Moving to United Arab Emirates
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in the United Arab Emirates, in one place.
Western Asia
Navid lived hereThinking about moving to the United Arab Emirates?
In the United Arab Emirates, I lived in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
United Arab Emirates at a glance
How long can you stay in the United Arab Emirates?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- Visa needed
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Virtual work residence permit (Dubai) – an income of $3,500 a month, for 12 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Golden Residency (investors) (golden visa (residency by investment)) – Property worth at least AED 2 million, fully owned in your name (a loan from an approved local bank is allowed), or AED 2 million in deposits or compa
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in the United Arab Emirates
Naturalization takes about 30 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed in some cases.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates has no personal income tax.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 0%
- Corporate tax – 0%
- VAT or sales tax – 5%
- Capital gains tax – 0%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
For the UAE, work out the setup cost with the UAE company setup cost calculator.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in the United Arab Emirates
Everyday prices in the United Arab Emirates are about 63% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2024: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is the United Arab Emirates safe?
The US State Department rates the United Arab Emirates Level 3 ("Reconsider travel", updated 2026-08-29). Level 3 means the US asks you to reconsider the trip. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in the United Arab Emirates
In M-Lab's open speed tests across the United Arab Emirates over the last 12 months, half came in above 49 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 132 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (2,972,257 tests).
By place:
- Dubai – 54 Mbps typical
- Abu Dhabi – 42 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in the United Arab Emirates
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
United Arab Emirates: the basics
| What | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|
| Capital | Abu Dhabi |
| Currency | United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) |
| Languages | Arabic, Persian, English |
| Population | about 9.6 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for the United Arab Emirates
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
United Arab Emirates FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Virtual work residence permit (Dubai).
It asks for an income of $3,500 a month.
Yes: Golden Residency (investors).
Property worth at least AED 2 million, fully owned in your name (a loan from an approved local bank is allowed), or AED 2 million in deposits or company capital
About 30 years of residence.
In some cases.
Check the rules for your situation and your own country's.
The United Arab Emirates has no personal income tax.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 63% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2024.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 3.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 49 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 132 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The United Arab Emirates dirham (AED).
The main languages are Arabic, Persian and English.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
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