any increase agreed in writing and take it with you when you go to check in.
Tip Three - Once you’ve arrived in Dubai and are out and about shopping for furniture, household goods and electrical appliances it’s worth knowing that any department or specialist stores in the big malls are far more expensive than shops in the likes of Sharjah or Ajman which are Emirates less than an hours drive away.
Another location worth examining is Dragon Mart which is in International City where you can find well priced Chinese stock and where you can haggle and negotiate. Even if you don’t buy anything at Dragon Mart, go there for the experience, it’s amazing!
Tip Four - the working (and shopping week) in Dubai is usually Saturday to Wednesday although some businesses do conduct business from Sunday to Thursday…keep this in mind so that you also plan around these days when organizing your relocation…don’t ever try and make an appointment for a Friday.
Tip Five - no matter how organised you are and how good you are at planning, don’t put yourself under excessive pressure when moving to live in Dubai. Book yourself into a hotel for at least the first three to five days after your arrival so that you can get everything from accommodation to cars etc., sorted without having to worry about where you’ll be sleeping that night.
Tip Six - get a roaming email address and mobile number sorted out before you relocate – you’ll soon have a Dubai phone number and a brand new work email address, but if you have the roaming services in place this again cuts down on the number of tasks you have to fulfil the minute you arrive which again reduces the stress of the whole relocation.
Tip Seven - when you’re arrived and staying in your hotel whilst sorting out the details of your new life in Dubai, unless you hire a car you’ll be relying on taxis to get you around to appointments – don’t get your hotel to call for a taxi for you! Step outside onto the street and hail a cab because you’ll find it’s a lot cheaper…hotels have preferred services and they also get commission paid to them for calling out a cab for you. It’s not much of a saving per journey but it soon adds up!
Tip Eight - get satellite TV installed! The local TV services are largely in Arabic and even though you’ll be out and about enjoying the nightlife most of the time for at least the first few months, there will come a time when you want a quiet night in!
Take recommendations from like minded people once you meet them so that you get the package or service that’s right for you. You’ll have a choice of Nilesat, Arabsat, Hotbird, or Asiansat which are a combination of free and paid TV channels. There are also some satellite distribution companies that will sell you a whole package – the most popular are probably Showtime and Orbit.
Tip Nine - be oh so careful with your rental contract and get your rent fixed for as long as you possibly can. If you negotiate a longer tenancy your landlord will be more willing to fix the rent for a longer period. Otherwise despite the rental increase cap in effect in Dubai you could face a dramatic increase in rent which could curtail your social life to the extreme!
Tip Ten - Don’t start to panic about getting things like visas (although you have to have one in place to enter the country) and driving licenses sorted out in Dubai or getting a car, getting utilities connected or finding a bank willing to open you an account…because Dubai is the ultimate centre for expatriates there are a million friendly faces waiting to help, advise and guide you.
And if you can’t find a service or a person to help you and you don’t know how to get something sorted out you’ll find runners or just helpful citizens who’ll do the running and the leg work for you for a small fee.
Seriously – just commit to the move in your own mind and then go with the flow…you’ll soon be living in Dubai and enjoying a fantastic quality of life.
