Moving to Dubai · first weeks
Upfront costs of moving to Dubai
The one-off costs of setting up in Dubai: fees set by Dubai laws or resolutions, with amounts, sources and reading dates, and costs set by your lease or the market.
At a glance
- Registering your lease (Ejari): AED 100, fee set by RERA’s fee schedule 🟡. Additional service-centre charges and VAT are not in that schedule.
- Housing fee: 5% of your yearly rent, added to your monthly DEWA bills.
- DEWA security deposit and connection: not shown. We did not find a published resolution with the amounts; DEWA emails them after Ejari.
- Medical fitness test for residence: AED 270 to AED 1,020, depending on the service speed.
- Visa and Emirates ID fees: not shown yet. See who pays by route below.
- If you will drive: exchanging a recognised foreign licence AED 600, plus opening a traffic file AED 200 🟡.
- Landlord deposit, agency commission and number of rent cheques: set by the contract or the market, not by law.
We do not add a total: some amounts remain unverified, and an unknown amount is not zero.
Home
Registering the lease (Ejari)
AED 100 fee set by Executive Council Resolution No. (25) of 2009: RERA fees, Schedule (1), item 29 🟡
Dubai law requires leases to be registered with RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency. This registration is called Ejari; utility services are connected after registration.
The resolution sets only the registration fee. Additional service-centre or app charges, VAT and other government fees are not in it, so we do not show them.
Rent increase calculator for lease renewal
Source: Executive Council Resolution No. (25) of 2009: RERA fees, Schedule (1), item 29 🟡
Dubai Executive Council · issued 31 December 2009 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
“Registering a Lease Contract”Less certain: we could not confirm whether this resolution was amended after it was issued.
Source: Law No. (33) of 2008, Article (1): replacement Article (4) of Law No. (26) of 2007 on tenancy
Government of Dubai · issued December 2008 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
In our words: Article (4)(2) requires every lease of real property covered by the law, and every amendment to it, to be registered with RERA.
Source: Leasing a property in the UAE
u.ae (UAE Government portal) · read 2 October 2026 · u.ae
“Registration of lease contracts is compulsory to connect the utility services”DEWA security deposit and connection fee
Not shown — No published Dubai resolution with the amounts found
DEWA law leaves deposits and fees to a resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council. We did not find that resolution published. DEWA emails you the amount after Ejari is issued.
DEWA: activating electricity and water when you move in
Source: Public utilities
u.ae (UAE Government portal) · read 13 October 2026 · u.ae
“After Ejari is issued, DEWA will send a welcome email to the customer. The email includes the new account number, security deposit details and payment link.”Source: Law No. (27) of 2021: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Article (14)
Government of Dubai · issued 29 December 2021 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
In our words: Article (14): DEWA’s tariffs, and the fees and security deposits it collects for its services, are set by a resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council on the recommendation of DEWA’s Board of Directors.
Housing fee (Dubai Municipality)
5% of yearly rent, billed monthly with DEWA
The housing fee is added to monthly DEWA bills. Our calculator includes it for your rent.
Source: Leasing a property in the UAE
u.ae (UAE Government portal) · read 2 October 2026 · u.ae
“Tenants must pay housing fees to Dubai Municipality, which is calculated at the rate of 5 per cent of the yearly rental charges.”Source: Leasing a property in the UAE
u.ae (UAE Government portal) · read 2 October 2026 · u.ae
“The housing fees are added to the monthly electricity and water bills.”Set by the contract or the market, not by law
Ask for each of these in writing before you sign. We have no Dubai law fixing these costs.
- Security deposit to the landlord: set in the lease.
- Agency or broker commission: agreed with the agency.
- Number of rent cheques: agreed with the landlord; fewer cheques usually mean paying more rent up front.
Residence visa and Emirates ID
Visa and Emirates ID fees stay hidden until we can verify the published federal fee resolution. Below are the payers for each route and government service links.
| Route | Who pays | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Employment (your employer sponsors you) | Your employer“The costs of the recruitment and travel, as well as the expenses for obtaining your residency permit in the UAE shall be borne by the employer with whom you have agreed to conclude a contract.”Source: Protection of workers’ rightsu.ae (UAE Government portal) · read 1 October 2026 · u.ae | Not shown yetMOHRE: work permit · GDRFA Dubai: entry permit · GDRFA Dubai: residence visa · GDRFA Dubai: renewal |
| Family (a resident sponsors you) | Your sponsorThe resident who sponsors the family applies and pays. We found no official rule that makes an employer pay for dependants. | Not shown yetGDRFA Dubai: entry permit · GDRFA Dubai: residence visa · GDRFA Dubai: renewal |
| Golden visa | Not stated by our sources | Not shown yetGDRFA Dubai: residence visa |
| Remote work | Not stated by our sources | Not shown yetGDRFA Dubai: entry permit · GDRFA Dubai: residence visa |
| Freelance | Not stated by our sources | Not shown yetGDRFA Dubai: entry permit · GDRFA Dubai: residence visa |
| Investor or partner | Not stated by our sources | Not shown yetGDRFA Dubai: entry permit · GDRFA Dubai: residence visa |
Medical fitness test
AED 270 to AED 1,020 Fees set by Dubai Health Authority Administrative Resolution No. (66) of 2021: medical fitness charges, Article (1) and Schedule (Arabic text prevails), including Knowledge and Innovation fees
Source: Dubai Health Authority Administrative Resolution No. (66) of 2021: medical fitness charges, Article (1) and Schedule (Arabic text prevails)
Dubai Health Authority · read 2 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
More on visas, sponsors and setting up a company: Moving to Dubai: visa and company setup costs.
If you will drive
Exchanging a foreign driving licence
AED 600 to exchange a licence from a recognised country, plus AED 200 to open a traffic file. Fees set by Executive Council Resolution No. (57) of 2017: driving licences, Article (4) and Schedule (1), items 8 and 1 🟡.
The same resolution adds AED 50 for applications through means other than RTA’s adopted smart methods. Eye tests and other charges are not set in it and are not shown.
Source: Executive Council Resolution No. (57) of 2017: driving licences, Article (4) and Schedule (1), items 8 and 1 🟡
Dubai Executive Council · issued 18 October 2017 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
“Exchange of a foreign Driver’s Licence issued by a country whose licences are recognised”Less certain: we could not confirm whether this resolution was amended after it was issued.
Source: Executive Council Resolution No. (57) of 2017: driving licences, Article (4) and Schedule (1), items 8 and 1 🟡
Dubai Executive Council · issued 18 October 2017 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
“Opening, or amending the details of, a traffic file”Less certain: we could not confirm whether this resolution was amended after it was issued.
Source: Executive Council Resolution No. (57) of 2017: driving licences, Article (4) and Schedule (1), items 8 and 1 🟡
Dubai Executive Council · issued 18 October 2017 · read 13 October 2026 · dlp.dubai.gov.ae
In our words: Article (4)(c): on top of the fees in the resolution, the RTA charges AED 50 when a licence, permit or service is applied for through any means other than its smart channels.
Less certain: we could not confirm whether this resolution was amended after it was issued.
Fuel, Salik, parking and yearly car costs: Dubai fuel, tolls and parking.
Not covered here
Furniture, temporary housing and shipping your belongings have no set price, so they are not on this page.
How we made this page
We show amounts from Dubai laws or resolutions on the Dubai Legislation Portal, or reusable UAE government pages, read with our identified bot. 🟡 marks uncertainty. Page generated 13 October 2026; each source has its own reading date.