First 30 days in Dubai: a checklist week by week after landing: what the employer does and what you do

Before you fly and the first 48 hours

A good first week starts at home. Most of this list takes an evening and saves days later.

• Have in hand: passport with sufficient validity, the signed offer and contract, the entry permit or visa document the employer sent, printed and as PDF, your legalised and translated documents (see our documents guide), passport photos on a white background, cash or a card that works abroad for the first days
• Agree with the employer in writing before the flight: who meets you or how you get to the accommodation, where you stay the first weeks, the date of the medical fitness test and Emirates ID appointment, your first day, and which documents HR needs from you on day one
• Day 1-2: a local SIM (du, e& or another licensed operator) with your passport and the visa document, so the bank, the landlord and the employer's apps can reach you; a prepaid plan is enough to start, a monthly plan later with the Emirates ID
• Day 1-2: a Nol card from any metro station, which pays for the metro, tram, buses and many parking machines; download the RTA, DEWA, Dubai Now and UAE Pass apps so they are ready when your Emirates ID arrives
• Day 1-2: a cloud folder with scans of every document, the offer, the contract and the visa; you will be asked for them many times
• Day 1-2: Google Maps with your work, your temporary stay and the nearest metro station saved; walk the route once in daylight

Week 1: the employer's visa steps and your first day

The employer who hired you arranges and pays for the work permit and residence visa; your part is to show up on time with the right documents. Sequence and names of the steps are stated here as they are on our live guides; your HR or PRO gives you the exact dates.

• Employer: entry permit or change of status, then the medical fitness test (blood test and chest X-ray at an approved centre), then biometrics for the Emirates ID, then the residence visa; the labour contract is registered with MOHRE. Ask HR for the planned dates so you can plan around them
• You: attend the medical test and the Emirates ID appointment with your passport, photos and the documents HR lists; keep every receipt and application number in your cloud folder, the application number is often accepted by banks and landlords while the card itself is in production
• You: first working day: contract copy signed by both sides, the employer's internal rules, insurance details, your probation goals written down; ask what probation and notice terms your contract has and read our guide on probation and notice
• You: ask HR which costs the employer covers in the first month (temporary stay, flight, advance) and when the first salary is paid; plan your runway from that answer
• Check: the sequence can differ by free zone or mainland employer and rules change; ICP and GDRFA Dubai portals are the official sources, and your employer's PRO knows the current practice
• Do not: pay anyone for a visa step, hand your passport to a third party outside the official process, or sign documents you have not read in a language you understand

Week 2: bank account and the housing search

With the visa in process and the Emirates ID application in hand, the two big personal tasks are money and a home.

• Bank account: banks differ in what they accept; most want the Emirates ID (or at least its application receipt and the residence visa) plus a salary certificate or the labour contract from the employer. Ask HR for a salary certificate on day one, compare two or three banks on minimum balance, fees and app quality, and open the account as soon as the documents allow; your salary is paid into it
• Until the account is open: a card from home that works abroad, cash and the employer's help with the first payments; agree with the landlord how the first rent and deposit are paid if your account is not yet ready
• Housing: decide the district by commute first and budget second; price rooms, studios and one-bedroom flats for the same area on Bayut, Dubizzle and Property Finder, visit at least three places, and check the building, the AC, the water pressure and the mobile signal in person
• Rent in Dubai is often paid in advance by one or several cheques plus a security deposit and an agency fee; a registered broker, a written tenancy contract and the landlord's title deed or authority are the minimum you check before paying
• Orientation (orientation, autumn 2026, check current prices): a room in a shared flat in a mid-range area from about 2,500 to 4,500 AED per month; studios and one-bedroom flats vary several times over by district, so trust your own search, not a forum figure
• If the employer provides accommodation for the first period, use it to search without pressure; a hurried first contract is the most expensive mistake of the first month

Week 3: Ejari, DEWA, insurance card, driving licence

The paperwork week. Each item is small when done in order and annoying when done out of order.

• Ejari: the tenancy contract is registered in the Ejari system (usually through the broker, a typing centre or the Dubai REST app); the Ejari certificate is what DEWA and many other services ask for, and it is normally needed to sponsor family later
• DEWA: electricity and water are activated against the Ejari certificate and your Emirates ID, with a security deposit; monthly bills follow use and AC season. Internet and TV are a separate contract with a licensed provider
• Health insurance: the employer provides it for employees; collect the insurance card or app access, learn which clinic network it covers and whether co-payments apply, and register with a clinic near home or work before you need it, not during a fever
• Driving licence: whether your home licence can be converted to a UAE licence, and whether tests are required, depends on your country; check the current list and procedure on the RTA portal, do not rely on a friend's experience from a different year. Until then: metro, taxis and ride apps
• Emirates ID: when the card is ready, collect it or receive it as arranged, link UAE Pass to it, and update the bank, the phone operator and the employer; from here most services run through the app
• Family: if you plan to bring a spouse or children, ask the employer's PRO what the current conditions are (income, housing, Ejari) and check ICP and GDRFA; school places in popular areas fill early, so start enquiries now

Week 4: routines, community and the review

The last week is about turning a place you stay into a place you live, and about checking the plan against reality.

• Routines: a grocery store you like, a gym or a running route for the cool hours, a doctor and a pharmacy, a hairdresser or barber, a quiet cafe; small fixed points lower the stress of a new city faster than anything else
• Community: one regular activity (sport, a class, a volunteer group, a language exchange), one professional community in your field, one invitation accepted per week; Dubai is a city of newcomers and people say yes to coffee
• Money review: compare the month's real spending with the budget you made before the flight; adjust the district, the supermarket or the transport choice rather than the plan as a whole
• Work review: what the first probation goals were, what you have shown, what the manager wants next; a short conversation at the end of month one prevents a long one at the end of month three
• Family and home: the first call where you say it is fine and mean it; plan the first visit home or the first visitor
• Remaining paperwork: a list of what is still pending (card collection, licence conversion, family documents) with dates, so the second month has a plan too

Who does what: the employer and you

A summary table to pin on the fridge. Where a line says employer, you still attend and bring documents; where it says you, HR can advise but will not do it for you.

How we help

TLNT is a hiring consultancy. Employers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi ask us to search for specialists against criteria agreed at the start; we assess candidates on practical tasks and introduce the ones who meet the criteria. The employer interviews, makes the hiring decision and agrees the terms with you directly; you are employed by the employer's company, the employer sponsors the visa and we give the employer a step-by-step checklist for the relocation steps above. We do not give immigration advice; confirm each step on the official portals.

For candidates: send your CV through our candidates page or build one in the free CV builder; we let you know when an employer has a matching vacancy. Candidates never pay us.

Our fee is fixed for each role and agreed before the search starts. A 10% prepayment of the fee starts the search, the rest is due once the person has started work. If it does not work out, we find a replacement free of charge; the period is set in the contract. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.