Living and Working in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

It is not easy adjusting to the lifestyle, laws and systems of a foreign land considering the language barrier and differences in culture and standards of living. To be able to cope and be in good terms with the people in the workplace and in the community, in the process, getting to enjoy everyday living just as the nationals do, you must absorb as much information as possible on the host country and observe what to them are norms and laws. A typical guide such as this would only talk about housing, transportation, finance, work permits and licenses, and more. Make it easy on yourself by doing thorough research on the Internet.

 

 

The first concern when traveling to a foreign country is the visa. Securing the appropriate visa is very important. You must have a valid employment visa for work and a residence visa to live (rent a property, open bank accounts and buy cars). The company that you work for acts as your sponsor. It is your employer which will be arrange for the processing of your visa. The company will advise you of requirements in support of the visa processing. This holds true whether you are still about to come to the UAE or you are already in the Emirates. New application and renewal of visa will also be handled by the employer.

 

There may be occasions when you would need to leave the country and return in order to activate the visa renewal. This is not applied to all, but the company will inform the worker if it is necessary. Changes on rules and regulations with respect to visa will be relayed to you. On the financial side, charges against an employee’s visa are almost always paid for by the company. There are instances, however, when these fees will be collected back as the worker leaves before the contract ends. It would all depend on your employer.

 

As soon as you arrive in Dubai or any part of the UAE, it is best to open a bank account in any international or local bank. A current account is not easy to open as this would require a residence visa. You may be able to secure a credit card sooner. But cheques are very important in Dubai, since these may be used to advance apartment rental payments, pay for car down payments, and to do other financial transactions. For loans, such as car loans, it is usually the company that hired you which endorses a preferred bank willing to offer services for your needs. Bank Financing with 1 – 4-year repayment period is available in Dubai. Interest rate is computed per year. If you go for a 4-year loan with a 5% interest, 5% of the loan amount is multiplied by the number of years (4). Payment is mostly represented by checks, so you would need to issue 48 post-dated checks for a 4-year payment.

 

 

Traveling within the Emirates is a breeze. Taxi cabs are ubiquitous. They can be found everywhere, even in areas where people travel only by car. You can also rent a car from rental companies, payable on a monthly basis. Long-term rental arrangements are available. Buying a car is also easy as long as you have your residence visa. Registration and insurance are responsibilities of the company from where you bought the car.

 

Before you set out to drive your car, get to know first the road rules and any other law that has to do with driving. Firstly, you can drive a car using an international license only for hired or rented cars but not to drive your own car and other people’s cars that are not rented, company cars included. You would thus need to secure a UAE driver’s license. Holders of valid international licenses (like valid British) can secure UAE license without taking tests. Others are required to pass the driving test on traffic rules and regulations compliance and the eye test. Those who do not have international license should take driving lessons given according to a series of schedules. You should make sure to show respect for the laws of the UAE. There are police patrols, check points, and speed cameras around that monitor violations. Fines are slapped on offenders. The different emirates have adopted different levels of fines. If you committed an offense in a certain emirate, you would have to drive back to that emirate where you committed the offense in order to pay the fine.

 

If you wish to drink alcohol, you must secure an alcohol license. In an Islamic country like the UAE, strict alcohol sale and consumption laws are enforced. Non-Muslims are only allowed to drink in licensed bars and restaurants. It is illegal to buy, transport or keep alcohol at home without an alcohol license. There are special licensed retail outlets from which non-Muslim residents with a liquor license can only buy alcohol in the UAE. Your license entitles you to purchase a prescribed amount of alcohol per month. Note also that there are emirates like Sharjah that do not permit the sale or purchase of alcohol within its borders. Driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal in the UAE.

 

 

As an expatriate, you can easily adjust to the living and working lifestyle in the UAE by knowing your rights, obligations and limitations and respecting, but not necessarily assimilating, the country’s culture. If you do, you will soon find out yourself that you are enjoying your work-life and personal stay.