Your first 30 days in Dubai: a tech worker's setup checklist

Dubai setup is a dependency chain: some things block others, so order matters. You cannot open a proper bank account without an Emirates ID, you cannot sign a lease cleanly without a way to pay, and you cannot get utilities without a tenancy contract. Do it in this sequence and nothing stalls.

Week 1 — residency and identity

1. Complete your medical fitness test. Your employer's PRO books it. Same-day or 1–3 days.

2. Do your Emirates ID biometrics. Fingerprints and photo at an ICP centre. The physical card arrives by post in days to a couple of weeks, but the ID number is issued quickly and that number is what unlocks everything else.

3. Let the residence visa finalise. Once the medical and biometrics are done, your employer completes the residence visa. You are now a legal resident.

4. Get a local SIM. Etisalat (e&) or du. A prepaid tourist SIM works on arrival with just your passport; convert to a postpaid plan once your Emirates ID number is issued. You need a UAE number for bank OTPs and app verifications.

Week 2 — money

5. Open a bank account. Bring your Emirates ID (or the ID number plus application proof), passport, visa, and a salary certificate or employment letter from your employer. Emirates NBD, ADCB, Mashreq, and others are common. This can take a few days; some banks issue an account number quickly and the debit card follows.

6. Give your employer your account details for payroll. Salaries run through the Wage Protection System, so your employer needs your account to pay you legally.

Weeks 2–4 — home

7. Find a flat. Use a RERA-registered agent. Budget for the upfront structure: first rent instalment (often a large cheque), a 5% deposit, ~5% agency commission, and utility deposits. Serviced apartments are a sane bridge while you search — see the neighborhoods guide for where to look.

8. Get an Ejari. Ejari is the official registration of your tenancy contract. Your agent usually handles it. You need it for utilities and it protects your tenancy rights.

9. Set up DEWA (utilities). Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. Register with your Ejari and Emirates ID, pay the deposit, and power/water is connected. Internet (Etisalat or du home) is a separate signup.

Ongoing — the rest

• Nol card for the metro, tram, and buses. Cheap and worth it even if you drive, for the central corridor.
• Driving. Many European licences can be converted to a UAE licence without a full test — check your country's status. Until then, ride-hailing (Careem, Uber) is everywhere.
• Health insurance card. Employer-provided insurance is mandatory; get your card and know your network hospitals.
• RTA / Salik if you buy or lease a car — Salik is the automatic road toll.
• Register with your embassy (optional but sensible).

The mistakes that cost time

• Trying to open a bank account before the Emirates ID number exists. It blocks. Wait for the number.
• Signing a 12-month lease in week one before you know the city. Neighborhoods feel different lived-in; bridge with a serviced apartment.
• Underestimating the upfront cash. Between deposits, commission, and a large rent cheque, the first month can demand a big lump sum. Arrive liquid.
• Losing the paper trail. Keep digital copies of your passport, visa, Emirates ID, Ejari, and tenancy contract in one place — you will be asked for them repeatedly.

Do the chain in order — ID number, SIM, bank, flat, Ejari, DEWA — and a normal setup takes two to four weeks with no dead ends. Then the only real task left is not blowing the tax-free salary on brunch.