To move from Australia to Dubai you need four things. First, a UAE residence visa: through a job, a Golden or Green Visa, your own company, retirement or remote work. Second, Australian documents authenticated by DFAT and then by the UAE. Third, a passed medical test, Emirates ID biometrics and Dubai health insurance. Fourth, your Australian affairs closed out properly: tax residency, capital gains tax, Medicare, super and any HELP debt. There is no UAE personal income tax. But leaving Australia's tax net is a process with its own rules, not something that happens automatically when you board the plane.
This guide covers every step in order, with official sources. It's written for Australian individuals, families, professionals and founders.
Most Australians move on one of seven routes: an employment visa, a Golden Visa, a Green Visa, a freelance or self-employment route, an investor or company-owner visa through business setup, a retirement visa, or a virtual (remote) work visa. Which one fits depends on where your income comes from.
Australian passport holders get a tourist visa on arrival in Dubai and Abu Dhabi if their passport has more than six months' validity (Smartraveller). A tourist visa does not let you work. Any job needs a work permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
Employment visa. This visa suits employees who have a job offer in the UAE. It lasts two years and can be renewed (GDRFA Dubai). Your employer sponsors you and obtains the work permit and entry permit. You then complete a medical test and apply for your Emirates ID (Dubai.ae).
Golden Visa: investor. This option is for people investing in property or public investments. It runs for 10 years (GDRFA Dubai) and needs a minimum capital of AED 2 million (u.ae). No sponsor is needed.
Golden Visa: entrepreneur. Founders with innovative or technical projects can apply for this five-year visa. You'll need proof of your project's value and a letter from an incubator or relevant authority (u.ae). It doesn't require a sponsor.
Golden Visa: exceptional talent. This 10-year visa is aimed at doctors, scientists, executives, creatives and PhD holders. The requirements vary by category and may include supporting letters, proof of experience or academic degrees (u.ae). No sponsor is required.
Green Visa: skilled employee. This visa is designed for graduate professionals. It lasts five years and is renewable. You'll need a UAE employment contract, a MOHRE skill level of 1 to 3, a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 15,000 (ICP). You sponsor yourself, so no employer sponsorship is needed.
Green Visa: freelancer or self-employed. Independent professionals can apply for this five-year renewable visa without a sponsor. They need a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit and a bachelor's degree or specialised diploma. They must also show either an income of AED 360,000 a year in each of the past two years or proof of financial solvency (ICP).
Investor or partner (business setup). Founders and business owners can get residency for up to five years, renewable, through the Green Visa investor/partner route (GDRFA Dubai). First you obtain a trade licence from a mainland or free zone authority. Your own company then sponsors your residence visa.
Retirement visa. People aged 55 and over can apply for this five-year visa without a sponsor. You'll need 15 years of work service and must meet one financial test. That means either AED 1 million in property plus AED 1 million in savings, or an annual income of AED 240,000 (Dubai.ae).
Virtual work visa. This one-year renewable visa is for remote workers employed by a company outside the UAE. You must prove your overseas remote work and a monthly income of at least USD 3,500, and you need UAE health insurance (GDRFA Dubai). No sponsor is needed.
The employment visa is the most common route. Your employer runs the process.
The medical includes an HIV test. HIV certificates from foreign authorities aren't accepted. Your employer may ask to hold your passport. Smartraveller notes this is illegal beyond short visa-processing periods.
The Golden Visa is a renewable 5- or 10-year residence visa with no sponsor (u.ae). Holders can stay outside the UAE for more than six months without losing residency. They can also sponsor a spouse and children. Skilled professionals can also qualify under the 10-year specialists route. They need a UAE employment contract, a MOHRE level 1 or 2 job, a bachelor's degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000 (ICP; UAE MOFA).
The Green Visa is a five-year, self-sponsored visa issued by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) (ICP). It covers skilled employees, freelancers and self-employed people, and investors or business partners. Holders can sponsor family and get grace periods when the visa expires.
Freelancers need a MOHRE freelance or self-employment permit before a Green Visa (ICP). Some Dubai free zones also issue freelance licences, for example DMCC (DMCC schedule of charges) and the Dubai Development Authority (DDA). Fees depend on the zone and on whether a visa is included, so check each authority's current schedule. Remote workers whose employer is outside the UAE can use Dubai's one-year Virtual Work Residence Visa instead.
Founders usually get residency by owning a UAE company. You choose an activity (the UAE has more than 2,000 licensable activities), a legal structure, a trade name and a location. Then you get any required approvals and register (Peninsula). The company can then sponsor your residence visa.
Peninsula tip: If you're moving a business or consulting practice to Dubai, choose the company structure first. It decides your visa, your corporate tax position and how many staff visas you can hold. Peninsula's UAE business setup team handles mainland and free zone formations, licensing and post-setup support.
The Emirates ID is the UAE's mandatory identity card for residents. It's issued by ICP after your residence visa application, once you've given biometrics.
You'll need it for almost everything: a lease registered with Ejari, a bank account, a phone contract, utilities and an RTA driving licence (RTA). ICP charges AED 100 for each year of the card's validity, plus service fees (ICP).
Get each document authenticated by DFAT in Australia. Then get it attested by the UAE Embassy in Canberra and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). An apostille is not enough. The UAE is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention (Australian Consulate-General Dubai).
Laminated documents can't be attested. Each document must be handled separately, not as a bundle. DFAT processing times vary, so start well before you need the visa. Check DFAT's current processing times on Smartraveller.
You stop being an Australian tax resident only when you fail all four ATO residency tests: the resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test and the Commonwealth superannuation test (ATO). Getting on a plane isn't enough. Until you're non-resident, Australia taxes your worldwide income, including a tax-free Dubai salary.
No. The UAE isn't on Treasury's list of Australia's income tax treaties (Treasury). That means no treaty tie-breaker rule decides your residency. You have to fail the ATO tests under Australian law alone, so get cross-border advice before you leave.
Answer: Possibly. When you stop being an Australian tax resident, CGT event I1 treats you as having sold your non-Australian-property assets at market value (ATO, CGT events). Examples are shares and managed funds. Australian real estate is "taxable Australian property", so it isn't included in that deemed sale.
The choice applies to all I1 assets together. You show your choice by how you prepare your tax return (ATO).
Peninsula tip: Model your CGT position before your departure date, not after. Peninsula's tax advisory team offers private wealth and international tax planning for families relocating to the UAE.
Medicare does not cover you in the UAE. Australia and the UAE have no reciprocal healthcare agreement (Smartraveller). HELP debts follow you overseas.
Your super stays in Australia and remains preserved. Australian citizens and permanent residents can't cash it out because they move overseas. The Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) only applies to eligible temporary visa holders (ATO).
No. The UAE has no personal income tax on salaries, personal investment income or real estate investment income (Federal Tax Authority).
Business income is different. An individual running a business in the UAE pays corporate tax once turnover exceeds AED 1 million in a calendar year. The rate is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above that (FTA). VAT also applies to most goods and services.
Everyday costs are generally lower in Dubai. Rent is the exception. It's roughly on par with Sydney and higher than Melbourne, according to crowd-sourced Numbeo data (last updated 28 October 2026). Treat these as indicative, not official.
Sources: Numbeo, Sydney vs Dubai and Melbourne vs Dubai.
Numbeo estimates that overall costs including rent are 16.4% lower in Dubai than Sydney, and 3.1% lower than Melbourne. Groceries are about 44% lower in Dubai than in either city.
You sign a tenancy contract and register it with Ejari, the Dubai Land Department's system. You also pay a security deposit set in the contract. Ejari registration costs AED 177.75 online (Dubai Land Department).
Dubai private schools are regulated by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). KHDA inspects and rates schools and controls fee increases. For 2026–27, KHDA has frozen private school fees (KHDA).
Yes. Dubai Law No. 11 of 2013 makes health insurance compulsory for every resident (Dubai Legislation Portal).
UAE banks generally ask for your passport, residence visa and Emirates ID, plus proof of salary for salary-transfer accounts. Emirates NBD, for example, asks expats for their original Emirates ID, a passport copy and a salary letter, contract or recent payslip (Emirates NBD).
Yes. Australian citizens with a valid Australian licence can exchange it for a Dubai licence through the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). No driving test or translation is needed (RTA).
Residents can't drive on a foreign licence once they hold residency.
Ship household goods by sea freight with a removalist. Check medicines with the Emirates Drug Establishment before you fly. Book pets through a MOCCAE import permit.
Poppy seeds and pornographic material are banned. Pork products need approval. E-cigarettes, CBD and anything marijuana-branded carry serious risk. The UAE has zero tolerance for drugs, and trace amounts count as possession.
Most of the time goes into Australian paperwork and finding a job, company or property, not into UAE processing. Once issued, a UAE entry permit is valid for two months. After you arrive, you must complete your residency within one month (u.ae). GDRFA lists 48 hours to issue a private-sector residence permit (GDRFA Dubai). MOFA digital attestation usually takes 2–3 business days (MOFA Canberra). The timeline below is a planning guide, not an official schedule.
Visa and identity - Choose a route: employment, Golden, Green, freelance, business setup, retirement or virtual work - Passport valid for 6+ months, showing a full date of birth and both a first name and surname - Medical fitness test done - Emirates ID biometrics given - Residence visa issued
Documents - Degree notarised, DFAT-authenticated and MOFA-attested - Marriage and birth certificates authenticated - Power of attorney signed and authenticated (if needed)
Australian tax and benefits - ATO residency position assessed - CGT event I1 modelled, with a decision to pay now or disregard - Final resident-period tax return planned - Banks told you're a non-resident - HELP overseas notification lodged within 7 days - Services Australia notified - Super and SMSF reviewed
Life in Dubai - Health insurance in place - Lease signed and registered with Ejari - UAE bank account opened - Australian licence exchanged with the RTA - School place confirmed (checked against KHDA rating) - Liquor licence (Dubai residents still need one)
Belongings - Removalist booked - Medicines checked with the Emirates Drug Establishment - Pet microchipped and vaccinated, MOCCAE permit obtained
Founders - Mainland or free zone structure chosen - Trade licence issued - Investor visa sponsored through the company - Corporate tax and VAT registration reviewed
Founders and wealthy families need more than a visa. They need the right UAE company structure, cross-border tax planning and, often, succession planning.
Peninsula has more than 15 years of experience in the Gulf, with offices in Downtown Dubai and Riyadh. Our UAE business setup service covers mainland and free zone company formation, licensing and support after setup. Through our tax advisory and compliance work, we handle corporate tax, VAT, private wealth and international tax planning.
For families thinking about the long term, our family office and legacy planning team advises on succession, trusts and wealth preservation in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Once your business is up and running, our corporate compliance service takes care of your ongoing filings.
Planning a move with a business attached? Talk to Peninsula's Dubai team about the right structure before you lodge your first visa.
