Moving to Abu Dhabi With a Family: The Stuff You'll Be Glad You Knew

By Eklektik Mama — Abu Dhabi's community for mothers

Right. You've said yes to the move. The excitement is real, the group chats are buzzing, and someone has already sent you a reel of the Corniche at golden hour looking absolutely cinematic.

And then the paperwork starts.

Moving to Abu Dhabi with a family is one of those experiences that is genuinely brilliant and genuinely overwhelming in the same week. Sometimes the same afternoon. Most families land googling variations of the same questions — what do I need to do first, why does everything require a document I don't have, and is it normal to cry in IKEA? (Yes to all three.)

This guide is the one we wish someone had handed us. No glossy relocation brochure nonsense — just the practical stuff, in the order life tends to throw it at you.

And if you need a round up of children's play areas for when you land - you find them here.

Before You Leave: Do These First and Thank Yourself Later

1. Get your documents attested — yes, before you fly

This is the one that catches almost every family out, because it sounds like admin you can sort later. You cannot sort it later. Or rather, you can, but it will cost you more time and money and stress than if you'd done it before leaving.

Marriage certificates, birth certificates, degree certificates — these all need to be attested before they're legally recognised in the UAE. The process involves verification by your home country's authorities, then the UAE embassy or consulate in your home country, and then a final stamp from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) once you arrive. If you do the first two stages before you leave, you only have the MOFA step to deal with on the ground. If you arrive without them, you're starting from scratch on foreign soil while simultaneously trying to register children for school and open a bank account.

Do it before you go. Future-you will send present-you flowers.

2. Pick the school before you pick the house

If you're moving to Abu Dhabi with children, let schools drive the decision — not the other way around.

School availability and waiting lists in Abu Dhabi are genuinely competitive, particularly for British curriculum schools. The commute matters more than you think too. Long school runs quietly erode the quality of daily life here in ways that take a few months to fully feel. Shorter commute equals calmer mornings equals a better version of everyone.

Research schools first, shortlist areas based on those schools, then look at houses. In that order. Popular family areas include Khalifa City, Al Raha Beach, Yas Island and Saadiyat Island — all with good proximity to international schools and a strong expat community nearby.

On fees: budget carefully and budget for the full picture. Fees in Abu Dhabi run from around AED 15,000 at the budget end to AED 120,000+ at the premium end, with secondary and exam years (IGCSE, IB, A-levels) often higher than primary. That headline number is also just the start — transportation, uniforms, books, learning support, and exam registration fees are almost always charged separately and can add AED 10,000–30,000+ per year on top. Build your budget around the total cost, not just the tuition line.

3. Ask your employer very specific questions about your visa timeline

Your residency visa controls more of your life than you'd expect: banking, renting long term, getting a phone contract, registering your children for school, converting your driving licence, opening utilities. All of it waits for the visa.

Ask your employer upfront: how long does processing usually take, what can you do while it's in progress, and what can't you do. Knowing this before you arrive removes a significant amount of frustration from your first few weeks.

When You Land: The "Why Is Everything Slightly Hard Right Now?" Phase

4. Get a UAE phone number on day one

This is not optional admin. It is survival.

You need a UAE number for banks, government services, school and nursery registration, delivery drivers, basically every business, and — critically — WhatsApp. Which brings us to the next point.

5. WhatsApp is not just an app here. It is infrastructure.

Delivery drivers don't call. They message. Schools don't send emails. They message. Your landlord, your clinic, your children's activity coordinator, your new mum friends — all of them will communicate primarily via WhatsApp, and most of them will do it in a group.

If something feels hard to arrange, it's usually because you haven't moved it to WhatsApp yet.

6. Temporary housing is survival mode — and that's fine

Serviced apartments are great in theory. In practice, they often lack full kitchens, decent storage, and anything resembling a setup designed for families. Most people lean heavily on food delivery apps for the first few weeks and feel vaguely guilty about it. Don't. You're adjusting.

Apps you'll download within 24 hours of landing: Talabat, Deliveroo or Careem for food, Instashop for groceries. You're not failing at life. You're between sofas.

7. Don't drive until you understand the insurance situation

Here's the thing: you can't get a UAE driving licence until your residency visa is stamped — which means that until that happens, you don't have a valid UAE licence as a resident. Driving without one can invalidate your car insurance entirely, meaning that if anything happens, you may not be covered.

Most families use taxis and ride-hailing apps (Careem and Uber both work well in Abu Dhabi) during the visa processing phase. It feels annoying in the moment. It's the right call.

Once your visa is through and your Emirates ID is active, you can exchange your home-country licence — many nationalities can do this without retesting. The UAE's Markhoos scheme currently covers 52 countries, and the list updates periodically. Check the current MOI or RTA portal before assuming you qualify, as eligibility is based on the country that issued your licence, not your passport nationality. The exchange fee is AED 600 and is processed through the MuroorKhous digital platform.

One important nuance: if you entered the UAE as a visitor from an eligible country, you can drive on your home-country licence for up to three months. Once you become a resident, that visitor recognition ends and you need a UAE licence.

One more thing: use Waze for navigation in Abu Dhabi, not Google Maps. Roads here change constantly — new ones appear, old ones go one-way overnight, entire junctions reroute. Google Maps hasn't always kept up. Waze has.

8. Check when your health insurance actually kicks in

Do not assume it starts on day one. Ask your employer specifically: when does coverage begin, does it apply during visa processing, and what happens if someone gets sick in the gap. Private healthcare in Abu Dhabi is excellent and widely available — but it is not cheap without insurance. Know your coverage before you need it.

Once Your Visa Is Done: Now Life Starts Moving

9. Your Emirates ID is the golden ticket

Everything — banking, long-term rentals, phone contracts, utilities, school admin, driving licence conversion — flows from your Emirates ID. Standard processing typically takes 7–10 working days from visa stamping. If you need it faster, there's a Fawri express service (AED 150 extra) that processes within 24 hours — though as an expat, this is officially available for lost or damaged card replacement rather than new applications. For new Emirates IDs, plan for the standard timeline and factor that into your arrival schedule.

Be patient with the wait. Every single expat family in Abu Dhabi has been through this exact phase and come out the other side.

10. Both adults need their own bank account

Even if you share finances, each adult should have independent access to their own account. Visa changes, employment changes, and unexpected life events happen — having your own banking is a form of practical protection that matters more than most people realise until they need it.

Popular banks for expats in Abu Dhabi include First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), ADCB, and Emirates NBD. Most have English-language online banking and expat-friendly account opening processes.

11. Get a UAE will — and don't put it off

This is the advice that comes with the most urgency and gets actioned the least. Please don't be that person.

A significant change came into force in February 2023: for non-Muslim residents dying without a will, the default position is now that half the estate passes to the surviving spouse and the other half is split equally between children with no distinction between genders — a major improvement from the old Sharia default. But a registered will still matters enormously, for three reasons.

First, without one you cannot name guardians for your children — a court decides who cares for them, potentially during an already devastating period. Second, bank accounts can still be frozen during probate while the courts process the estate. Third, a registered will gives you full control over how your assets are distributed rather than relying on the default split.

For Abu Dhabi residents, the most straightforward and cost-effective option is the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), which costs AED 950 in government fees per single will and can be completed fully online via video call. It covers assets across all seven emirates. If you have more complex international assets or want everything handled under common law principles in English, the DIFC Wills Service Centre is the other main option — more expensive (typically AED 3,000–5,000+) but widely used and well-regarded.

Either way, do it. It takes less time than you think and the peace of mind is immediate. Aim for within your first six months. Ideally sooner.

Housing, Practicalities & "Nobody Told Me That"

12. Be rent-ready before you start viewing

Renting in Abu Dhabi moves quickly, and landlords expect you to be ready to commit. Have your Emirates ID (or proof it's in progress), a cheque book, your security deposit and first rental payment ready before you start viewing seriously.

Rent is traditionally paid in one to four post-dated cheques per year. The fewer cheques you pay in, the better the deal you can usually negotiate — paying annually in one cheque often gets you a discount. Know this before you negotiate.

Worth knowing for 2026: monthly digital rent payments are beginning to roll out through platforms integrated with major property portals, and for the first time it's becoming a genuine option with some landlords. The cheque system hasn't disappeared and many landlords still prefer it — but if monthly payments matter to you, it's worth asking.

13. Video calling — what actually works and what doesn't

This trips up almost every newcomer, because the rules haven't changed as much as people assume. WhatsApp messaging works perfectly — texts, photos, voice notes, all fine. But WhatsApp voice and video calls are blocked on UAE networks, as is FaceTime.

For free calls home, you'll need an approved alternative. Zoom and Google Meet both work well for video meetings. For everyday voice and video calls, BOTIM is the most widely used UAE-licensed option — both you and your contacts need to download it, and you'll need an Internet Calling plan through Etisalat or du (an add-on to your standard plan).

Using a VPN to access blocked calling services is illegal in the UAE and can result in fines. Not worth it. Sort this out in your first week, explain the situation to family before you land, and you'll avoid the moment where you're exhausted, mid-move, and can't work out why no one can hear you.

14. Know the privacy and defamation laws

The UAE takes privacy and public commentary seriously, and the rules are genuinely different from what most expats are used to.

Defamation is a criminal offence here, not a civil one — which means the stakes are meaningfully higher than in most Western countries. This extends fully into digital life: WhatsApp messages, online reviews, social media posts, and even private group chats can all fall within scope if they're seen to harm someone's reputation.

On photography: taking a photo or video of someone without their consent is itself a criminal offence in the UAE — not just publishing it, but taking it. This applies to strangers, neighbours, and colleagues alike.

Most people live here happily for years without ever encountering any of this. But it's worth understanding the environment early, because for those who do fall foul of it the consequences can be serious. Keep disputes private, be thoughtful about what you post, and when in doubt, don't.

The Bit That Actually Makes the Difference

15. Find your people — and find them early

Everything above will help you navigate the systems. This is the thing that will actually make Abu Dhabi feel like home.

Moving countries with children is isolating in ways that are hard to fully anticipate until you're in it. No family nearby. No one who knew you before. No shorthand. The questions you need answered aren't always Google-able — they're "is this normal?", "who do you use for this?", "fancy a coffee?" — and the answers come from other mums who've already figured it out.

Finding your community early is not a nice-to-have. It's the difference between surviving the first year and actually enjoying it.

If you're looking for a real, no-performance-required mum community in Abu Dhabi — welcome. That's exactly what Eklektik Mama is.

We connect mothers across Abu Dhabi through weekly BYOBaby® events, WhatsApp communities where real questions get real answers, and a no-judgement space to meet women navigating the exact same stage of life. Over 3000 mums and counting.

Found this useful? Share it with someone who's just announced the move. It might be the most helpful thing you send them.

Join Us

At Eklektik Mama, we're building a community of over 3000 women and mothers across the UAE who refuse to accept that motherhood means losing yourself.

We create experiences - boat trips, breakfasts, fitness classes, co-working mornings - where mothers can be messy, honest, and fully human. Where you can say the hard parts out loud. Where you'll meet other women who are also brilliant, exhausted, ambitious, and done pretending everything is fine.

Because mum fun is better together.

Ready to prioritise yourself? Join our mum community and find your people.

This is Eklektik Mama. Where we raise hell and humans, together.

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