Suggestions before Relocating to UAE

PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 07:08
Last edited 07/10/2025 - 09:06

Hi All,

I’ll soon be relocating to Abu Dhabi for work, and one of the first things I know I’ll miss is our OzBargain community. It’s been a huge help to me over the years. So, I’m back here again to ask for your advice.

  1. Moving to UAE – What are the key things I should know before and right after relocating? Anything that would have helped you (or someone you know) if they had known earlier?
  2. Community & Deals – Are there any UAE-based, OzBargain-style forums or communities where people share deals and tips?
  3. Shipping & Relocation – My employer is only covering flights for my family, so I’ll be paying for shipping myself. Do you have recommendations for cheaper and reliable shipping companies from Australia to UAE? Also, what items are worth shipping (clothes, kitchen appliances, etc.) versus just buying new in Abu Dhabi?
    Edit 2: Employer pays the flights while relocating m, first two weeks accommodation, child education, annual flight costs to Australia. They don’t just pay the freight charges for the household things I ship.

Appreciate any suggestions, and thanks again for all the support this community always provides!

Travel Asia United Arab Emirates

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  • RyanIAm on 07/10/2025 - 18:17
    +26

    I've relocated family to Dubai 2 months ago. Make sure you talk to an accountant specialised in expats - Atlas Wealth or SMATS always come highly regarded. They will do a free introductory call, don't trust what your vanilla every day Australian accountant knows about non tax residency. Don't sign a contract for less than 2 years. At a minimum you will want return trips covered, housing, utilities, car, school fees, good health insurance and equivalent super contributions back in Australia.

    If you aren't covered for shipping your stuff, just sell your stuff in Australia and buy new stuff over here second hand. Don't put it in storage either, that won't satisfy the ATO. If you can liquidate your assets prior it makes it a lot cleaner.

    • blitz on 07/10/2025 - 18:45
      +4

      Upvoted. This is @RyanIAm's third ever comment in 13 years of OzB membership.

      • Bidet Mate on 08/10/2025 - 17:38
        +1

        based on comment trend modelling, we should next see RyanIAm in the year 2378.

        • RyanIAm on 08/10/2025 - 19:33
          +2

          Oh no - i've broken your prediction!

      • Muppet Detector on 10/10/2025 - 17:22

        Well, he did have to come a long way to be here with us.

    • happydude on 07/10/2025 - 19:02
      +1

      don't trust what your vanilla every day Australian accountant knows about non tax residency

      This. The guy I was talking to in my comment above was from SMATS.

  • EightImmortals on 07/10/2025 - 07:11
    +23

    Quit drinking.

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 09:03
      +13

      Fortunately I do not have that habit.

    • IceCold on 08/10/2025 - 19:39
      +2

      You're thinking of Saudi Arabia. UAE has plenty of pubs and bottle shops.

    • slipperypete on 08/10/2025 - 18:26
      +1

      except it is the most hedonistic country I have live in. Plenty of bars and wild nightlife. Makes Australia dull by comparison ( if you like to party that is)

      • Raj09 on 09/10/2025 - 22:31
        +1

        You can get great escorts there.

        • slipperypete on 10/10/2025 - 06:28

          Oh man o man so true. My first night out a friend and myself met these two lovely girls. I was totally naïve thinking how cool this place was and obviously how cool I was until my mate told me the cold hard facts!!! After that, whenever some cute girl came up and talked to me I always was suspicious.
          Problem is, there are so many hot girls in Dubai. 8000 cabin crew in emirates alone and the rest. Made it hard to know!! Two years of extreme partying before the shine wore off. Stayed for another 8 years but it destroyed my soul.
          Happy to say I never paid for any.

      • Hydralyte on 08/10/2025 - 18:53
        +2

        they dont wear turbans in emirates. They were the shemag (scarf) and ergal or the ring thing.

  • MS Paint on 07/10/2025 - 08:18
    +15

    so I’ll be paying for shipping myself

    Sounds like a shit deal. Employer should cover flights, freight, accommodation, school fees and annual return flight to Australia at a minimum.

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 08:57
      +1

      They are providing all other benifits except freight.

      • 91rs on 07/10/2025 - 18:11
        +2

        Still not a good deal given the move, unless you're requesting the move and they didn't come to you with the option or offer.
        Its a very basic and not huge cost overall for them, if they're a decent sized business.

  • Wiadro on 07/10/2025 - 07:45
    +14
    1. Moving back to Australia.
    2. Dubai mall
    3. Put your stuff in storage and find a house/apartment that comes furnished.

    Honestly, I would not do it.
    Expat money is good, but Dubai isn’t the best place to be a expat.

    • IpGem on 08/10/2025 - 10:45
      +3

      Couldn't agree more, 6 months and I was out. There's this huge difference between holidaying and working in UAE.

      • Wiadro on 08/10/2025 - 11:51
        +1

        I did a secondment there I wanted out after 3 months, but lasted 5 months out of 6.

        • Bidet Mate on 08/10/2025 - 17:28

          what was so bad about it as far as working?

          • Wiadro on 08/10/2025 - 19:30
            +2

            @Bidet Mate: Just a very fake society where its all about the hussle for quick money
            People stop working in the middle of the day and then come back once it's cooler and bludge,
            It's hot in the day and humid asf at night
            Most bars that sell alcohol are also filled with hookers

            • drfuzzy on 09/10/2025 - 10:44
              +5

              @Wiadro: Now you've finished the sales pitch, tell us the down sides.

              • Wiadro on 09/10/2025 - 10:45

                @drfuzzy: I got made redundant after the secondment so I kinda doubled my income for that year.

  • shaybisc on 07/10/2025 - 08:21
    +14

    What's the job? Just curious.

  • CommanderCrumbcake on 07/10/2025 - 08:57
    +14

    “My employer is only covering flights for my family, so I’ll be paying for shipping myself”

    This is a massive red flag.

    If your employer truly valued your skill set and/or needed you more than you need them, then the package should include a full removal, relocation payments, an agreed number of return trips to Australia for entire family.

    How long is your contract for? Also understand as a foreigner your contract means squat if they want to get rid of you. It would suck to be there for six months, employer discards you, then you’re on the hook to pay for a removal back home.

    Also don’t discount the lifestyle/leisure changes. I spent time in Kuwait. There’s only so many times you can go to Avenues Mall, Marina Mall, or a beach club before you start getting really bored.

  • soan papdi on 07/10/2025 - 11:48
    +12

    It's common for employers in the gulf area to hold the passports of labourers. Looks like you're white collar, but still, be wary. Also if you're an important person to the company (e.g. sign off documents like a Chartered Accountant), then be prepared to be at the mercy of the employer on leaving/exiting the country. Employers there act friendly as long as situation is in their favour but it can turn bad very quickly. This is not a joke at all.

  • hawthornandrew on 07/10/2025 - 14:24
    +12

    I was in the Middle East for many years and here are a few of my thoughts.

    Check on your residency status in Australia. It is complex but generally you have an intention of staying outside Australia for 2 years to be regarded as a non-resident for tax purposes. If you are resident in Australia for tax purposes you will be taxed on your worldwide income in Australia. Also look at CGT - there are a lot of implications.

    Check your health insurance - the standard health provided in UAE is basic. While there is good health it will cost money.

    I would not ship much over to the UAE. Most household items are cheap and it will be better to buy what you need there rather than ship things over.

    While basic living in the UAE is cheap, luxuries can be very expensive. Basic living means for an Indian labourer so what you regard as essential can be expensive.

    I knew people that flew back home regularly and it cost them a lot of money - meaning they were not saving money over there.

    Good Luck

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 15:26

      Thanks mate! Your response is a lot easier to work with, cheers for that. Appreciate the heads-up on the resident/non-resident tax rules too. I came across something about how it ties into CGT, but I’ll double-check with my accountant soon enough. Thanks heaps again

  • prisonmike on 07/10/2025 - 07:46
    +10

    Get VPN so that you can talk to the rest of the world.

    • DewinDell on 07/10/2025 - 17:51
      +52

      He said UAE not UK

      • Bidet Mate on 08/10/2025 - 17:29
        +2

        That joke made me feel unsafe. Please report to prison to join the other 12,000 online comment criminals in the last 12 months.

  • happydude on 07/10/2025 - 12:27
    +10

    Get tax advice.

    Get this advice for BOTH moving to UAE and back to Australia.

    I've been told someone who specialises in this that moving from a tax-free jurisdiction back to Australia can present significant taxation events. These can be minimised and streamlined if the right exit plan is developed up front.

    This could save you more money than a bargin site ever could.

    • ar7ist on 07/10/2025 - 20:06
      +1

      Looks like being on a bargain site is saving OP more money. Good advice.

  • Gunnar on 07/10/2025 - 08:24
    +8

    Presumably you’ve been there previously and like (or tolerate) the place?

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 08:54

      No, just had a transit stop over once.

      • Hybroid on 07/10/2025 - 09:51
        +43

        It's worrying you have not spent sufficient time in the country to understand the lifestyle, the limitations, and the customs of the place. There's a lot of 'don'ts' you need to be wary of. At first Abu Dhabi will feel like an extended holiday but it'll very very quickly get boring and you'll gravitate towards constantly visiting Dubai instead.

        While it's 'tax-fee', there are so many charges and fees for everything that it erodes that feeling. Every bill or application or car renewals has so many add-on fees you have no choice to pay. Accommodation is relatively quite expensive, so hopefully you've got an idea of what's available and how much it'll cost you.

        I would NOT ship your stuff over yet. Take a couple of clothing suitcases and give it a few months at least to see if you will settle in or not. You absolutely 100% need an exit plan. Read the conditions of your work visa. If for any reason, you leave/they fire you, you usually have 30 days to leave the country. You're not a permanent resident there, and will never naturalise there. You're a temporary worker and always will be till they decide they don't need you anymore. Keep that in mind. Plan a backup route back (or to somewhere else) which could happen at anytime.

        • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 10:56

          Thanks Mate.

          • juki on 09/10/2025 - 21:48
            +2

            @PChinna: i would be wary of depression or loneliness, usually kicking in about 6 months then it becomes sort of cyclic depending on how well you integrate (and just to be aware of that depression risk for that wife you previously mentioned - the first one ^^).

            I agree with the guy above saying not to ship all your stuff over. Do you happen to speak the language?

            If you are in healthcare, i have been told it is not worth the effort because of cultural aspects and expectations, and generally its quite a "closed door" society so hard to mix with locals. If you have an interest and are just curious, yeah why not go :)

      • Gunnar on 07/10/2025 - 09:00
        +33

        I hope you enjoyed it? I’ve been to the UAE once (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) for a few days and I’d need a zero to my pay to make me want to move there. It’s a place that’s all glamour and zero soul.

        • Drakesy on 07/10/2025 - 13:47
          +9

          Agreed, did a 2 day stopover there and geezus it reeks of new money.

          There's zero natural elements to it. Sure you can do your time and earn say 2 years wages in the space of 1 (given there's zero tax) but i'd get out asap.

          It's unliveably hot outside - at least singapore you can still walk around.

        • R4 on 08/10/2025 - 02:45
          +1

          Yep. It's a shithole basically. I flew via there to Manchester a few weeks ago. Speaking to a few Brits on the Manchester flight who had been there on holiday (plane was full of them) and they love the place.

          Bizarre.

  • JIMB0 on 07/10/2025 - 07:19
    +7

    How many extra wives are you planning on getting?

    • mapax on 07/10/2025 - 08:13
      +1

      How does that work? Does OP get a slave live in housekeeper and then marry her when she gets pregnant or does OP look for an actual second wife?

      • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 09:03
        +11

        It’s difficult to manage the one I have now. I donot want anymore 🤣🤣. I hope my wife doesn’t read this thread 😂😂

        • Wiadro on 07/10/2025 - 09:31
          +27

          hi honey

        • 7ekn00 on 07/10/2025 - 10:24
          +1

          Just get her the burqa without eye slots, problem solved :P

        • HelpMeiCantSee on 08/10/2025 - 11:49

          Said with the greatest love of course honey

      • subwoofer on 07/10/2025 - 18:49

        There was actually an article in the smh where they said 99% of thai female workers in isreal experienced sexual harassment or abuse

  • theHMASfriendship on 07/10/2025 - 08:30
    +6

    Take a hat

  • BuzzBuzzBuzz on 07/10/2025 - 12:42
    +5

    Have a plan for moving back to Australia. Don't kid yourself that you won't be moving back to Australia.

  • Ash-Say on 07/10/2025 - 07:42
    +4

    Why did you accept to work in Abu Dhabi? Is it significant higher tax free salary?

    Just genuinely interested to understand the reason for move.

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 09:01
      +2

      Money is not the deciding factor. I was satisfied with what I earned in my previous role. What matters more to me is that there are not enough opportunities for my profession here

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 07/10/2025 - 19:26
        +4

        The only people I know moving the Abu Dhabi for work are prostitutes, engineers and lawyers. Which one are you? Advice will depend on that.

        • banana365 on 07/10/2025 - 20:35
          +7

          The final two have a complete overlap with the first one. We're all selling our bodies to our employers, it's just which bit that's used that differs.

      • freefall101 on 07/10/2025 - 10:52
        +2

        What's your long-term plan? I know a few people who have gone to the UAE, but usually it's for the money or a promotion to continue building their career. If the opportunities have dried up here they'll dry up there eventually too - only reskilling in the UAE will be much harder to do than Australia.

        If long term plan is to live there, it might be worth moving some of your stuff but otherwise I'd just stick most things in storage (or sell anything that will depreciate quickly, like electronics). Don't take anything electric, all the adapters become a pain in the butt after a while.

        I'd just take anything of sentimental value. Last time I moved country I had my clothes, guitars and a laptop plus a few small items. I don't regret it, it was so much easier.

  • holdenmg on 07/10/2025 - 09:10
    +4

    I'd suggest you go watch Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (2023) or Syriana (2005) all set in UAE.

    • Subere on 07/10/2025 - 17:17
      +3

      Or play Spec Ops…

  • 87percent on 07/10/2025 - 08:41
    +3

    Hope you’re not homosexual, drink alcohol, fair skinned…

    • payton on 07/10/2025 - 10:48
      +1

      fair skinned

      Easy fix

    • slipperypete on 08/10/2025 - 18:29
      +1

      when I lived there plenty of homosexuals, plenty of bars and being fair skinned was an advantage…..educate yourself a bit

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 08:54
      -2

      😂😂 No….. fortunately.

      • belongsinforums on 07/10/2025 - 20:21
        +9

        Try going there and telling someone god isn't real

        • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 13:31
          -5

          tell me younger never been to attend gulf without telling me younger never been to the Arab gulf, it makes Australia seem like a third world country in terms of advancememt and equality unlike here in Australia where multiculturalism is a controvecy

          • cfuse on 08/10/2025 - 17:28
            +4

            @subwoofer: The idea of a sex segregated culture valuing equality is oxymoronic.

            Multiculturism is predicated on the idea that all cultures are interchangeable and equal. As that isn't true, and cannot be, failure is certain given time. All that is required is a critical mass of irreconcilable difference in the population. That effect scales right down to the street level. You can trivially name cultures and match them up with suburbs. You already can name where you don't want to live.

            It is also important to understand that within the context of the Gulf there is no Western conceit of multiculturalism. You are either a Muslim or you are not. There's no claim to equality in that.

            As for controversy, I'd rather be able to have a heated conversation about things than see individuals murdered for dissent by the state.

            • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 18:07
              -3

              @cfuse:

              Multiculturism is predicated on the idea that all cultures are interchangeable and equal. As that isn't true

              That is the definition of white supremacy, I'm not a Muslim but I originate from the Arab world, I would say the white man should stop shoving 'western values' down our throats, people are happy with their traditions and culture. In Qatar and UAE the Qataris and Emiratis make up less than 10% of the population, I'd say the major religion there has become Hinduism since Indians make up a large segment of the population. Live and let live.

              • cfuse on 09/10/2025 - 06:35
                +1

                @subwoofer: No, racial supremacy (regardless of which) is the idea that collective biological class is the root of worth. Multiculturalism is the idea that a woman in a burka trailing her chaperone or husband is 100% as moral as Bonnie Blue getting railed by a 1000 guys in one day. Both are baloney. Neither is a part of the Western worldview (albeit both are possible under the aegis thereof on the grounds of freedom of expression and association).

                The West got very far off the back of colonialism, so perhaps it boils down to how you impress your culture on others that matters more than whether you do or not. That being said, I'm more than happy to adopt a mind your own business approach as long as that doesn't harm us.

                As for the Gulf's demography, you tell me who sets the rules and wields the rod. It isn't a bunch of Hindus, is it? Australia isn't run by atheists or agnostics either. Culture comes from the bottom up, but rulership comes from the top down.

                Live and let live is predicated on sufficient space to avoid conflict. One cannot appeal to harmony in one breath and freak out over Western whitey stepping into one's domain uninvited in the next. Either we have demarcations between us or we are stuck staring down each other over matters on which we will not compromise.

                I do not care what the Gulf states do on their own soil, I just care that it stays confined to their own soil. I hold that principle to apply to us as well. The logical space to police to avoid conflict is the national border. Nobody that isn't serving our interests should be allowed to so much as put a toe over that border.

      • banana365 on 07/10/2025 - 20:37
        +3

        So racism isn't an issue that at all? Perhaps not if you're a westerner. Pretty sure there are plenty foreign workers there whose experience is different.

        • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 13:33
          -5

          especially if you're a westerner, for goodness sake learn the language when you work abroad, we are expected to be fluent in English.

          • studentl0an on 08/10/2025 - 09:53
            +6

            @subwoofer: Racism is a white man invention? Are you for real?

          • cfuse on 08/10/2025 - 17:41
            +1

            @subwoofer:

            racism is the only invention the white man won't take credit for.

            Ignoring that the British terminated the Atlantic slave trade is a hobby for some people.

      • 2esc on 08/10/2025 - 08:56
        +2

        Have you been out of the capital cities of Australia? Ive lived in a small town rural Victoria for 50 years yes there was rasicm growing up as a kid but for the last 20 plus years its been pretty rare. My kids have heaps of friends at school and its been pretty rare for them too and schools are usually one of the worst places.

      • cfuse on 08/10/2025 - 15:10
        +1

        Yeah, they'll publicly execute any race by hanging them from a crane. It's so progressive.

        • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 16:01
          -2

          Yes 'western values' are far too superior, we've seen them in action in Gaza

          • cfuse on 08/10/2025 - 18:14
            +6

            @subwoofer: Just ignore the massacre and hostages, right? Pretend that it's all just plucky little Gaza magically finding all that ordinance and military support by themselves, paid for by zero export revenue.

            Buddy, everyone knows who's bankrolling the Jihad and why. It's the same guys that won't accept a single Palestinian refugee. We get it, they hate the Jews in the same way Europe hates Russia and is willing to bankroll Ukraine for a proxy war. Some dumb uni student might be into the brain damaged slogans but the rest of us aren't buying it.

            I'll make it really easy for you: I don't care about Gaza and I don't care about Israel. I think the idea that thousands of years of tribal hatreds could ever be quelled by outside forces is idiocy. The only aspect I do care about is domestic traitors putting their tribal violence ahead of our interests. If I am forced to pick between savages that openly advocate for my murder, or an ethnostate that covertly undermines my interests, then I'll grudgingly pick the latter. Both of them suck.

            As for Western values, suffice it to say I believe that people have become divorced from the cost of their freedoms and that is an existential risk. The reason we are attacked is because those who attack us aren't afraid. That is a situation that can be remedied.

            • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 21:15

              @cfuse:

              It's the same guys that won't accept a single Palestinian refugee

              Seriously? 60% of the Jordanian population are Palestinians, there are over one million in Saudi Arabia, another 500 thousand in Egypt and hundreds of thousands in Syria. Lebanon has a half a million. However demanding that Arabs take the people that were ethnically cleansed from their homes is the equivalent of stabbing someone in the middle of the street then demanding why anybody isn't picking up the injured person?

              Buddy, everyone knows who's bankrolling the Jihad and why

              of course we know it's the same country they established, financed and trained hamas which is isreal. Benjamin Milekowski aka Netanyahu is on record saying hamas was an asset, after all they will have pretext to carry out the genocide if there is no hamas. He allowed Qatar to finance them for years.

              • cfuse on 09/10/2025 - 05:37

                @subwoofer: I see you left out the part when the Palestinian refugees arrived in the places they did. And the actual quantified numbers, being much lower than cited (not that that really matters). And the fact they weren't from Gaza. We could go on with that, but what's the point?

                I could certainly see why you might be confused as to my expectations in regards to Gaza but that is easily corrected. I don't expect a single Gazan to be helped by other Muslims because that would imply that to die in Jihad is not a virtuous act. What I think of the situation as a Westerner couldn't be further from what Muslims and Jews of the region think. A Western worldview sees a peaceful resolution as the end goal. Both the Islamic and Jewish hard-line worldviews see the extermination of the other as the end goal. Perhaps a pyrrhic one given how difficult an actual genocide is, but that's what they both want. They've wanted that for thousands of years, and they'll want it for thousands more.

                To look at this from a Western worldview is pointless, it presupposes predicates that don't apply and ignores ones that do. A fallacious mental model will always result in failed conclusions. Islamic and Jewish interests routinely exploit false conflation in the Western worldview for their own ends (eg. Israel is at fault whether or not they attack Qatar in your scenario, as you well know). And that's before we get to those within our own ranks doing exactly the same for their own reasons (turns out, war is very profitable).

                The simple test here is to ask you what you believe Israel has the right to do in its own defence, and ask what actions it has taken up to this point that you believe sound (whether or not you concur with them). If the answer is that nothing is ever acceptable to you then there is no discourse to be had, merely a final admission of your own tribalism. For my part, I can see the pragmatic logic in the actions of both sides, if not the ideological soundness underpinning the entire conflict in the first instance (the West got out of the Crusades, we used to be every bit as stupid and violent as the Muslims and Jews here). If you are stuck in a tit-for-tat game of endless violence with a foe that will never yield then what's left but to fight back?

                As I stated, I care nothing for either side here, nor their pointless and irreconcilable conflict. I want us to stay out of it completely (not going to happen, but neither is peace in the Middle East). I'm not here to pretend that any side is righteous, nor listen to specious claims in that direction. The both suck, there's nobody to cheer for, end of story.

      • R4 on 08/10/2025 - 02:47

        Multiculturalism doesn't exist - it's a socialist construct.

        • subwoofer on 08/10/2025 - 13:35
          -2

          well it does and I'm not in search of a new culture or identity

          • R4 on 08/10/2025 - 14:23
            -1

            @subwoofer: It doesn't exist in the West

  • sajidmib on 07/10/2025 - 11:08
    +3

    What field do you work in ? that have no opportunities here. Everything is same here and there in terms of jobs, except social housing, welfare etc

  • Cluster on 07/10/2025 - 11:21
    +3

    Lots of people like myself have visited Abu Dhabi or Dubai (an hour away by bus). I hope you like oppressive, relentless heat. Almost every day. There's a reason why you won't see Emiratis outside and only foreigners are working outdoors.

    Since you don't drink alcohol that's a key problem already solved.

  • Randxyz123 on 07/10/2025 - 15:02
    +3

    I moved to the UK for 3 years not the same place but in general I'd say not to ship stuff over when relocating. If work isn't paying it will likely be expensive and likely not worth it. It seems a bit strange to me they aren't paying to move all your stuff as well. As a few others have said it is a much different lifestyle over there and you have bugger all workers rights and what is on instagram isn't reality.

    That isn't to say don't go, there is an entire world out there to explore and it sounds like a fun opportunity to do this while you can.

    There is a Aussies in Dubai/Abu Dhabi Facebook page that I am in (at one point I looked into Dubai instead of London). People relocating back to Australia or elsewhere are always selling stuff. Especially things like coffee machines and furniture. I'd suggest reporting your question there as well as you'll get more experienced answers and might be able to nab some stuff cheaply if someone is headed back to Australia.
    You might want to ask in that group as well about an accountant who knows both systems and how to handle tax free wages and just tax in general. If you have HECS still you'll be expected to pay that off.

    • PChinna on 07/10/2025 - 15:23

      Great inputs. Thanks, will look for those groups and find out about my needs including the Tax related ones.

  • mungas on 10/10/2025 - 09:23
    +3

    Hey - tax person here. Alot of good points already raised above re tax. Moving overseas is generally a tricky one from an individual residency perspective.

    Essentially moving to UAE does not switch off your AU tax residency (assuming you currently are an AU res). What that means is that your worldwide income will be caught (taxed) under the AU tax system. You may have foreign tax credits available to reduce your tax in AU for foreign tax paid overseas (if any). I generally understand UAE does not levy individual taxes, therefore I dont expect any reduction in your AU tax (in this circumstance). There is also no double tax agreement between the AU and UAE.

    At the essence of individual residency is a concept called 'domicile'. What this means is that the Commissioner of Taxation will challenge whether you have established yourself in a particular place, and whether you have an intention to return. Quite often, expats move overseas however continue having their family in AU, keep their family house, gym memberships, drivers license etc. These factors are considered and will generally show your ties continue with AU.

    If your intention is to return to AU, then do nothing, apart from disclosing your worldwide income with the ATO.

    If you intend to cease residency in AU, then there are various things you should consider to have a clean break from AU; cancelling memberships, selling furniture, selling cars etc. When you however cease AU residency, you will subject to what is known as CGT Event I1, essentially you are deemed to have sold your non-taxable Australian property at its market value when ceasing residency. That means you are deemed to have disposed of assets such as your shares and cars. There is an election to defer this taxing point to these assets to the earlier of when you actually have a CGT event occur (such as selling your shares), or when you cease residency. This means it continues to be captured by the AU tax net, so if these assets appreciate in value, you may strategically consider that taking the hit today on deeming is better than letting accrued gains be taxed in the future.

    I wont go through what would happen with your entity structures (such as companies and trusts), however there is a high likelihood these will continue to be caught by the AU tax net unless you had them structured in a particular way.

    I understand this is alot so would recommend speaking to a tax specialist who deals with residency. Big 4 have global employment service teams who do this day in/out, however there may be smaller niche firms (some noted above)

    • mungas on 10/10/2025 - 18:01

      Sorry just noted a typo, should be “(such as selling your shares), or when you become a resident again”

  • jedimaster on 10/10/2025 - 00:04
    +2

    if you into visiting national parks like here in Australia, there is nothing over there like that. My former colleague who lives there, I see him doing dune bashing most weekends as there is not much to doo there except malls and other man-made stuff. Beaches are there but most of the time it would be very hot!

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