Leaving the UAE: The Checklist, In Order
Most leaving-the-UAE checklists are lists. The problem is that this is a sequence, and several steps become impossible once an earlier one is complete — which is why people discover at the airport that something needed doing three weeks ago. This sits alongside the relocation side of moving and storage in Dubai.
The order below is the one that works. The single most important principle in it: cancel the visa last, because a great many things you still need to do require a valid residency.
This is a practical checklist from a storage business rather than legal or financial advice. Confirm anything that depends on your employer, your bank or your visa status with the relevant party.
Eight to twelve weeks out
- 1
Give notice on the tenancy — Check the notice period in the contract — it is often 90 days and it is often missed.
- 2
Decide ship, sell or store — Deciding early is what keeps you out of a forced sale. Storing does not preclude either of the others.
- 3
Tell the school — Transfer certificates and attested records take longer than anyone expects, and cannot be rushed at the end.
- 4
Start on the car — Selling or exporting a vehicle takes weeks, and any outstanding finance must clear before it can be transferred.
Four to six weeks out
- 1
Book the storage or the shipping — Late June and August are the busiest weeks of the Dubai year and slots go early.
- 2
Get documents attested — Degrees, marriage and birth certificates. Do this while you still hold a residency visa.
- 3
Clear loans and credit cards — This one is not optional and it is slow. An outstanding liability can prevent departure.
- 4
Request the clearance letters — From your bank once cleared, and from your landlord for the deposit.
The final fortnight, in order
This order matters more than any other part of the list.
- 1
Storage or shipping collection — One or two days before handover, not on the day of it.
- 2
Final DEWA / utility settlement — After the collection. A collection in an unlit flat with no lift is slower and hotter than it needs to be.
- 3
Property handover and deposit — Get the clearance in writing at the handover itself, not afterwards.
- 4
Close bank accounts — but keep one open — You will need somewhere for a deposit refund and a final salary to land.
- 5
Cancel the visa LAST — Almost everything above needs a valid residency. Cancelling first is the most common and most expensive mistake on this list.
The things people forget
- The gas cylinder. It goes back to the supplier and it cannot be stored, shipped or left behind.
- Salik and traffic fines, which must be settled and are checked.
- The final electricity and water settlement, which is separate from cancelling the account.
- Pet relocation, which takes months rather than weeks and cannot be compressed.
- Attested documents you will need abroad — get them before the visa goes.
- A UAE contact who can act for you after you fly, nominated in writing.
- Your copy of the storage inventory, kept somewhere that is not a box.
If you are storing rather than shipping everything, international relocation covers how storage fits around a container date.
Common questions
More in Moving & Storage Dubai
Everything below is part of the same service — pick the page that matches what you are storing.
Leaving the UAE?
Book the collection early and cancel the visa last. Those two get most people through it cleanly.
+971 50 577 3388 · support@safestorage.ae · from 12.65 AED per sq ft, VAT included