In this guide 7 sections
Ask the employer what it will organise, what it will pay for and what your household needs to arrange. Get the dates as well as the promises. A school place starting in January, a policy starting in February and a temporary flat that ends in December belong on the same calendar.
Make a checklist for moving to Dubai with family
| Check | What to confirm | Where to record it |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | Route, sponsor, documents and approval steps for each person | One dated line per family member |
| School or childcare | Place, campus, year group, start, deposit and outstanding records | Separate lines for offers and confirmed places |
| Health cover | Who provides it, start date, provider network and any gaps | One line per person and policy |
| Housing | Temporary stay, school and work travel, longer-term options | Plan A address and a backup stay |
| Work | First shift, expected salary date and arrangements for a partner looking for work | One line per employer and start date |
| Cash | Costs due before pay and reimbursements | Payment calendar with receipts or quotes |
A household can run two versions of the same plan. In the first, everyone arrives together. In the second, one adult starts work and the others follow after a confirmed school place, residence step or lease. Put both versions against the same date range. Include travel, two sets of living costs if applicable, time apart and who handles school, care and document appointments.
Make one person responsible for each open question. For example, the adult with the employer contact can ask when payroll and benefits start, while someone else checks the school acceptance and the latest date to hold a temporary stay. Set a date to decide, so you can move a booking before its terms become more expensive.
Confirm who can live and work in Dubai
Check how each adult and child would qualify to reside. The UAE Government describes a family residence route for eligible resident sponsors. Dubai has its own immigration authority, and the specific route depends on the sponsor and the family relationship. Ask which instructions apply and what proof the authority wants before relying on a headline threshold or a list of documents. UAE Government family residence overview · UAE family residence guide
Organise each family member’s documents
Start a secure document inventory. For each person, write the name as it appears on their passport. Put the intended recipient against each birth, marriage or other relationship record and confirm whether it needs an original, translation or attestation. If names differ across documents, ask what evidence of the change is acceptable. For a child travelling with one adult, use the passport issuer’s travel guidance and the airline’s instructions to check if you need additional consent or evidence for your itinerary.
Departure from the UK, US, Australia or Canada does not establish citizenship or the country that issued a document. For example, if a child has a UK-issued birth certificate and a parent has a marriage certificate issued in Canada, confirm the two routes separately. The UAE Embassy in London’s digital service requires prior UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office legalisation for relevant UK-issued records and still uses the physical document. Use the official instructions for the origin of every document. UAE Embassy in London digital attestation
If a partner plans to look for work, build the household budget around confirmed income. A family residence route addresses permission to live in the country. A prospective employer should confirm the work authorisation needed for the role. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation lists a work permit for eligible dependants sponsored by family members. Check the employer’s actual authority and service before agreeing a start date. MoHRE family-sponsored dependant work permit · Finding work in the UAE
Choose a school or childcare plan that can survive a change
Start with a list of what your child needs from the next term. Confirm the curriculum, year group, likely move date and whether an exam or a change of stage is approaching. Ask the new school what it needs from the current school and get an answer in writing on the deadline. If you are choosing between campuses, check the exact site and the provision available in that year group.
Use the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) directory to check school details and look up fees. Dubai’s government school admissions page describes an application to the school for private-school places and says parents and schools sign a Parent-School Contract. Confirm the school-specific document, offer and acceptance steps. Ask what happens if your move date shifts after you have accepted. Dubai government school admission guidance · Dubai school admissions guide
| Where your child is now | What to compare in Dubai | What to ask before accepting |
|---|---|---|
| Early years or childcare | Opening hours, holiday cover and the journey for drop-off and collection | Which days and times are included, and when is a place available? |
| Primary or middle years | Curriculum, likely placement, language provision and topics already covered | How will you decide the year group and help with a mid-year start? |
| Before or during an exam course | Subjects, exam board or pathway and continuity if you move again | Can the school confirm subject options and explain what will transfer? |
| Receiving additional support | Actual provision, named contacts and support needed in the school day | What information should we share, who will review it and when can we confirm a plan? |
Check support and fees with the school
If your child needs additional support, discuss what already helps with the receiving school. Ask how support would work during arrival, class time, travel and any after-school activities you need. Use KHDA’s parent inclusion guide to prepare the discussion. Share sensitive reports through an appropriate private channel and keep a note of the provision and dates the school can confirm. KHDA parent inclusion guide
Get the fees fact sheet for the academic year and grade you are comparing. Record what the fees include, what you would pay separately and when the payments fall due. Transport, uniforms, meals or optional activities can change your own budget. Ask which costs are refundable or transferable if dates move, and compare schools over the same period. Dubai school fees guide
Check health cover for every person
In Dubai, the health insurance law gives employers responsibilities for employees and gives sponsors responsibilities for people they sponsor when an employer does not provide their cover. Ask for the names of the people included and when the policy starts. A benefit described as family cover in an offer still needs a policy and effective dates you can use. Dubai Health Insurance Law No. 11 of 2013, Articles 10 and 11
List the care each person expects to need and check the relevant provider network, covered services and policy limits. Ask how a family member can access care on the first day and what happens if the policy is still being issued. If someone is continuing treatment or using prescription medicine, ask about continuity and use the relevant official import guidance before travelling. Keep health documents where the person who needs them can get to them.
Check what you would need to pay yourself and when. Ask the insurer what happens if a dependant joins after the employee, if a policy changes when a partner starts work or if there is a gap between arrival and the intended cover. Compare written terms for the people you are arranging cover for. Dubai health insurance cost guide
Match the home, budget and weekly travel
Plot an ordinary week using the actual work entrances, school gates and first accommodation. Include when each adult must be at work, who can do drop-off, what happens on early finish days and how you will reach appointments. A home close to work can still make the household travel difficult if the person collecting a child needs to cross the city.
Try the school route at the right time before signing a lease if you can. If you intend to rely on a school bus, ask whether it serves the exact building and when it would collect or return your child. Price a fallback for days when the usual arrangement cannot work. If you are comparing two homes, use the same weekday and travel responsibilities for both.
Make a first-month cash calendar for each travel plan. Include flights, temporary stays, local transport, home payments, health cover, school payments and household bills that continue in your previous country. Enter the date of each expected salary and reimbursement. A plan can fit your annual budget and still run short if school and housing payments are due before either payment arrives.
For a worked example, assume one adult’s employer pays for ten nights and school offers a place that must be accepted while you are still abroad. Ask when a payment becomes non-refundable and what happens if the child starts later. Then price the period between the tenth night and the date you can use a longer-term home. Compare an extension for the whole household with a staged move, including the costs that continue in both countries.
Decide which dates can move
Keep a list of commitments that are difficult to reverse. For each one, write the last day you can change it and the condition you need to meet before that date. For example, if a school place must be accepted before your employer confirms the start date, ask about a later intake and the terms for moving a deposit. The answer lets you choose whether to hold the place or keep looking without assuming the two dates will line up.
If one parent travels first, agree what evidence will trigger the others’ booking. It could be a confirmed place and date, an active policy or written housing terms, depending on what the household needs. Keep a second plan if the condition is not met. That could mean extending the current school term, moving the arrival date or holding a shorter first booking.
Put the plan somewhere all the adults can see it. Use a version date and note who confirmed each item. Review it after an employer, school, insurer or housing provider changes a date. Focus the next conversation on the one decision that needs an answer first, then update the budget if a payment moves.
Frequently asked questions
Should we all move to Dubai at the same time?
Compare the two options using real dates and quotes. Arriving together may suit your household if you have a workable first stay, residence arrangements and cover. A staged move can give you time to check the home and school, but it can add travel and overlapping living costs.
Can my partner work on family residence?
Ask the employer which work permit applies to the role. MoHRE lists a work permit for eligible family-sponsored dependants. Residence by itself does not settle the employment paperwork or start date.
Should we choose a school or a home first?
Find out where a suitable place may be available, then compare the route to school with your work journey. If the school is still uncertain, flexible temporary accommodation gives you time to confirm both. Use the actual campus and entrances when you test the route.
School documents, cover and budgeting
Which records should we request before leaving our current school?
Ask the receiving school for its specific list and deadline. It may ask for academic, transfer or support records depending on the child and the application. Check the required format and any authentication steps before you give up access to the current school.
Will my employer pay for the whole family’s health cover?
Ask who is named in the policy and when each person will be covered. Employer and sponsor responsibilities differ under Dubai’s insurance rules. Confirm the policy rather than budgeting from a general benefit description.
How should we plan the move if only one adult has a job offer?
Build both the first-month and ongoing budget using the confirmed income. Check what happens if the other adult’s job search takes longer than expected. Coordinate school and care arrangements, and verify the work permission for any role before agreeing a start date.
