Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Hi guys,

If I tried to get everything done as quickly as possible, how long would it take to get the following processed:

Residency Visa
Work Visa
UAE Driving Licence (I have UK licence and International Driving Permit)
Alcohol Permit

Set up a UAE bank account?

And finally, how long does the process of taking lease of an apartment take? As in, if I found an apartment and wanted to move into it, how long do the formalities with a reputable real estate agent (ie Better Homes) take?

Thanks for all your help in advance!

The main point is do you have Residency Visa - i.e. a Job / Company to sponsor you?

The others could be done in 2 weeks to a month.

Work and residency visa can be anything from 1 week upwards. Very dependent on the company and the pro who processes it on your behalf.

Basically until you have the residency visa you are a bit in limbo for the other stuff as they will be dependent on that.

Alcohol licence is a waste of time, I have one and I think I have used it once in 12 months. Alcohol is very expensive in dubai (30% tax) and I prefer to drive to baracudda every couple of months and fill the car with cheap booze, also when ever you arrrive back at the airport from holidays/business trips you can stock up at the duty free shop.

Driving licence takes a couple of hours to swap over (I did this a few weeks back).

Bank account takes a few minutes and then a day or 2 to get the card.