Moving to Dubai: the practical order

Sequence matters

The order most people do this in is: find a property they like, then discover what living there is actually like. Reversing that is the single most useful thing we can tell you.

Start from how your week actually runs. Where does work take you, and at what times? Which schools are realistic, and what does that drive look like at half past seven in the morning? How often will you genuinely use the beach, as opposed to how often you imagine you will?

Rent first, usually

Unless you already know Dubai well, renting for a year is almost always the right call. It costs a year's rent; buying in the wrong community costs considerably more, and takes longer to undo.

A year gives you the thing no amount of research provides: knowing what a place is like in August, what the traffic does in term time, and whether the community you liked on a Saturday works on a Tuesday.

Schools and the commute

School places drive location for most families, and the good ones fill early. Start that process before you choose where to live, not after, it constrains the map more than anything else.

Dubai's road network is good and its distances are deceptive. A community twenty minutes away at ten in the morning can be fifty at eight. Drive the route at the time you would actually drive it.

The practical list

Residency and the Emirates ID come first and gate much of the rest, a bank account, a tenancy in your name, utilities. Employers usually handle the visa; if you are arriving independently, get advice on the route that fits you.

We handle the home and connect you with people who handle the rest. We do not process visas, place children in schools, or move your furniture, and we will say so rather than pretend otherwise.

• ,Residency and Emirates ID, usually employer-led.
• ,Bank account, generally needs the Emirates ID.
• ,Tenancy and Ejari registration.
• ,Utilities, internet, and a driving licence.