# I'm on my way!!!!



## littlemissconfused (Jul 14, 2008)

Hello, after reading this forum for months and asking the odd question I finally feel like we are on our way. We leave the sunny scotland on the 13th of October for our 'new life' in Dubai.
I (hopefully) have most things under control, banking, renting, visas, hire cars, passport photgraphs, international driving licences, shipping etc etc the list goes on....... (especially with 13month old and 5 weeks till arrival of baby no2)
I have a few questions though I am hoping some kind person can help me with, 
how/where/why do I have certificates (marriage/university/birth) attested?
I know i require visa etc to open accounts/rent etc but how long will it take to open one?
how likely is it that 'serviced accomodation' will have cots for babies? ( I dont want to have to travel with 2 travel cots!!)

Thanks in advance for all your help.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Marriage and birth certificates have to be taken to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (£27 per document), Documents and legal services after which they are taken to the UAE Embassy for legalisation (£20 per document - add £10 extra per document if you want them on the same day) UAE Embassy London. Both steps can be completed by post. In regards to your degree certificates, you first need to have them notarised (approx £60 + VAT per document), afterwhich you follow the same steps as for your birth and marriage certificates. Most notaries will quite happily complete the whole process on your behalf for a fee. I got quoted £100 + VAT. Notarisation confirms that you your copy is a true copy of the original documents. The FCO simply confirms that the signature of the notary is genuine and the same applies for legalisation at the UAE embassy. I do believe that in regards to birth and marriage certificates, there is an additional step that needs to be completed when you get to Dubai. I'm not sure how and where this is carried out - I'm single and childless!!

Some banks, HSBC for e.g, will allow you to open a bank account before your residence visa is issued. They will however not issue you with a cheque book but strangely enough, you can get a credit card!

I believe that when you book, you can request cots; most serviced apartments and hotels will be quite happy to provide them on request.

Good luck with your move!


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## littlemissconfused (Jul 14, 2008)

thanks for your help, I didnt know where to start. I'll get on those documents today. 

Single and childless..... now that sounds like a much more sensible option!!


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## sunshine08 (Jul 29, 2008)

Hi dont worry you can get baby gear in the supermarkets out there . They are very big to our shops her in scotland . Have you been to silverburn or livingston add 2 or 3x bigger. Good luck with no 2 hope everthing goes well.
Here is few website the supermarkets out there in dubai. There is website you can hire baby stuff out there . 


Carrefour UAE - Home 
Welcome - Géant Hypermarket-Dubai
luluhypermarket.com

It will also help you see how much things cost out there . 
Where in scotland are you im in central . we too are hopfully moving as well .
good luck
kaz


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## sunshine08 (Jul 29, 2008)

sunshine08 said:


> Hi dont worry you can get baby gear in the supermarkets out there . They are very big to our shops her in scotland . Have you been to silverburn or livingston add 2 or 3x bigger. Good luck with no 2 hope everthing goes well.
> Here is few website the supermarkets out there in dubai. There is website you can hire baby stuff out there .
> 
> 
> ...


This the website for to hire you baby stuff.

Rent baby and child equipment in Dubai

Handy for few days you find your feet.
kaz


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## littlemissconfused (Jul 14, 2008)

thanks so much for all that, moving is bad enough without two babies in tow!
I'm in Falkirk, looking forward to the move but just pulling my hair out with all the organising etc. 
We are shipping stuff over, but it is just the first few week until our belongings arrive and we find somewhere to live (other than our temp accomodation) so that site is ideal.

Now just have to rent out my house..... oh and give birth at some point.......


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## sunshine08 (Jul 29, 2008)

Hi just hope no 2 not late hope everthing S.R.I goes ok . I had my boy we register him, got photos 5 dys old sent for his passport think took 2 or 3 wks.
Are you both going out together . Remember still be hot you just had a baby take it easy . here's website for cheap stuff.

Souq.com Auctions and Marketplace internet shopping souk 

handy to now when you get there .

Im just 25mins from you
kaz


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## mallen79 (Jul 29, 2008)

littlemissconfused said:


> thanks so much for all that, moving is bad enough without two babies in tow!
> I'm in Falkirk, looking forward to the move but just pulling my hair out with all the organising etc.
> We are shipping stuff over, but it is just the first few week until our belongings arrive and we find somewhere to live (other than our temp accomodation) so that site is ideal.
> 
> Now just have to rent out my house..... oh and give birth at some point.......


Hi littlemissconfused,

my wife and i are from Livingston (not too far away) and were moving out on the 28th August!! 

Looking forward to heading out there but like yourself were getting in knots about ensuring everything is all sorted. (Which I hope it is!!!)

Anyway, keep in touch and give us a shout when your out there and we'll meet up for a drink!!

All the best

Michael


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## littlemissconfused (Jul 14, 2008)

28th of August is not far at all. Good luck with the move, looking forward to a drink when we get out there!
Hopefully you will be all sorted, to late if its not done now!!!!!
Laura


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## Dino100 (Jul 10, 2008)

Hi i have recently got all my education certificates sorted and my company is handling my visa application. It doesn't cost £60 to have edu certificates/degrees notarised, i went straight to the FCO office in Whitehall, unkown to me i had to have them notarised, so they gave me an address of a solicitors, literally a 5 min walk away from the FCO office who done it for £5 each. Then take that back to the FCO and then go over to the UAE embassy near Royal Albert Hall/Science museum. It was pretty painless really but i would suggest doing it all in person and not via post!

Best of luck


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Dino100 said:


> Hi i have recently got all my education certificates sorted and my company is handling my visa application. It doesn't cost £60 to have edu certificates/degrees notarised, i went straight to the FCO office in Whitehall, unkown to me i had to have them notarised, so they gave me an address of a solicitors, literally a 5 min walk away from the FCO office who done it for £5 each. Then take that back to the FCO and then go over to the UAE embassy near Royal Albert Hall/Science museum. It was pretty painless really but i would suggest doing it all in person and not via post!
> 
> Best of luck


I paid £60 + VAT per document. It all depends on which notary you use. You are right though in regards to solicitors; they do indeed charge less as I found out later!!!! You obviously got very lucky and ended up paying far less than I did but unfortunately, when I got mine done, I was in a bit of a hurry and effectively used the same notary that my current employer uses! If you have time, then by all means, make a few phone calls and ask around but it really depends on how far you are prepared to travel and how much time you have on your hands. There have been a few quotes posted on the forum which started from £20 upwards! £5, now I wouldn't have minded paying that kind of money!! The FCO was a breeze for me as well but I believe that littlemissconfused is from Scotland, so it would have to be by post, unless she fancies a train ride to Milton Keynes (I believe they have already moved to their new office but I also had mine done in London). They did say on their website that when they move to Milton Keynes, they are aiming to see people in less than 30 mins! I waited about 30mins as well but that probably had more to do with me getting there in the nick of time - they were about to close and it took a bit of begging and a sorry face to be able to convince the security guard to let me in!!!

Again for the UAE Embassy, as she is in Scotland, it would have to be done by post. You were very lucky if you had a nice time at the UAE Embasy. I waited over an hour just to hand in my docs and had to wait over 2 hours to get them back!!! On top of it all, my certificates were temporarily misplaced. I went into a blind panic until they eventually found them!!! I had thought about putting them in the post but I got worried that it might get lost! Some notaries will do everything for you for a fee and they do charge an arm and a leg for the privilege, as well as feeding you some story about how you need a corporate cheque or something of that sort but you are right, you can do everything yourself.

Up to FCO, yes, it is a breeze but the UAE embassy is something else!!


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## Glasceb (Jul 15, 2008)

Looks like there's a good Scottish contingent heading over to Dubai soon!!!

I got my degree copy certified by a Glasgow City Centre notary for £35 today and have now posted this, marriage certificate and child's birth certificate to FCO in Milton Keynes today for legalisation. When the certificates are returned to me in a few weeks they then have to be sent to the UAE Embassy in London.

Once this is all done, just need to sit back and count the days until early October when we'll be flying out.


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## Dino100 (Jul 10, 2008)

it was alot of rushing around but a tip, particulary if you are not living in London, i got to the UAE Embassy about midday after going to the former FCO in London and there indeed was a queue and as i was on a tight deadline, had my cousins graduation the other side of Essex!!, i paid £30 i think at the UAE Embassy to send my attested edu cert to my home address, this was an "express" fee, make sure you send a self addressed envelope and plenty of stamps, i put 3 1st class stamps just to make sure and it actually arrived in 48 hours so was pretty quick. There was too big a queue and i couldn't aford to wait 2 hours. I have heard a few other say that it didn;'t go this smoothly but my experience was pretty painless!! glad i didn't have to go to Milton Keynes tho' given im in London!

Perhaps someone could help with this query, when my work visa is ready do i get it sent to my home address to have when i leave for Dubai or is it waiting for me when i arrive at airport??Not sure what happens next??

Dino


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## littlemissconfused (Jul 14, 2008)

Thanks all for your replies. I am going to phone a few notaries today and get the education certificate(s) done hopefully locally! Then I can send them off together with the marriage/birth certificates to FCO then on to UAE Embassy. Why does it have to be so complicated? Am sure it is a test!!!

A large Scottish contingent indeed, everyone seem to going!!

I'm not sure about the visa thing, hopefully someone will answer your question, am hoping it will be waiting for us at the airport!


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Dino100 said:


> it was alot of rushing around but a tip, particulary if you are not living in London, i got to the UAE Embassy about midday after going to the former FCO in London and there indeed was a queue and as i was on a tight deadline, had my cousins graduation the other side of Essex!!, i paid £30 i think at the UAE Embassy to send my attested edu cert to my home address, this was an "express" fee, make sure you send a self addressed envelope and plenty of stamps, i put 3 1st class stamps just to make sure and it actually arrived in 48 hours so was pretty quick. There was too big a queue and i couldn't aford to wait 2 hours. I have heard a few other say that it didn;'t go this smoothly but my experience was pretty painless!! glad i didn't have to go to Milton Keynes tho' given im in London!
> 
> Perhaps someone could help with this query, when my work visa is ready do i get it sent to my home address to have when i leave for Dubai or is it waiting for me when i arrive at airport??Not sure what happens next??
> 
> Dino


When your work visa has been approved, your employer will email you a copy for reference. The original visa will be left at the airport for you to collect. Your employer should inform you where to collect this. Most employers use a service called Marhaba - it's a meet and greet service, where they pay someone to meet you; Marhaba will also have your visa with them and you are then fast tracked through immigration. 

Your company should provide you with all the details of what to do on arrival, where to collect your visa and where to go, etc before you fly out.


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