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Your move, step by stepYou’re in step 2: Making the move
  1. 1ResearchWeighing it up, job hunting or comparing an offer
  2. 2Making the moveYou’re here
Step 2 of 5 · Making the move

We’re going. What do we do, and when?

Everything from leaving the UK to your first weeks in the UAE, in the order you’ll need it.

Who’s moving?
For everyoneSet your move date below to see what’s due and when.
Your timeline

90 days to go

  1. 1 OctGet your degree, marriage and birth certificates attestedRead
  2. 31 OctCheck your National Insurance record and State Pension forecastRead
  3. 31 OctBook pet travel and get shipping quotesRead
  4. 15 NovDecide whether to let, sell or keep your UK homeRead
  5. 30 NovTell HMRC you’re leaving (form P85)Read
  6. 30 NovApply for any medicine permitsRead
Full timeline with pets, children and your UK home →

Before you fly

6 guides

Telling HMRC you’re leaving

UK tax residence, form P85 and the year you leave.

Your UK home: let, sell or keep

Permission to let, tax on rent, and selling from abroad.

State Pension and National Insurance

Voluntary National Insurance and the frozen State Pension.

Bringing your medicines

Controlled UK medicines, the free permit, and CBD.

Moving money from the UK

Exchange rates, keeping UK accounts, and ISAs.

Moving with pets

Import permit, microchip, banned breeds and a countdown.

Your first 30 days

8 guides

Your first 30 days: the order of things

Every step of your first month, in the right order.

Your Emirates ID

What you can and can’t do without it, and how long it takes.

Opening a bank account

What you need, how long it takes, salary accounts and fees.

Finding a home to rent

How to search Bayut, Property Finder and dubizzle, and work with agents.New

Spotting fake listings and bad agents

Warning signs, how to check an agent, and what to do if you’re caught.New

Renting: Ejari, cheques and DEWA

Signing a lease, registering it and switching on the power.

Phone, internet and WhatsApp

Your first SIM, home internet, calling home and keeping your UK number.

Driving: licence swap and a car

Swap your UK licence, rent or buy a car, Salik and insurance.

Your first weeks

5 guides

Food shopping and delivery

Which supermarket matches yours, delivery apps, pork and alcohol.New

Your first day at work

What to bring, what happens in week one, and workplace etiquette.New

Making friends and building a network

The first-year dip, where friendships start, and using social media well.

The partner at home

Your visa, working, and giving your week a shape.

Credit, cheques and debts

Building a UAE credit score and avoiding a travel ban.

Where next

You’re through this step once you have your Emirates ID, a home and a bank account.
Coming later:Living hereHelping othersMoving on