Blog: Moving from UAE

“UAE is the place full of opportunities. It is the best country to start living the fullest”.

Hi, my name is Samira, at the moment I live in UAE together with my family. I enjoy travelling and exploring new locations and cultures. That is why quite a while ago, I moved from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland. It was the best decision in my life and I would like to share with you my experience of my international move.

When I was 23 years old, I had a dream to study abroad and afterwards travel around the world. I thought that one of the options could be to move to Europe and then start my expedition. Back then I was freshly graduated and I wanted to continue studying. I found a perfect master’s programme in Geneva, Switzerland. I am not going to lie, it was a tough decision because I did want to leave my family and friends. My passion and dream to explore the world helped me to overcome my doubts and I started to look for the best options.

It took me some time to pack my belongings. I wanted to move only personal things because I knew that it was a temporal move. Beginnings are always hard because I had to arrange plenty of things beforehand. So, I found ReloAdvisor. I used their website to receive four quotations. I enjoyed their service because after I submitted the request, I received a call from them. The staff was friendly and helpful, they provided me with solid advice. I can declare that their service was pleasant and quick because I got the price indication even the same day and I could move forward with my relocation process. After I compared the prices and chose a company, I had another headache relating to visa regulations. I had to contact the embassy to arrange a suitable visa.

UAE

Tips from a mover

I would like to give an important tip – pack only the most important items and inform the moving company about the volume. Before I went to Switzerland, I asked to move only 10 medium boxes. It made it super easy to relocate such an amount of items quicker. My belongings arrived in Switzerland within few weeks and all boxes came unripped or damaged.

Also, I have some personal tips, which can help you to move from UAE more convenient. Firstly, it is important to arrange the visa. Despite that Switzerland does not belong to the EU, this country requires a visa. You can do it two ways, either ask the embassy to arrange it or submit the online application from the immigration website. Since I was a master’s student I applied for a student visa, but there are different ones too, such as work or family reunion visas.

It is important to make good research before moving out. My first step was getting to know the country I was planning to move to. I read other blogs, watched videos and asked my own connections for some information. Following up, I did extensive research about moving companies. For me at that time was important to find a company, which has additional services such as packing and insurance. I wanted to make sure that I will not face any damages. In addition, for me, it was important to have constant communication either by email or phone. A big plus is when the moving companies use social media channels. Since I was moving quite far, I needed to be assured that my belongings reach the location and deliver them from door to door.

Eventually, I moved my items successfully and I had a smooth start in Geneva!

I want to wish you good luck with your move! Make sure that you prepare your move in advance and make good research. Also, make sure to have constant communication with the moving companies and ask for necessary services.

 

UAE

“UAE is like a Disney world, but bigger, more exciting and full of social life!”

My name is Bryan, I am 32 years old and I moved to Dubai a year ago. What I can say? It was a big change, but totally worth it. I want to share with you my experience, I hope it will inspire you to grab your bags and explore the United Arab Emirates.

Before telling you my story, I want to thank ReloAdvisor for their help. The service they provided was excellent, I received four quotes from them very fast. The staff was super helpful and answered all my questions. The companies, which contacted me were professional and helped me with all inquires. I highly recommend trying ReloAdvisor.

The whole life I was living in London, United Kingdom. I was working in an IT software company, where I had present our company to partners and make business connections. I enjoyed my working environment and I had amazing colleagues. Back then, I had never imagined my life outside the UK. I thought I had everything in one place. However, this mindset quickly changed.

My friends started to travel more often and even moving away from the UK. The experiences they shared inspired me to make some research and check whether I can upgrade my routine and try something new. The pictures and videos on social media made me realise how many beautiful places the world has and I want to explore them.

So, my ex-colleague from work offered me to check the United Arab Emirates. He said that it is the most dynamic and growing country. He assured me to search for bigger opportunities and even create my own business.

Moving process

First, I decided to search for information about the Emirates. I was reading many successful blogs from expat websites about international moving to Emirates, which inspired me to look where I could relocate myself. I found out that there are seven separate emirate states: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. Each state has local government and different laws.

After reading about each state, my eye caught on Dubai.  When I saw pictures and videos, I immediately imagined myself living there. However, I needed to find a way how to arrange a visa, accommodation and work.

It took me a while to arrange everything for this international move. Firstly, I found a job, which helped me to get a working visa in Dubai. I have to warn you, it is much convenient to get a visa beforehand and make sure that a new employer can help you with the moving process. What was really fascinating that the company I got the job of, assisted me in all legal documentation and healthcare.

The next headache was to find a house or an apartment in Dubai. Comparing to UK prices, it was slightly pricy. Most houses I looked for were not fully or even semi-furnished. I did have specific requirements, only that the house could be nearby the office.

The next step was to search for a moving company. I was looking into different websites, tried to receive quotes from different moving companies. As I mentioned before I highly recommend ReloAdvisor. My goal was to move a full container, which would be filled with furniture and boxes.

 

A tip

A small tip from me is to pack everything compact because moving to Dubai is relatively pricy. Also, make sure to discuss all the details with the moving company. It can be anything, but in my case, I needed insurance because I had some fragile items and extra relocation services already arranged. Please, do not get scared that it can be pricy, but trust me. If you want your items to arrive on time and at the right location, you have to carefully select the company. Overall, the moving process was smooth and I was so happy to be able to finally live in Dubai.

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Believe me, it is one of the nicest places I have ever been to! It is always sunny and warm. You can forget about raincoats and umbrellas. I was super enthusiastic about social life. In Dubai, you can meet people from all around the world, not only develop business connections but have a good time.