Moving During Ramadan in Dubai: Best Times and Tips

The best time to schedule a move during Ramadan in Dubai is a weekday morning in the first half of the month. Start at 7 or 8 am and plan to finish by early afternoon, because working hours are two hours shorter each day and most crews will be fasting. Try to be settled before the last ten days of Ramadan and the rush before Eid Al Fitr.

When is Ramadan 2027?

Ramadan starts when the new crescent moon is sighted, and the UAE follows the announcement of its official moon-sighting committee. It lasts 29 or 30 days and comes about 11 days earlier each year. The dates below are the astronomical expectation for the UAE; the official dates are confirmed only a day or so before.

When is Ramadan 2027?

	Expected date
First day of Ramadan 2027	Monday 8 February 2027
Eid Al Fitr 2027	Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March 2027
For reference: Ramadan 2026 in the UAE	Began Wednesday 18 February 2026; Eid Al Fitr was Friday 20 March 2026

Because the dates move, a lease that ends on 1 March falls in the middle of Ramadan in 2027. Check the dates as soon as you know your move-out date.

The best times to schedule a move during Ramadan

Which weeks

• The first two weeks are the easiest. Routines have settled, and some residents postpone moves until after Eid, so movers often have open dates.
• The last ten days are the most important part of the month for many Muslims, with long nights of prayer. Crews and building staff can be thinner on the ground, and demand rises as people try to move before the holiday.
• The Eid Al Fitr holiday itself is a poor choice. Many movers, building offices and service providers close or run skeleton teams.

Which hours

• Early morning is best. A 7 or 8 am start gives a fasting crew its strongest hours and avoids the warmest part of the day.
• Finish well before sunset. The fast is broken at Maghrib, the sunset prayer, and the crew will stop for iftar. A move that runs into the evening loses time around sunset.
• Evening moves after iftar are offered by some movers, mainly for apartments. Ask whether your building allows moves at that hour before you book one.

Which days

Monday to Thursday works best. Building management offices are open to fix permit or access problems, and on Fridays the day is broken up by the midday prayer. Weekend slots are the most requested at any time of year.

Moving before Eid

The week before Eid Al Fitr is one of the busiest of the year for movers, because many people want to be in their new home for the holiday. If you need to move before Eid:

• Book the mover three to four weeks ahead and ask for the date in writing.
• Apply for the building move permit and lift slot at both buildings early. Office hours are shorter, so approvals can take longer than usual.
• Avoid the last working day before the holiday. If anything slips, there may be nobody at the building office to fix it until after Eid.
• If your lease ends during the Eid holiday, ask your landlord or agent now whether you can hand back the keys a day or two before or after.

Moving in the week after Eid is often easier than squeezing in a move the day before it. Services return to normal hours after the holiday.

Managing a move during Ramadan

Building permits and lift bookings

Under UAE labour law, working hours are reduced by two hours a day during Ramadan for Muslim and non-Muslim employees alike. Many building management offices keep shorter hours as a result, and some buildings change the hours in which moves are allowed. Ask both buildings for their Ramadan move hours, apply for the permit earlier than you normally would, and confirm the lift booking two days before. Our guide to building management approval lists what to send.

Utilities and Ejari

DEWA move-in and move-out requests and Ejari registration and cancellation can be done online, so start them early in the month rather than relying on a service centre visit. See DEWA and utilities when you move for the steps.

Working with a fasting crew

• Avoid eating, drinking or smoking in front of crew members who are fasting. If some of the crew are not fasting, give them a private room with water.
• Do not expect the same pace in the afternoon as in the morning. Agree in advance which rooms come first.
• If the move runs to sunset, let the crew stop to break the fast. Dates and water, or laban, are the traditional way to break it, and offering them is a kind gesture.
• Tipping is up to you. If you want guidance, see our page on tipping movers in Dubai.

Bigger homes

With shorter working days, a large villa may not fit into one morning. Ask the mover whether it would split the job over two days, for example packing on day one and loading and unloading on day two, and how that changes the price.

Parking and neighbours

Paid parking hours change during Ramadan, so check the signs and meters by your building if helpers are coming by car. Keep noise down in the evening, when neighbours are breaking their fast and going to prayers.

Is it cheaper to move during Ramadan?

Not automatically. In the first weeks some movers have more open dates, which gives you more room to negotiate. On the other hand, shorter working days can turn a one-day move into a two-day job, which costs more. Ask two or three movers to quote the same inventory for a date in Ramadan and a date after Eid, and compare. Our page on typical moving costs in Dubai shows the usual ranges by home size.

A Ramadan moving timeline

• Six weeks before: check the expected Ramadan and Eid dates against your lease dates and decide whether to move before, during or after.
• Four weeks before: request quotes, choose a mover and a weekday morning date in the first half of the month, and ask both buildings for their Ramadan move hours.
• Two weeks before: apply for move permits and lift slots, and start DEWA and Ejari changes online.
• The week before: finish packing everything except daily essentials, and confirm the start time and crew size with the mover.
• Move day: be ready when the crew arrives, keep the order of rooms agreed, and plan for the work to stop before sunset.

Planning a move around Ramadan? Request a free quote and mention your preferred date and start time. Tell us about your move and we pass your request to a moving company that serves your area. Our page on home movers in Dubai explains what a home move usually includes.