# First Days in Dubai - What to do



## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

Hi,

This is my first post to ExpatForum, so let me briefly introduce myself.

I'm currently working as an HR professional in Turkey, and will be moving to Dubai on April 2015 on a permanent contract; name is Yigit  

It is a great pleasure to be part of the community of course


I will arrive on the very early morning of April 4th, Saturday; and there are a couple of questions regarding what I should be doing

*Facts: *

- Arriving on the morning of April 4th, Saturday
- Will stay on Sofitel Downtown until April 11th
- I will start working on April 12th, so I will be available to take care of issues for 1 week
- Will drop by to my office to start the residence/work permit approval procedures on April 5th, Sunday
- Already had my Driving Certificate Attested 


What I would like to ask you is to understand is that: What are the things that I can do until my residence & work permit gets final approval: 


*I have a couple of things in my mind; but I might be "missing" or "misunderstanding"; so *

- After I land, I get my stamp from the Immigration Office at the DXB; and then head to the hotel to check-in
- I will head down to a nearby mall (I guess Dubai Mall); to receive a mobile phone&broadband package
- Can I directly go ahead and buy a NOL card? Where can I buy it? 
- Do you recommend a good place to change currency; buy AED (either from USD or from Turkish Lira) 


*Second Day: *

- I will head down to the office, to go through medical review etc.
- How long does it take for my final residence&work permit to be approved?
- Can I open a bank account (from HSBC), if I receive a letter from my employer, saying that I will start working there 


*Third Day & Further*

- Can I get my driving licence approved & receive UAE driving licence - BEFORE my residence permit has been approved? 
- I will start contacting the agencies for arranging a flat for rent and I'm guessing that DEWA & Internet connections will only be finalized after signing a deal with the landowner


*- What else do you think I can do to make my life easier; especially on the first week. I have a wild card for 1 week to take care of my stuff; and I would like to take care of as many things as possible between April 4th - April 11th *


Thanks a lot in advance and looking very much forward to seeing you there!


Yigit


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## robbo265 (Nov 22, 2014)

Zaugna said:


> Hi, This is my first post to ExpatForum, so let me briefly introduce myself. I'm currently working as an HR professional in Turkey, and will be moving to Dubai on April 2015 on a permanent contract; name is Yigit  It is a great pleasure to be part of the community of course I will arrive on the very early morning of April 4th, Saturday; and there are a couple of questions regarding what I should be doing Facts: - Arriving on the morning of April 4th, Saturday - Will stay on Sofitel Downtown until April 11th - I will start working on April 12th, so I will be available to take care of issues for 1 week - Will drop by to my office to start the residence/work permit approval procedures on April 5th, Sunday - Already had my Driving Certificate Attested What I would like to ask you is to understand is that: What are the things that I can do until my residence & work permit gets final approval: I have a couple of things in my mind; but I might be "missing" or "misunderstanding"; so - After I land, I get my stamp from the Immigration Office at the DXB; and then head to the hotel to check-in - I will head down to a nearby mall (I guess Dubai Mall); to receive a mobile phone&broadband package - Can I directly go ahead and buy a NOL card? Where can I buy it? - Do you recommend a good place to change currency; buy AED (either from USD or from Turkish Lira) Second Day: - I will head down to the office, to go through medical review etc. - How long does it take for my final residence&work permit to be approved? - Can I open a bank account (from HSBC), if I receive a letter from my employer, saying that I will start working there Third Day & Further - Can I get my driving licence approved & receive UAE driving licence - BEFORE my residence permit has been approved? - I will start contacting the agencies for arranging a flat for rent and I'm guessing that DEWA & Internet connections will only be finalized after signing a deal with the landowner - What else do you think I can do to make my life easier; especially on the first week. I have a wild card for 1 week to take care of my stuff; and I would like to take care of as many things as possible between April 4th - April 11th Thanks a lot in advance and looking very much forward to seeing you there! Yigit


 If you can manage to do all of this in one week then set up a business as a relocation agent, you will make a fortune! Good luck in your endeavours.


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

Well, i will certainly try to do my best but we will see how it goes 

I'm still quite open to.any suggestions/ recommendations that you might have though

Thanka
Yigit


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

You can buy a NOL card of course, the nearest location to you would be the Dubai mall/Burj khalifa metro station.

You can open an HSBC account immediately without waiting for residence stamp and emirates ID, but that would be a "non chequing account". It's a fully functional account without a cheque book. You just need a salary certificate from your employer.

You cannot deal with RTA for driving licenses without an emirates ID.

You cannot also rent without residency and emirates ID.

You can get a mobile line with your passport, I recommend Etisalat (wasel prepaid as you can't get postpaid now). A 5 GB package is 249 Dhs and 10 GB is 299 Dhs.

Medical checkup, residency stamp and receiving your emirates ID (in order) took me 12 days.

Good luck


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

A.Abbass said:


> You cannot also rent without residency and emirates ID.


Not sure if this is correct. I rented on an international driving license and entry visa stamp for a full month (my residency took longer to process). So perhaps make sure you come here with an international license.

Not sure if you can convert your drivers license or not, you'll have to google that information but if you CAN convert your drivers license to UAE then you can not do this until your residency is processed.

You can't technically rent your own place until your residency is sorted but some landlords/agents will accept a letter from your employer stating that your residency is processing. Also note, as mentioned earlier, you can open a bank account without residency, as long as you provide a salary certificate from the employer. This account will NOT issue you cheques so you can not write a cheque to the landlord for rent - until your residency is sorted, then the bank will issue you cheques. 

You can certainly try to do as much as you can in the first week but it normally takes a while to get settled down, specially since so much is linked to the residency. It would have been nice for your company to accommodate you in a hotel for 2-4 weeks. 

You should be able to do some of the leg work in the first week. Good luck!


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

w_man said:


> Not sure if this is correct. I rented on an international driving license and entry visa stamp for a full month (my residency took longer to process). So perhaps make sure you come here with an international license.
> 
> Not sure if you can convert your drivers license or not, you'll have to google that information but if you CAN convert your drivers license to UAE then you can not do this until your residency is processed.
> 
> ...



Sorry my bad, I meant they cannot rent an apartment/villa not a vehicle. 

I heard about that letter, but there are many landlords that are very strict, in my case for instance, the company administrating my building (Cluttons) required even proof of marriage (marriage certificate) and passport copies of my kids who were not still in Dubai at the time I was renting. 

They also required a salary certificate (proof I can pay the rent) and emirates ID + residency stamp. The salary certificate and marriage proof are very ridiculous imho.


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## expatteacher2014 (Mar 18, 2014)

Zaugna said:


> *- What else do you think I can do to make my life easier*


*

Relax. Dubai is not somewhere you can operate on a day by day itinerary like this, as you'll soon discover! Good luck with the move, try not to overthink / overplan.*


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## Snidfly (Dec 31, 2013)

There is an expression here you will soon learn about...inshallah

It takes longer here than to do things than your possibly used too. As I write this I have been waiting over an hour to see someone in a Du shop for a simple query, but hey no rush 

Took me a month from landing in Dubai to be fully set up with ID, place to live, water/electric, Internet, car etc. once I learnt to relax about how things work here, I started to really enjoy the experience. Good luck


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
Couple of tips for you (from our experience!).
Both Du and Etisalat have desks just after customs hall in the airport - you can therefore get sims to put in your phone as soon as you land in Dubai.
Make sure the phone that you want to put your Dubai sim in is already fully unlocked before you leave Turkey.
Bring loads of passport photos with you - you need them for everything!
You can apply for your driving licence as soon as you have the paper showing that your Emirates ID has been applied for (you dont need to wait for the actual ID) - this will save you a few days.
Make sure that your Turkish driving licence has geen translated and attested.
You can buy NOL cards and get them topped up from most branches of Spinneys - as well as at ticket desks of Metro stations.
Best of luck
Steve


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## A.Abbass (Jun 28, 2014)

Stevesolar said:


> You can apply for your driving licence as soon as you have the paper showing that your Emirates ID has been applied for (you dont need to wait for the actual ID) - this will save you a few days.


Just a correction, they stopped accepting the emirates ID receipt a few weeks back.


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

First of all, thank you very much to all of you for your valuable and insightful feedback; I will definitely make use of them!

Coming from Turkey, I think I am already familiar with the concept of inshallah; but I've heard that it is on a brand new level on Dubai, which I will encounter in the coming days  

One question though: Do you have any agents that you can recommend for me to find a flat in Marina/JBR or Greens? Private message would definitely work as well; I'm trying to find a reliable, trustworthy agent


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Hi,
Trustworthy and agent don't go together so often here!!
You need to make 5 good posts before you can private message.
Cheers
Steve


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

Same thing I have been everywhere regarding the agents, what a shame!  

Cheers


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

Hello all! 


I have arrived this morning, of course after a slight delay. Let me give you the final update from my first day  


After the check-in:

- I have gone down to Burj Khalifa Metro Station to get a "Regular" NOL card. Pro-tip for anyone reading: As it appears you can only get a better NOL card (such as a Blue Card) after you receive your Emirates ID. The one you receive on your first days could only be a temporary solution I guess.

- One thing I had not taken into account was the different charger versions. Dubai uses 3-pin charger sockets I guess, whereas all my chargers have two pins. I went down to the Dubai Mall to get a charger adapter; it cost around 25 AED. 

- While I was at the mall, I also had my mobile plan activated. I chose a plan from DU, for 150 AED. It is of course pre-paid; but I will convert it to post-paid. Pro-tip: You can convert to postpaid immediately after receiving your Emirates ID; but they told me that during the conversion my mobile line will be closed for 24-48 hours. 

Having tremendous respect for all the opinions about being relaxed; I'm afraid I'm a control freak and therefore cannot live without a plan!  

Tomorrow:

- Going down to the office, receiving salary certificates and arranging the medical check-ups etc.
- Going down to HSBC to open a bank account 
- It appears that I cannot go down to RTA to have Emirates Driving Licence. I will look for the options and will take care of that if possible. 


One question: I'm afraid I still don't have an agent that I can contact who can show me the available flats around the Marina area. Therefore I am open to any suggestions/recommendations that you might have  

Cheers
Yigit


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## expatteacher2014 (Mar 18, 2014)

Welcome and congratulations on your productive first day 

Tomorrow I expect you'll discover that you can only open a savings account until you get your Emirates ID, though as this comes with a debit / atm card it's no great hardship and is relatively easily transferred later on should you wish. Getting a credit card is more challenging (Emirates ID and a couple of months' incoming salary payments needed).

You can hire a car on your tourist visa but you won't be able to get your UAE driving license until the Emirates ID decides to make an appearance. 

Nothing wrong with the silver NOL card, don't be a snob  

Good luck with relaxing into the rest of the process: embrace the madness and remember to look up from your plan every now and again!


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## FourAgreements (Mar 19, 2014)

*a good agent*

Hi Yigit,

I will PM you the name of an agent that I used from Better Homes. She's based in JLT, so should be able to show you apartments around the marina. (But she may limit herself only to Better Homes listings.)

I had called several others; one new-ish agent/company showed me one apartment, then stopped returning my calls. Several others took my info, said they would call me back but never did.

I had a good experience with her. She returned my phone calls and emails promptly, was patient and showed me 7 apartments before I found one I liked. (Apparently they are told not show someone more than 3 apartments; they think people are wasting their time.)

So I essentially told her that I only wanted to work with her, and if that limited me to only her agency's properties, then so be it.

Our apartment is also property-managed by Better Homes, so I think that so far we've avoided a lot of the complaints / headaches that come with rogue agents and landlords that I read about here and elsewhere.





Zaugna said:


> One question: I'm afraid I still don't have an agent that I can contact who can show me the available flats around the Marina area. Therefore I am open to any suggestions/recommendations that you might have
> 
> Cheers
> Yigit


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

I cannot recommend BH and their property "management services. What I got to say about them I better not say on a public forum! 
Hunter & Hunter in Marina provided excellent service. They showed us properties that weren't advertised yet and they didn't waste our time with showing unsuitable apartments. Go and visit them in their office in Marina and speak to the manager.


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

First of all, I have to say that the BH agent was very good; she's been helping me not only with finding apartments from BH, but also providing guidance on my next steps. 

However we could not find a suitable place from her at the moment.

I have a couple of important questions to you right now: 


- Most landlords appear to accept the waiting period for my chequebook to be issued if I make the security deposit payment and receive a payment receipt from the agent. *First question:* Would it be okay to make the security deposit payment after seeing the title deed, and making the payment at the agency office? 

- I have found one flat at Bahar with Metropolitan Premium Properties (does not look very trustworhy if you ask me) and I really loved it. The problem is that the agent wants the security deposit payment on Saturday or Sunday (gave me the office address; it is the address for the actual office but the agent's name does not appear in RERA database). And when I receive the chequebook (on Wednesday/Thursday probably); they want me to make issue the cheques and sign the tenancy contract.

*- However, the agent told me that the landlord will not be present and I will sign the tenancy contract, they will send it over to the landlord, the landlord will sign and then they will send that back to me. That seems shady to me and I want to understand if you have heard or experienced anything similar to this before.*


Basically, *how do I ensure* when I am signing the tenancy contract and giving the cheques that I am not being scammed?


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## Zaugna (Mar 17, 2015)

By the way, I have a pro-tip for those future movers  

After you make the Emirates ID application online (ie residency&work permit as I understand - your company is usually doing this), you need to go through biometrics (fingerprint) and medical test. 

Medical test is pretty straightforward, but I was told by my company's Public Relations Office (taking care of these issues) that giving fingerprints is actually messy in Dubai. You need to wait under the sun in the morning for a couple of hours (a lot of queue usually) where the office is only open half-day as I understand.

What we did: We travelled to Ajman in the morning (reverse traffic, so roads were empty usually); went to the Ajman office for fingerprints. I went in and completed the fingerprints process in less than 15 minutes. It appears that you do not have to go Dubai office for fingerprints, you could also do it somewhere else. 

If you can convince your handler for these issues, it could be simpler and faster!


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## collage7 (Sep 21, 2010)

Snidfly said:


> There is an expression here you will soon learn about...inshallah
> 
> It takes longer here than to do things than your possibly used too. As I write this I have been waiting over an hour to see someone in a Du shop for a simple query, but hey no rush
> 
> Took me a month from landing in Dubai to be fully set up with ID, place to live, water/electric, Internet, car etc. once I learnt to relax about how things work here, I started to really enjoy the experience. Good luck



Honestly this was one of the best replies i have seen from this forum. 

Alot of members don't give you the support you need when making such a big move. The comments they make pretty much makes you withdraw your decision.


Great work Snidfly


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## Volrath16 (Jan 5, 2016)

Zaugna said:


> By the way, I have a pro-tip for those future movers
> 
> After you make the Emirates ID application online (ie residency&work permit as I understand - your company is usually doing this), you need to go through biometrics (fingerprint) and medical test.
> 
> ...


Maybe got lucky, but went to AL Barsha for fingerprints around 10 AM and took me maybe 5 minutes inside the building. it was literally empty with 80% of the desks without clients.



Regarding the driving license, got into some troubles. took my international driving license which is already translated in 6 or 7 languages and apparently they need my Portuguese license.
it also needs to be translated so they directed me to a place on the backside of RTA who provides translation+eye test (400 AED) for this but only ready on sunday.


one thing I find weird is that either I understood wrong or at RTA counter they say they will take my Portuguese license from me. is this correct?!


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Volrath16 said:


> Maybe got lucky, but went to AL Barsha for fingerprints around 10 AM and took me maybe 5 minutes inside the building. it was literally empty with 80% of the desks without clients.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi,
Technically it is a licence exchange - so they are supposed to swap your Portuguese licence for the Dubai one (and send it back to the licensing authority in Portugal).
They never used to take the home country licence - but things constantly change here, so maybe they now do?
Cheers
Steve


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## Volrath16 (Jan 5, 2016)

Stevesolar said:


> Hi,
> Technically it is a licence exchange - so they are supposed to swap your Portuguese licence for the Dubai one (and send it back to the licensing authority in Portugal).
> They never used to take the home country licence - but things constantly change here, so maybe they now do?
> Cheers
> Steve


Then it will be weird, how can I drive at home?
Well maybe on sunday I will get a different representative which doesn't require that...


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

Volrath16 said:


> Then it will be weird, how can I drive at home?
> Well maybe on sunday I will get a different representative which doesn't require that...


When we go home to UK and hire cars - we use the UAE licence.
Advantage of this - we don't care about points from UK speed cameras!


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Stevesolar said:


> When we go home to UK and hire cars - we use the UAE licence.
> Advantage of this - we don't care about points from UK speed cameras!


Personally, I keep a UK car at home and tax and insure and drive it - my insurer knows I do very little mileage in the UK and actually having the physical licence with me isnt actually required in the UK. But I still have mine anyway.

I'm not sure about Portugal so why doesn't the OP report his as lost overseas and get another one issued ?


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## Volrath16 (Jan 5, 2016)

twowheelsgood said:


> Personally, I keep a UK car at home and tax and insure and drive it - my insurer knows I do very little mileage in the UK and actually having the physical licence with me isnt actually required in the UK. But I still have mine anyway.
> 
> I'm not sure about Portugal so why doesn't the OP report his as lost overseas and get another one issued ?


If they actually take it I can try to do that, but like Steve said maybe it will be sent to Portugal and I collect it there. will see how it goes on Sunday.... inshallah


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Volrath16 said:


> If they actually take it I can try to do that, but like Steve said maybe it will be sent to Portugal and I collect it there. will see how it goes on Sunday.... inshallah


If there's one thing you can be certain about, its that they wont bother sending it anywhere 

It'll join a large pile of them in the inner office which someone will do something about 'one day inshallah


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