Guides
Straight answers on setting up in the UAE
The questions people actually ask before they move — answered plainly. Where it gets specific to you, that's what a conversation is for.
Browse by topic
Moving from the UK to Dubai
The full picture: timing, costs, and what to sort before you go.
Explore →UK & UAE Tax
Non-residency, the Statutory Residence Test, split-year, the treaty and UAE corporate tax.
Explore →Company Formation
Freezone, mainland, offshore, trade licences and self-sponsorship.
Explore →Visas & Residency
Golden, investor, freelance and employment routes, plus the Emirates ID.
Explore →Banking in Dubai
Opening an account as a Brit — and which bank actually suits you.
Explore →Relocating Your Family
Schools, areas, housing, shipping and healthcare.
Explore →Wealth & Pensions
UK pensions, QROPS/QNUPS and selling a UK business.
Explore →AML & Compliance
Health checks, KYC and economic substance for UAE businesses.
Explore →All guides
- UK & UAE Tax
Is there a UK exit tax when you move to Dubai?
The UK has no general exit tax on unrealised gains when you emigrate — but the temporary non-residence rule can still catch you, and an exit tax has been proposed. Here's where things actually stand for founders planning a Dubai move.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
How long does relocating from the UK to Dubai take?
There's no single answer — a simple setup can be a few weeks, a full family relocation a few months. Here's a realistic timeline, and the bits that actually set the pace.
- UK & UAE Tax
Is it worth moving to Dubai for tax?
Dubai's 0% personal income tax is real. Whether a move actually makes financial sense for you depends on much more than the headline rate — here's the honest picture.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
Moving to Dubai: should you do it alone, or get help?
An honest breakdown of which parts of a UK-to-Dubai move you can handle yourself and which parts genuinely benefit from help — so you spend money only where it actually saves you.
- UK & UAE Tax
Do I still pay UK tax after moving to Dubai?
Moving to Dubai doesn't switch off your UK tax bill on its own. What matters is when you stop being UK-resident — decided by the Statutory Residence Test, not your flight date.
- Visas & Residency
Do I have to live in Dubai to keep my UAE company and visa?
You don't have to live in Dubai full-time to keep a UAE company — but a residence visa needs periodic presence. How the six-month rule works, and how the Golden Visa changes it.
- Banking in Dubai
Can I keep my UK bank account after moving to Dubai?
Whether you can keep your UK bank account when you become a UAE resident — what banks may ask, what to tell them, and why most movers keep a UK account running alongside a UAE one.
- Company Formation
How to choose a UAE company-setup partner (and the red flags to watch)
If you're going to use a setup firm, choose well. The honest signs of a good UAE company-formation partner — and the red flags that tell you to keep looking.
- UK & UAE Tax
The Statutory Residence Test, explained for a Dubai move
The SRT is how HMRC decides whether you're still UK tax resident. Here's how its three parts work — and why the 'ties' test is the one that catches Dubai movers out.
- Company Formation
Why creators and digital nomads base their business in the UAE
Creators and location-independent founders increasingly base their business in the UAE — a credible, stable, 0%-personal-tax home for the brand — while living and travelling anywhere. Here's why, and the catches.
- Banking in Dubai
Documents you need to open a UAE bank account
A clear checklist of what UAE banks ask for when you open an account as a new resident — and the supporting documents that quietly make the difference between approval and delay.
- Company Formation
Do you need a consultant to set up in the UAE, or can you do it yourself?
An honest look at when you can set up in the UAE yourself and when a consultant earns its keep — it's less about the licence and more about the cross-border joins that are costly to get wrong.
- Banking in Dubai
How does a Brit open a Dubai bank account?
Opening a UAE bank account as a UK national is straightforward once you have residency — but the KYC is thorough. Here's what you need and why applications get knocked back.
- Company Formation
Can I base my company in Dubai but live abroad?
You can own and run a UAE company while living elsewhere — but residence visas need periodic UAE presence, and where you personally pay tax depends on your own circumstances. Here's the honest picture.
- Visas & Residency
The Emirates ID: what it is and how to get one
The Emirates ID is the card that unlocks daily life in the UAE — banking, tenancy, healthcare and more. Here's what it is, how you get one, and why it follows your residence visa.
- Visas & Residency
Golden vs investor vs freelance visa: which fits me?
The UAE's main residency routes compared — Golden Visa, investor visa and freelance permit — so you can see which suits your situation before you commit to a move.
- Wealth & Pensions
What happens to my UK pension if I move to Dubai?
Your UK pension doesn't have to move when you do. Here's how it's treated, whether you can draw it from Dubai, and why transferring (QROPS/QNUPS) is a regulated-advice decision, not a default.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
Moving to Abu Dhabi from the UK: what's different to Dubai?
Abu Dhabi is an increasingly popular alternative to Dubai for UK movers. How the capital differs on lifestyle, cost, schools and business — and what stays the same across the UAE.
- Visas & Residency
How do I get a UAE residence visa from the UK?
The routes to a UAE residence visa for Brits — employment, your own company, investment and the Golden Visa — plus the medical, Emirates ID and family steps that follow.
- Company Formation
Dubai vs Abu Dhabi vs RAK: which emirate should you set up in?
Dubai isn't the only option. How Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) compare for company setup, cost and lifestyle — and why the right emirate depends on what you're actually doing.
- Company Formation
Self-sponsorship in Dubai: can I sponsor my own visa?
How self-sponsorship works in the UAE — using your own company to sponsor your residence visa and your family's, who it suits, and how it differs from an employer-sponsored visa.
- Relocating Your Family
Best areas in Dubai for UK families
Where UK families actually settle in Dubai — the villa communities, the apartment options, and why the right area usually comes down to schools and commute rather than the area itself.
- AML & Compliance
UAE AML rules for company owners, in plain English
What anti-money-laundering (AML) rules mean in practice for UK owners of a UAE company — KYC, record-keeping, beneficial ownership and why a clean compliance posture makes banking easier.
- Company Formation
What is a UAE freezone and how does it work?
Freezones are the most common way Brits set up in the UAE — 100% foreign ownership, a simple licence and a route to a visa. Here's what a freezone is, how it works, and when it's the right choice.
- Wealth & Pensions
QROPS vs QNUPS: what they are and whether you need one
A plain-English explanation of QROPS and QNUPS for UK movers — what each is, the broad differences, and why pension transfers are a decision to take proper advice on, not a default.
- UK & UAE Tax
Is there really no income tax in Dubai?
Dubai genuinely has no personal income tax — but that's not the whole picture. Here's what is and isn't taxed in the UAE, and why your UK tax position still needs sorting.
- Visas & Residency
How do I qualify for the Dubai Golden Visa?
The Golden Visa gives long-term UAE residence with no employer sponsor. Here are the routes UK movers actually use — property, investment and specialised talent — and what it gets you.
- Relocating Your Family
Renting in Dubai: how Ejari and the process works
How renting a home in Dubai actually works — the cheque system, agency fees, deposits and Ejari registration — so you know what to expect before you sign a tenancy.
- UK & UAE Tax
Does the UK–UAE double tax treaty stop double taxation?
What the UK–UAE double taxation agreement does and doesn't do — and why, for most people moving to Dubai, breaking UK residency cleanly matters more than the treaty itself.
- Relocating Your Family
Can I drive in Dubai on a UK licence?
Whether you can drive in Dubai on a UK licence as a tourist and as a resident — and how UK licence holders typically convert to a UAE licence without sitting a driving test.
- UK & UAE Tax
How does split-year treatment work when moving to Dubai?
Split-year treatment can stop you being taxed as UK-resident for the whole tax year you leave for Dubai. Here's what it is, the conditions, and why it's so easy to get wrong.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
Can I move to Dubai without a job?
You don't need an employer to move to Dubai. Here are the routes to UAE residency that don't rely on a job offer — your own company, freelance permits, investment and the Golden Visa.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
How much does it cost to move to Dubai from the UK?
The real cost of relocating from the UK to Dubai — visa and company setup, shipping, deposits, schools and the upfront housing costs that catch people out — and how to keep it sensible.
- Company Formation
Freezone vs mainland vs offshore: which UAE company do I need?
The three UAE company types in plain English — what each is for, and which fits a UK founder moving over. Most service businesses want a freezone; here's why, and the exceptions.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
Moving to Dubai from the UK: a step-by-step checklist
A practical, ordered checklist for relocating from the UK to Dubai — what to sort first, what can wait, and the bits people forget until they're standing at the airport.
- Moving from the UK to Dubai
Moving from the UK to Dubai: the complete guide
The whole move, in plain order: residence visa, breaking UK tax residency, banking, housing and schools, and shipping. Here's how the pieces fit and the sequence that works.