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Dubai / Emigrating to Dubai

Dubai Emigration & Experiences

Dubai is one of the most popular destinations for emigrants from all over the world. What experiences have people had before and after their emigration to Dubai? What challenges await Dubai’s new residents and what advantages does life in the United Arab Emirates offer?

To get answers to these questions, we asked four emigrants to write down their stories for us. Read here what it means to emigrate to Dubai and live in the United Arab Emirates.

Table of Contents

Dubai Emigration

Dubai Emigration – Experiences of an Influencer

Dubai Emigration – Experiences of a Family

Dubai Emigration – My Tips for Expatriates

Dubai Emigration

Jackson (55 years, Entrepreneur)

Over a year ago, my family and I decided to make the move to Dubai, though we had some concerns about whether everything would unfold as we hoped.

At that time, there was already an abundance of online content about the experiences of people relocating to Dubai, with some stories making us question our plans.

To avoid common mistakes in both our relocation and the process of establishing a business in Dubai, we reached out to PMG about four months before our intended move.

This turned out to be an excellent decision, as we soon discovered!

Prior to our arrival in Dubai, PMG had already established a Free Zone Company with me being the shareholder, prepared all necessary paperwork for our residence visas, handled discussions with the banks, and shortlisted several potential apartments for us ☺.

The final steps were completed swiftly once we arrived in Dubai. In just a few days, my Free Zone Company was fully operational, our residence visas and Emirates IDs were issued, and our personal and business bank accounts were opened. We also secured a lease and moved into our new apartment in the Marina. Within a mere two weeks, we were comfortably settled in our new environment.

The school we selected with PMG’s help has proven to be almost ideal, offering a multi-lingual education that perfectly meets our children’s needs. They are thriving there.

Our transition into Dubai’s social scene was easier than we thought, and we quickly made friends who warmly welcomed us to our new home.

Looking back, we are delighted that we chose Dubai as our new home. We can fully endorse Privacy Management Group, as our experience with relocating to Dubai has been entirely positive!

Dubai Emigration – Experiences of an Influencer

Brianna (26 years, Influencer)

I’m Brianna, 26 years old and an influencer. I decided to emigrate to Dubai four years ago.

Before my emigration, I was a bit worried that it might not be very wise to move to an Arab country as a woman alone. However, my experiences quickly showed me that all my worries were completely unnecessary.

My current apartment in Dubai is located in the Deira district, right on the Creek. I feel very comfortable here and have found really nice neighbours and some friends in the area. I often meet up with them for coffee in Al Seef or at the Jumeirah Beach in one of the beach clubs.

Since my emigration to Dubai, my business has grown significantly. Dubai is full of influencers, and you constantly meet at exclusive events. For me, all this in Dubai is pure quality of life, and then not having to pay personal income tax… Why didn’t I move to Dubai two years earlier?

My goal is to expand my business even further and soon make my dream of owning a house come true. I am excited about what the future holds. My experiences since my emigration to Dubai have been absolutely positive.

Dubai Emigration – Experiences of a Family

The Smith Family (since January 2023 in Dubai)

I sold my restaurant business in the UK in December 2019 and six months later, I moved to the United Arab Emirates with my wife and two sons, who were 4 and 8 years old at the time. Our experiences since moving to Dubai have been very positive.

We never miss our typical food since you can get pretty much everything in Dubai. The food here is world-class.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the opening of alcohol stores in Dubai and finally the sale of pork in some supermarkets. So, in this respect too, everything is moving in the right direction for us.

Our first months in Dubai were fantastic. The kids started kindergarten and school after VERY long holidays, my wife stayed at home for the first few months while I was busy getting my new business off the ground in Dubai, setting up my office properly, and finding two suitable employees. From the start, though, we have been spending at least three hours every day exploring Dubai together, visiting the beach, dining together by the sea or even lately by boat.

If you, like us back then, run your own business and are considering moving to Dubai, I can really recommend it!

Personal income tax is zero and payroll costs are modes. The quality of living and family life here are unparalleled.

I would do it all over again in the same way.

A few words about Privacy Management Group, with whom we planned and also implemented our emigration to Dubai.

It’s good when you arrive in a foreign country and everything has already been prepared for you, and you can quickly call someone who can give advice. We had only good experiences with PMG even before we moved to Dubai and ever since then.

Dubai Emigration – My Tips for Expatriates

Timothy (46 years, runs his own business in Dubai)

I decided almost five years ago to completely turn my life around and move to Dubai. I want to answer some of the questions with that I am frequently asked when I spend a few days in Europe and talk with people about my life in Dubai.

How much money do you need to move to Dubai?
This naturally depends on many things, such as where in Dubai you want to live and what your standard of living is.

There are parts of Dubai where you can find a small one-bedroom apartment for 850 euros a month. However, there are also areas where an apartment of the same size costs over 3,500 euros. Especially in terms of rents, Dubai has become quite expensive.

I need around 6,000 euros a month to have a good life here. More would be better, less would be difficult.

What is the quality of life like for a European in Dubai?
My experience after moving to Dubai is that I do not miss anything. Dubai has everything I know from Europe and it is much safer.

I used to occasionally go to clubs in the evening, but there is never any trouble here. Everyone is generally cheerful, friendly, and open. Additionally, connecting with people is easy. The fact that everyone speaks English is also really great!

There are also drawbacks to living in Dubai, particularly in regards to the weather. The summers are very hot and dry. From May through November, the weather is hot. But after some time, you’ll get used to the heat because everything is set up for it.

When it comes to jobs in Dubai, you have the best chances if you are an engineer, IT specialist, craftsman, doctor, nurse, or banker. There are numerous websites where you can find job offers for Dubai, and for us Europeans, it is actually simple to get a work permit for Dubai.

For me personally, to put it briefly, Dubai has it all!

Aspect	Dubai Freezone Company*
Jurisdiction	The free trade zones are independent economic zones with their own administration. Each zone has its own procedures for formation, licensing and supervision.
Ownership	100% foreign ownership is possible. A local sponsor is not required.
Scope of activities	The freezone is ideal for internationally active companies that operate outside the United Arab Emirates or maintain business relationships with other freezones. Direct trade on the local market is generally not provided for, but can be enabled through supplementary models (e.g. distribution partners or additional license).
License / Business purpose	Each freezone offers industry-specific licenses, e.g. for trade, services, technology or production. The granting is done directly by the respective freezone authority.
Office / Establishment	Each freezone company requires an establishment – e.g. Flex-Office, Shared Desk or an own office. We offer Full-Service packages that already contain a complete solution and enable immediate operational readiness.
Visa / Employees	Entrepreneurs and employees can obtain Residency visas. The number depends on license and office size.
Corporate tax (Corporate Tax)	Profits up to AED 375,000 per year remain tax-free. Only the profit exceeding this is taxed at 9%. Companies in a freezone that meet the legal requirements can continue to apply the tax rate of 0% on qualifying income. Small businesses with an annual turnover of up to AED 3,000,000 are completely exempt from corporate tax until the end of 2026.
Profit transfer / Withholding tax	Profits and capital can be transferred abroad without restriction. No withholding tax is levied.
Costs	Formation and ongoing costs are usually cheaper and clearly calculable. After individual consultation, we determine the optimal location and, upon request, submit a tailor-made offer that includes all services.
Conclusion	A Freezone company in Dubai is the ideal structure for entrepreneurs who are internationally active or want to conduct business with partners worldwide from Dubai. It offers full ownership rights, tax advantages and a modern, business-friendly environment.

Aspect	Dubai Mainland Company*
Jurisdiction	The mainland is subject to the state authority Department of Economy & Tourism (formerly DET) and other onshore authorities. These control all economic activities within the UAE.
Ownership	In many cases, 100% foreign ownership is also possible. In individual, regulated areas, special approvals may be required.
Scope of activities	Mainland companies may conduct business without restriction within the entire UAE. They are therefore the right choice for companies that want to be locally present and offer their products or services directly on site.
License / Business purpose	Licenses are granted centrally by the state onshore authorities. The procedures are more extensive and often subject to additional requirements.
Office / Establishment	On the mainland, a fixed business location is mandatory. As a rule, stricter area requirements and rental obligations apply here.
Visa / Employees	Mainland companies can also apply for visas for owners and employees.
Corporate tax (Corporate Tax)	For mainland companies, the same principle applies: profits up to AED 375,000 remain tax-free, above that the rate of 9% applies. This regulation ensures moderate tax burden and high planning security.
Profit transfer / Withholding tax	Mainland companies can also transfer profits freely. No withholding tax is levied either.
Costs	Formation is more complex and generally more cost-intensive. State fees, rental costs and administrative requirements are higher.
Conclusion	A Mainland company is suitable for entrepreneurs who want to be locally business active in the UAE – for example in trade, gastronomy or services for customers within the emirates.