The top 5 costly mistakes people make when moving to the UAE

The five mistakes Russians make most often when moving to the UAE. Real cases and the price of each one — read it so you do not repeat them.

Every year thousands of Russians move to the UAE. And every year hundreds of them make the same mistakes, which cost months of lost time and tens of thousands of dirhams. We have collected the five most common ones so that you can go through this without unnecessary losses.

Mistake 1. Not thinking the strategy through before the move
The most common and the most expensive mistake. People fly in “to have a look”, then stay — with no idea what their legal basis for living here will be, where they will work, or how they will earn.
The result: several months on a tourist footing, savings spent, and then a rushed application for whatever visa is at hand — not always a suitable one.
How to do it right: decide on the type of visa that fits your situation while you are still in Russia. That decision affects the cost of the whole process and your right to bring your family.

Mistake 2. Opening a shell company purely to get a visa
Setting up a company is a popular way to obtain a visa. But do not assume that owning a company in the UAE frees you from further obligations and, above all, further costs.

Registering a company costs 15,000–20,000 AED — and that is only the beginning. The company has to be registered with the tax authority even if you never intend to trade through it. And if money does come in, once turnover reaches a certain level you are obliged to pay tax on the profit. Bookkeeping starts at 500 AED a month, and that expense cannot be ignored either. Decide to close the company, and liquidation costs another 5,000–10,000 AED.

In reality there are plenty of other routes to residency in the Emirates that are far simpler and cheaper.

Mistake 3. Underestimating how hard it is to open a bank account
A bank account in the UAE is not a formality. Banks examine the source of funds, the business model and the client’s reputation carefully. The process takes from two weeks to three months.
A frequent mistake is to start trading or transfer money before the account is open. The outcome: transaction problems, blocked transfers and a damaged reputation with the bank.

How to do it right: prepare the full set of documents in advance — a business plan in English, proof of the source of funds, and statements from your personal accounts for the last six months. The Wesupport team helps open personal and corporate bank accounts with the largest banks in the UAE. Let us know if you need a hand.

Mistake 4. Driving on your own country’s international licence after receiving an Emirates ID
Once you become a UAE resident you may no longer drive on your own country’s licence and are required to obtain a local one.

The possible penalties:

• If you use a foreign licence that is not recognised in the UAE, the first “warning” is a fine of 2,000 to 10,000 AED.
• For a repeat offence: at least 3 months in prison and/or a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 AED.
• If you have no licence at all, or it does not cover the type of vehicle, it is worse still: up to 3 months in prison and/or a fine of 5,000–50,000 AED.
• For a repeat offence — at least 3 months in prison and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 AED.

How to do it right: apply for a local driving licence as soon as you receive your Emirates ID. For some CIS countries a direct exchange is not available and the full training has to be done from scratch, which takes two to four months. Our team knows how to obtain a UAE licence legally in two weeks — get in touch for a detailed guide.

Mistake 5. Losing track of how long you have been outside the UAE
Two-year residence visas come with set limits on how long you may stay outside the country without losing resident status.

A work visa — a maximum of 179 days in a row outside the UAE.
An investor visa — a maximum of 361 days.

If you exceed the limit, you will not be let into the country at the airport until either:

1. your current residence visa is cancelled, or
2. a re-entry permit is issued.

Both take from a few hours to a full day — and you spend all of it waiting at the airport.

How to do it right: keep track of the days you spend outside the UAE and do not come back right at the limit — that is how people lose both the visa and the Emirates ID.