@UAE_help + 971 50 399 5135 (Phone|WhatsApp)

All about moving to Dubai with children

Все о переезде в Дубай с детьми

Dubai is one of the world’s fastest growing economic centers. This amazing city is aimed at the future with all its aspirations. New conditions are being created here every day to achieve even better results in various sectors of the economy. They do not forget about people: comfortable housing is being built for them, medical care is being improved, and leisure and recreation opportunities are being expanded. It is not surprising that specialists from different countries seek to move with their family to this eastern technopolis, in which both they and their children have a stable present and a guaranteed future.

What do you need to move to Dubai with your children?

Dubai is one of the three most expensive cities in the modern Middle East to live in. Therefore, to ensure a decent standard of living for yourself and your family, you need a well-paid job. The second important condition is the presence of a resident visa. Usually, when it is planned to move to the country with family members, the head of the family is the first to move and find a job. It is not difficult for a highly qualified specialist to find a job with a good income here. The presence of an employment contract will allow you to obtain a resident visa, according to which, according to the law, you can transport household members (wife, children, parents).

To get permission to transport a wife and children on a resident visa of the head of the family, the latter must have a monthly income of at least 10,000 dirhams. According to the law, this amount may be a third lower, but in order to rent a good spacious apartment, to ensure the costs of paying for it, as well as food, clothing, transport, medical insurance, a smaller amount will not be enough. Ten thousand is enough to live well, but still economically. Most of the money will go to rent a living space.

Moving on the husband’s resident visa, the wife has the right not to work, but it is better if she finds a job. This will help to significantly increase the family budget, allow children to attend the best educational institutions, engage in additional education, travel, etc. to provide the present and future that every parent dreams of.

Family in Dubai

A woman can sponsor her family, but such registration is associated with more red tape: she must work in a certain branch of the economy, earn a lot, have a special permit for sponsorship from local authorities. Therefore, when moving with the family, it is more convenient if the sponsor is a man.

You can also move to the emirate with your household:

  • having received a “Golden visa”;
  • by starting your own business;
  • by buying a property worth at least 1 million dirhams (about 240 thousand US dollars).

To apply for a visa, family members will need:

  • notarized documents confirming family ties (marriage certificates and birth certificates of children);
  • sponsor’s employment certificate with salary indication;
  • rental agreement confirming the availability of housing.

Climatic conditions in Dubai

The only drawback of living in the emirate is the climate. Despite the fact that the city is located on the seashore, its climate is characterized as arid, i.e. very hot and dry. From March to November, daytime air temperatures exceed +30 ° C, the heat peak occurs in the summer months, when the thermometer columns rise above +40 ° C. There is practically no rain here, humidity in the hot months rises due to intense evaporation from the sea surface, at night the temperature and humidity decrease slightly.

The most favorable period of the year is winter. At this time, the average daytime temperature is kept at +22…+24°C (approximately, as in Russia in the summer).

Staying outdoors in the city is difficult to bear even for adults, not to mention children. Infants are the hardest to adapt to. To make it easier for kids to get used to the local climate, it is better to plan a move for the winter season: so the child will have a few comfortable months to adapt to the tropical climate.

Children with father

If this is not possible, it is recommended to pay special attention to the protection of children from burns and heat stroke:

  1. Do not allow the child to appear on the street without a headdress.
  2. Make sure that children drink enough water.
  3. Protect the skin of babies with sunscreens.
  4. In summer, keep children in an air-conditioned room during the daytime.
  5. All the child’s clothes should be made of natural fabrics only.

Safety for life

Dubai has a reputation as one of the safest cities in the world. They don’t fight here, they don’t wander the streets drunk, they don’t mess around, they don’t steal. There are no crimes involving pedophiles or maniacs in the city. All this was achieved thanks to strict legislation (the UAE has the death penalty), following Muslim laws and thorough checks of foreigners before giving permission to enter the country. At the same time, the police vigilantly monitors any, even minor, offenses and responds instantly. For many, in the opinion of a European, frivolous offenses, you can end up in prison for several months (for example, for drinking alcoholic beverages on the street or inappropriately loud, aggressive behavior). On this side, both children and adults are fully protected.

Transport remains the main danger for children: no one is insured from an accident. In Dubai, this problem is particularly acute, since traffic rules are almost traditionally violated here wherever it is possible and impossible. In this case, you can advise not to let the child out of sight for a minute, accompany him to school and back. And even taking into account the fact that playgrounds and places for youth recreation are far from the roadway, it is worth reminding minors more often about the rules of safe behavior on the street.

The problems that may lie in wait for a young European migrant on the streets of an eastern city are connected with the peculiarities of the Muslim way of life and the rules of behavior in Eastern society. And this is what you should seriously talk about with your child. For example, trouble may arise if a teenager approaches an unfamiliar local resident and asks the simplest question about how to go somewhere or what time it is. A woman can go to the police and the young man will be punished.

A minor should clearly understand that in no case should they discuss, much less laugh at the peculiarities of local culture (no matter how strange they may seem), clothing, religious rituals. This is all strictly punishable along with obscene expressions in public places, indecent gestures, hugs and kisses with the opposite sex. Moreover, premarital sexual relations in the UAE are considered illegal, so if teenagers are caught, then measures will be applied to them to the fullest extent of the law.

The child is running

Education for children of immigrants and expats

Dubai provides great educational opportunities for displaced children. There are kindergartens with different programs for the development of preschoolers starting from the age of six months, preparatory preschool kindergartens where children are prepared for school. Secondary schools work according to English and American programs and provide knowledge sufficient for admission to any university in the world.

However, visiting all these institutions is not cheap. For foreigners, even a child’s attendance at a public school will be paid. At the same time, getting into an educational institution is also a problem. Places even in kindergarten should be reserved in advance.

Visiting a nursery is not necessary, especially if mom does not work, but it is better to go to a preparatory group. Before going to school, a child needs to learn how to communicate with peers not only on the playground, but also in the classroom, acquire some knowledge and skills. All this is taught in the senior kindergarten groups. And what is even more important: communication in kindergarten takes place in English, so by school children speak it as their native language.

The baby can be sent to the nursery (Nursery) from one and a half months. As he grows, various developmental activities will be carried out with him. Usually a nursery is a private luxury villa with a lot of vegetation. Here children are up to 5 years old.

From 4 to 6 years old, children should be sent to the “Kindergarten” – a kindergarten with a preparatory program. Here they are taught reading and writing skills, the rules of school discipline. Such kindergartens work half a day.

Good reputation is enjoyed by:

  1. Alphabet Street Nursery. Here the emphasis is on the development of the creative abilities of the wards.
  2. Apple Nursery. This is a budget nursery, where babies are taken from six months to 4 years old. The disadvantage is an inconvenient work schedule (weekends fall on Thursday and Friday working days for parents).
  3. British Orchard Nursery. The direction of development is creativity, sports, outdoor games.
  4. Ambassador Kindergarten. This institution occupies a huge territory and teaches children music, yoga dancing, often organizes concerts, performances, sports competitions. There are several classes in the kindergarten, equipped with all kinds of educational accessories, there is a bathroom.

The best schools are those that work according to American or English educational programs. However, they are the most expensive. It will be cheaper to attend an Indian school. Russian Russian International School If parents do not want their offspring to forget the Russian language, then they can be sent to the Russian International School (Russian International School).

Russian International School

The quality of teaching in schools is constantly monitored by higher authorities. According to the results of the checks, they are assigned a rating from “excellent” to “very weak”. This criterion should also not be neglected when choosing a school.

In Dubai, you can also get a higher education: there are many universities where you can study any specialty from technical to the most exotic creative. The better the results of graduating from high school, the more likely it is to get a place in a local prestigious university or in one of the world’s leading universities.

Medical care for immigrant children

A few years ago, foreigners received medical services for free. But then, when the number of expats increased dramatically, problems began to arise in medical institutions with a shortage of medicines and places for citizens of the country. Therefore, now for foreigners, medicine is only paid. In order to cover the costs of planned and emergency visits to doctors, it is necessary to have insurance for each family member. The minimum will cost 1000 dirhams, but it covers only a few consultation meetings with a doctor. In order for the insurance to cover any unforeseen events, including surgical intervention, its cost must be at least 10,000 dirhams.

If an expat has arrived in the country at the invitation of an employer, then usually the insurance is handled by the company. Many firms cover half of the insurance premiums for family members. If a migrant has opened his own business, then he will have to pay all the expenses for medical insurance for the household himself.

There is no shortage of clinics, first-aid posts, pharmacies in the country. All of them are staffed by qualified doctors, nurses and pharmacists trained in European countries or the USA, who can provide the most complex types of treatment. The clinics are equipped with modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, all necessary medicines, comfortable wards, high-tech operating rooms. But for patients, all this is very expensive, so we emphasize once again – it is not worth saving on medical insurance.

Leisure activities

Dubai Garden Centre

The number of parks with entertainment for children with peers or parents is simply off the scale. There are many places with children’s attractions, ordinary playgrounds, for example, Dubai Miracle Garden, where a child can relax away from the noise of the city, playing with peers. But it is much more interesting to visit the pavilions where the conditions of different climatic zones are organized with the appropriate types of entertainment:

  1. In “Sky Dubai” you can ride real downhill skiing in the snow and play snowballs. And this is in the tropics, when the window is +40 °C!
  2. Dubai Garden Centre is an artificial forest area where strange animals (not real ones) hide in the thickets.
  3. On “Kate Beach” you can rent a boat and go on a little trip.
  4. The Galleria Mall has an Adventure HQ attraction for young lovers of travel and adventure. Here, under the guidance of an instructor, children can make an exciting journey in the quest style.
  5. In winter, you can visit camel races at the Al Marmoum Camel Racetrack. This spectacle leaves neither adults nor children indifferent.

These are just a few examples of the variety that parents will find for their offspring in Dubai. But entertainment does not end with attractions: dozens of creative exhibitions for children of different ages (artistic, technical) are organized in the city, concerts, dance and sports shows are organized. For lovers of more extreme recreation, you can go hiking with your parents and friends to the desert part of the UAE with an overnight stay in a tent or sailing.

Pros and cons of moving

The advantages include:

  • high standard of living;
  • security;
  • good opportunities for school and extracurricular education;
  • excellent organization of leisure activities for children of all ages, taking into account any hobbies.

Among the disadvantages are:

  • unfavorable climate;
  • the complexities of the local way of life, too alien traditions that you will have to get used to;
  • increased noise on city streets around the clock (this is the result of traffic congestion, construction projects at every step, active nightlife, a huge number of tourists walking day and night);
  • transport problems (constant traffic jams due to disregard for traffic rules).

TOP 5 best residential complexes for family living

Emirates Hills

Emirates Hills

This is a closed community for very wealthy settlers – an analogue of the American “Beverly Hills”. About 600 luxury villas have been built here, equipped on a turnkey basis. The community has an 18-hole golf course, several swimming pools, landscaped parks. This place is designed as a quiet secluded place for families with very high incomes, so there is not a single object nearby that breaks the silence or pollutes the atmosphere. There are also no public transport stops nearby, since all residents use only private cars. Several prestigious educational institutions are located nearby. Emirates Hills real estate is the most expensive in the city. Rental of a villa starts from one and a half million dirhams per year, and the cost of a 4-bedroom apartment for purchase starts from 18 million AED.

Umm Suqeim

Umm Suqeim

Another prestigious area for elite living and pastime. It stretches in a narrow strip for 5 km along the sea coast. The community is equally popular among investors and tenants. Here, more often than in other areas, villas and townhouses are rented for a long vacation or living on the seaside. There are no restrictions on renting, but not everything can be bought: there are restrictions for expats.

A distinctive feature of residential buildings is their design in different styles – from colonial to high-tech. At the same time, the houses are equipped with all the necessary household infrastructure, have underground Parking, some have back yards, servants’ quarters, swimming pools.

There are several dozen prestigious educational institutions, including nurseries and kindergartens, medical clinics that provide services to children of any age.

The main entertainment attraction is the Kite Beach, which was mentioned above. All kinds of water activities are available on it, most of which involve the participation of children.

You can get to Umm Suqeim by bus or metro. The annual rent of a 3-bedroom villa will cost 100 thousand AED, the purchase of a similar property – from 6 million.

Al Barari

Al Barari

A closed residential community organized in full compliance with environmental requirements. More than 60% of the territory is covered with greenery, amazing landscapes and comfortably organized reservoirs. More than 500 plant species were used to organize the green zone.

Thanks to the unique wellness microclimate, several elite spas, a wellness center have been created on the territory, a business school and several medical institutions are planned to be built. Al Barari has a nursery, a kindergarten and a school. You can only get here by car. The cost of villas with more than three bedrooms starts from 3.5 million AED.

Silicon Oasis

Silicon Oasis

The most high-tech area, organically combining residential spaces, commercial and office buildings, technology parks and urban infrastructure. The range of residential premises is diverse: from expensive villas to small apartments in multi-storey buildings. You can rent a house for 135 thousand AED, buy it for 3 million AED (this is the minimum price). Foreigners are happy to settle in Silicon Oasis, because the cost of living space is quite democratic, living conditions are above average, it is easy to get from the area by public transport to anywhere in the city. Within walking distance there are several preschool institutions, general education and music schools, a dental center. Also nearby are Akademgorodok and a large medical clinic.

Dubai Hills Estate

Dubai Hills Estate

A multifunctional community with an area of almost 11 square kilometers. The construction of residential facilities continues: upon completion of construction, 4,600 private houses and almost 22,000 apartments of various sizes and comfort will become available for rent and purchase here.

Much attention is paid to the sports leisure of residents. The community has running tracks, playgrounds for volleyball and basketball, a golf course, several parks for recreation and skateboarding, playgrounds for kids.

Several prestigious kindergartens and schools are already operating here, and a large shopping center will appear upon completion of construction. The cost of renting and buying is about the same as in Silicon Oasis.

Dubai Hills Estate is a great option for moving with children.

arrow-icon Back
Vladimir Sviridov
Vladimir Sviridov
General Manager RLC Consulting
With a Postgraduate Masters in Finance from The, Moscow State University, Russia. Vladimir started his professional career as an auditor of the financial sector of EY. After that, he worked for several years in senior positions in corporate banking. In 2018-2021, he managed the finances of a large agricultural holding, and is currently responsible for strategic planning, corporate partnership and financial management in the role of General Manager of RLC Consulting GROUP in the UAE.

Fill out the application and we will contact you

What service are you interested in?
Company setup
Obtaining a residence permit
Buying real estate
Opening a bank account
Auditor or accountant services
Trademark registration
Tax support
Notarial Power of Attorney (PoA)
Launching a business

Your application has been submitted. The manager will contact you soon

ООО «Передовые решения» +7 (495) 966-49-52 info@relocate-uae.com
Россия 115191 Москва Малая Тульская 25с38