Dubai
Marhaba in the app. A local checklist, how-tos with real prices, and a directory of places that work for English speakers.
Your numbers
Real, checked prices — tap a card to dial in your own budget.
Newcomer checklist
16 tasks for Dubai, sequenced by phase. Track progress in the app.
16 tasks
Before you move
First week
Month 1
The visa can be approved in days; the Emirates ID card takes weeks longer, and the bank wants the card. Ask about the appointment early and plan around the gap.
Field notes · Dubai
Compare & choose
Every option gets a verdict
Apps to download
The ten that do something your usual apps can't.
10 apps · Checked August 2026
Bank accounts
You need a chequebook for rent. Choose accordingly.
4 banks · Checked August 2026
Home internet
Your building picks the provider. You pick the plan.
4 providers · Checked August 2026
Co-living & flexible stays
Furnished places to land for your first weeks, before you commit to an annual lease and cheques.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Gym memberships
From AED 99 big-box gyms to AED 1,000 clubs with ice baths.
4 gyms · Checked August 2026
Private hospitals & clinics
Where to actually get seen, the hospital groups expats use, ranked on network tier and English-speaking care.
4 options · Checked August 2026
Health insurance
Cover is mandatory in Dubai. Here's what each tier actually buys.
4 plans · Checked August 2026
Where to live
Seven areas ranked on annual rent, commute, and daily life, filter by what matters to you.
7 areas · Checked August 2026
Mobile providers
Two networks, three brands. And tourist SIMs at the airport.
4 providers · Checked August 2026
Schools: KHDA ratings and tuition, school by school
What it actually costs and teaches, school by school.
6 schools · Checked August 2026
Editorial guides
Living
Your first 72 hours in Dubai
Land, get connected, learn the cheque-and-chiller vocabulary, and let the visa machine start turning.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Residence visa and Emirates ID, explained
The two documents everything else in Dubai hangs off. And the routes to get them, employed or not.
Housing
Renting in Dubai and the Ejari system
Cheques, agent fees, DEWA, and why your tenancy has to be registered to count.
Healthcare
Health insurance in Dubai is mandatory
Why you legally need cover, what employers provide, and how to top it up.
Living
Where to live in Dubai as a newcomer
Marina, JVC, Downtown or the older neighbourhoods. Compared on rent, commute and life.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Dubai taxes: zero isn't the whole story
No income tax, yes. But home-country rules, the new corporate tax, and the pension you're not building all need a plan.
Avoiding scams
Scams and traps to avoid in Dubai
Rental fraud, fake job offers, and the fees that catch newcomers. Verify Ejari and RERA before you pay anyone a dirham.
Living
The 10 apps you actually need in Dubai
Your ID, your visa status, your tolls, your fines and your groceries all live on your phone here. Ten downloads that do it properly.
Schooling
Schooling in Dubai: KHDA ratings, fees, and how admissions actually work
There's no real public-school option for most expat families here, so the real comparison is KHDA ratings and tuition, school by school.
Bureaucracy & Visas
Moving to Dubai from the UK
Visas, the HMRC break-up, and what tax-free actually costs. The honest playbook for the British wave.
Lifestyle
Weekend picks, seasonal events, and local rituals — updated without an app release.
Essentials
How to behave in Dubai
Dress, public conduct, Ramadan, alcohol, and local law.
Lifestyle
Your first weekend in Dubai. What should you visit?
A Friday-to-Saturday route for newcomers: Al Fahidi's heritage lanes and a 1-dirham abra crossing, the Creek's gold and spice souks, Alserkal Avenue's warehouse arts scene, a Friday brunch, and JBR's public beach.
Lifestyle
Sports in Dubai, a city built around the calendar
World-class tennis, golf and racing arrive on schedule every winter, and in between there's desert cycling, kite beaches and a rugby weekend like no other.
Local picks
Places in Dubai that work for English speakers — checked for what expats actually ask about, not star ratings.
HealthcareFeatured
Mediclinic City Hospital
A large private hospital in Healthcare City with English as the working language and direct billing for most international and local insurers (Daman, AXA, Cigna). Same-day GP and walk-in clinics.
English doctorsInternational insuranceWalk-in GP
Healthcare City · Open · 24h ER
CoworkingFeatured
AstroLabs
A tech-focused coworking hub on Sheikh Zayed Road with day passes, hot desks and a constant run of startup events, an easy way to meet other newcomers. The community team works in English and can also help with free-zone licensing.
Day passesEventsEnglish-speaking
JLT · Mon to Fri 9 to 6
Bureaucracy
Amer Center, Bur Dubai
A GDRFA-approved typing centre that handles residence visa and Emirates ID paperwork. Faster than the government offices, English-speaking agents, and they take card. Bring your passport and Emirates ID photos.
English serviceWalk-inCard accepted
Bur Dubai · Sun to Thu 8 to 8
Business setup
Virtuzone
A company-formation and visa consultancy that's a fixture for newcomers setting up a free-zone company or freelance permit, and the residence visa and Emirates ID that come with it. English throughout, packaged fixed pricing.
English supportFree-zone setupVisa & Emirates ID
Downtown Dubai · Mon to Fri 9 to 6
Tax & accounting
Shuraa Tax Consultants
An English-speaking accounting firm for the newly self-employed and small companies: VAT registration and returns, the new UAE corporate tax, and bookkeeping. Monthly plans with deadline reminders so you stay compliant.
English supportVAT & corporate taxFreelancer-friendly
Sheikh Zayed Road · Mon to Fri 9 to 6
Healthcare
Aster Clinic Dubai Marina
A multispecialty clinic chain that's an everyday workhorse for expats: GP, dentist, paediatrics and labs under one roof. English throughout, direct billing with most local and international insurers, and walk-in or app booking.
English doctorsInternational insuranceWalk-in GP
Dubai Marina · Open · until 11pm
Dental clinic
Dr. Michael's Dental Clinic
An expat-favourite dental group where the team works in English and gives you an itemised plan before they start. Pricier than the mall clinics, but the up-front quotes and insurance pre-approvals are why newcomers stick with it.
English-speakingTransparent pricingInternational insurance
Umm Suqeim · Open · until 9pm
Pharmacy
Life Pharmacy (24h)
A 24-hour branch of the city-wide pharmacy chain, used to expats and travellers. English-speaking staff who'll read a foreign prescription and explain the local equivalent, the reliable answer when something flares at 2am.
English spokenOpen 24hDelivery
Dubai Marina · Open 24h
Real estate & relocation
Hamptons International
An established real estate agency handling rentals and relocation house-hunting across Dubai, from Marina apartments to villa communities, with agents used to walking newcomers through Ejari registration and the rest of the rental paperwork.
English-speakingRental searchEjari support
The Greens · Mon to Sat 9 to 6
International school
Lycée Français International Georges Pompidou
AEFE-affiliated French Baccalauréat track, the lowest tuition of Dubai's well-known international schools, on a central Oud Metha campus.
French BaccalauréatFrench-mediumLower fees
Oud Metha · Mon to Fri, by appointment
International school
Repton School Dubai
British National Curriculum school with a KHDA Outstanding rating held since 2014, on a newer Nad Al Sheba campus with lower entry-year tuition than Dubai's longest-established British schools.
KHDA OutstandingBritish curriculumEnglish-medium
Nad Al Sheba · Mon to Fri, by appointment
Language school
Eton Institute
A long-running language school where most newcomers go to pick up survival Arabic, taught in English in small groups, with evening and weekend options around work. They run plenty of other languages too, in person or online.
Arabic for beginnersEvening classesSmall groups
Knowledge Village · Mon to Sat 9 to 9
Gym
Fitness First Marina Gate
A well-equipped chain club at Marina Gate with a big class schedule and branches across the city. English-speaking reception, day passes for visitors, and membership you can sign up for and manage in English.
English-speaking staffDay passesClasses
Dubai Marina · Open · until 11pm
Yoga studio
Karma Yoga
A friendly studio running most classes in English to a mixed expat-and-local crowd. Drop-ins and intro offers for newcomers, plenty of beginner slots, a gentle, low-pressure way to meet people.
English classesDrop-inBeginner friendly
Dubai Marina · Open · until 9pm
Gym
Warehouse Gym Al Quoz
A huge industrial-style gym in the Alserkal arts district, open around the clock. Day passes for visitors, English-speaking staff throughout, and a full class timetable from spin to lifting.
English-speaking staffDay passesAccepts foreign cards
Al Quoz · Open 24h
Neighbourhoods we cover
Dubai MarinaJVCBusiness BayDIFCDeiraMirdif
Join our community
How-tos
All guides →Arrange shipping & customs for your belongings
What you ship, and how, depends far more on where you're leaving than where you're landing.
4 to 10 weeks lead time€600 to 4,000+ depending on volume and distance
Sort pet relocation, if you're bringing one
Start this months out, pet import rules are strict and depend entirely on your departure country.
10 weeks to 6+ months lead time€200 to 3,000+ depending on distance and route
Forward your mail & cancel subscriptions
A short list to clear before you go, so nothing important gets lost at your old address.
1 to 2 hours, spread over a few weeksFree to around €50 for a redirection service
Notify your bank & tax office back home
Tell your bank and tax office at home before you leave.
1 to 3 hoursUsually free
Get your residence visa & Emirates ID
The document pair everything else in Dubai hangs off.
1 to 3 weeks end to endAED 1,500 to 4,000 (often employer-paid)
Get a UAE SIM card
A working number in 10 minutes. Even at the airport.
10 to 20 minAED 50 to 125
Get a Nol card
Metro, tram, buses, and water taxis. One tap-everything card.
5 minAED 25 (incl. AED 19 credit)
Open a UAE bank account
For salary via WPS, rent cheques, and everything the apps can't do.
30 to 60 min · card in 2 to 5 daysFree (with salary transfer)
Sort your health insurance
Cover is legally required in Dubai. And tied to your visa.
1 to 3 days to compare and buyAED 700 to 6,000+/yr
Register your tenancy (Ejari)
The RTA registration that makes your lease officially exist.
15 min online · same dayAED 120 to 220
Set up DEWA (electricity & water)
Ten minutes online once you have your Ejari number.
10 min online · power same dayAED 130 activation + AED 2,000/4,000 deposit
Set up home internet
Your building decides the provider. The rest is easy.
15 min to order · 2 to 7 days to installAED 300 to 400/mo
Convert your driving licence
~50 countries swap directly. Everyone else goes to driving school.
1 hour at RTA (direct swap)AED 870 approx
Find a flat and sign the lease
Cheques, the RERA calculator, and the chiller question. Keys without surprises.
1 to 3 weeks of hunting~15% of annual rent in fees + deposits
Get a freelance permit (sponsor yourself)
The permits that turn "remote worker on a visit visa" into a legal Dubai resident with clients.
1 to 3 weeks end to endAED 7,500 to 20,000/yr depending on route
Know what to do in case of an accident
Save these three numbers before you need any of them.
10 min to read and save the numbersFree
Handle a car crash, step by step
Dubai's rule is simple once you know it, move for minor, freeze for serious.
30 min on the spot, longer if anyone's hurtFree (your time only)