Dubai Moving Checklist: 8-Week Timeline

8 weeks before

The first two weeks are about fixing the date, because almost everything else is booked against it.

• Read your tenancy contract. Find the notice period and how notice must be given, and whether the landlord wants the unit painted or cleaned at handover. Diarise the last day you can give notice.
• Confirm the new home’s dates. Check the start date of the new lease and whether there is a gap or an overlap with the old one. A few days of overlap makes the move far easier.
• Start sorting what to keep. Every item you sell or donate is one less to pack and pay to move. Begin with storerooms, balconies and the kitchen.
• Request moving quotes. Give the same inventory, floors and access details to each mover so the quotes compare like with like. Typical prices by home size are on the moving costs page.
• Find out who manages both buildings. Ask your current landlord and the new one which portal or office issues the move permit. The permits guide lists the main ones.

6 weeks before

• Give notice in writing as your contract requires, and ask the landlord how and when the security deposit is returned.
• Choose the mover and confirm the scope. Get the date, crew, number of trucks, what is packed, what is dismantled and the price in writing. Ask what its liability is for damage and whether transit insurance is available (insurance and claims guide).
• Tell the schools. If children are changing school, confirm the leaving date with the old school and start the new school’s admission.
• Decide on storage if the dates do not line up. The storage guide explains the options and what to ask.
• Get boxes and materials if you are packing yourself. The packing checklist estimates how many you need.

4 weeks before: permits, Ejari and utilities

This is the week that decides whether moving day runs on time. Three sets of paperwork run in parallel: the new tenancy registration, the two move permits and the utilities.

Register the new Ejari

Register the new tenancy as soon as the contract is signed. Online through the Dubai REST app or the DLD website it costs AED 177.75; at a trustee centre AED 220. The certificate comes by email. Details are in the Ejari guide.

Apply for both move permits

You need permission to leave the old building and to enter the new one. Minimum notice differs by manager: Emaar Community Management asks for at least one business day, Nakheel recommends 3 to 4 working days, DHCM asks for 48 hours in its app and 3 days for a move-in under its rules, and wasl takes about 2 working days to process. Apply now and you will not be caught by any of them.

Book the service lift at both buildings

The permit does not always reserve the lift. Ask each building for a slot on the same day, the slot length and the lift size, and send them to the mover. See the lift booking guide.

Line up the utilities

• DEWA for the new home: tenants outside free zones receive the contract account number and the deposit request (AED 2,000 for a flat, AED 4,000 for a villa) after Ejari is completed.
• District cooling: ask the landlord whether the new building uses a provider such as Empower, and register with it.
• Internet: book the du Home Relocation (AED 100) or e& Home Move (AED 150 plus VAT) for the day after you move.

The utilities guide has every step and fee in order.

2 weeks before

• Pack room by room, starting with what you use least. Label each box with the room and a short list of contents on two sides.
• Request the DEWA move-out for your leaving date and the district cooling final settlement if the old home has one. DEWA emails the final bill within 24 working hours of the move-out date.
• Measure large furniture and the lifts and doors at the new home, so the mover knows what to dismantle.
• Book cleaning and handyman work for the old home if your contract asks for it, and for curtains, TV mounts and lights at the new one.
• Start updating your address with banks, insurers and deliveries. The change of address checklist lists who to tell.

The last week

• Confirm the time, crew size, truck and both lift slots with the mover, and forward both permits.
• Check the truck route with the mover against the RTA rules: from 1 October 2026 trucks may not use Sheikh Zayed Road between 6 am and 10 pm.
• Pack an essentials bag for the first night: documents, chargers, medicines, toiletries, a change of clothes, bedding and basic kitchen items.
• Empty, defrost and dry the fridge and freezer the day before.
• Carry cash, jewellery, passports and Emirates IDs yourself rather than sending them on the truck.
• Take photos of the old home’s condition and of the meters.

The RTA’s full list of restricted roads and hours is on its truck restrictions page.

Moving day

• Be at the old building when the crew arrives, with the move-out permit on your phone and printed if the community asks for paper.
• Walk the crew through the home and point out fragile and high-value items.
• Check the lift protection is fitted before loading starts, and photograph the lift and corridor.
• Do a last walk-through of every room, cupboard and balcony before the truck leaves.
• Hand back keys and access cards as the landlord and community ask, and get it confirmed.
• At the new home, show the move-in permit at the gate and direct each box to its room.
• Check furniture and boxes for visible damage before you sign the delivery sheet, and write any damage on it.

Your first week in the new home

The first days in a new Dubai home are mostly about records: what state it was in, and whether the old home is closed off.

The first 24 hours

• Photograph every room, including existing marks, so you have evidence for the deposit when you leave this home too.
• Photograph the meter readings if you can reach them.
• Test the air conditioning in each room, the water pressure and drainage, the lights and the sockets.
• Find the main water valve and the electrical panel.
• Check that doors, windows and balcony doors lock.

Within the first few days

• Activate or collect the access cards. In Emaar communities, tenants activate the landlord’s cards on the community portal; in DHCM communities, vehicles and household staff are registered before cards are issued.
• Confirm the internet installation date and keep the old router’s cables together.
• Report any defects in the new home to the landlord in writing, with photos.
• Report any moving damage to the mover in writing, with photos, as soon as you find it.

By the end of the first week

• Check the old home’s DEWA final bill and that the deposit balance has been refunded or transferred.
• Check the district cooling final bill if the old home had one.
• Finish updating your address with banks, insurers, schools and deliveries.
• Get rid of packing waste properly. Community rules, such as DHCM’s, do not allow boxes or old furniture in common areas; use a junk removal service for bulky items.

Moving to Dubai from abroad

If you are relocating to Dubai rather than moving within it, two things are added to the plan above: your household goods clear customs, and the local paperwork has to be done in a set order.

Shipping your household goods into Dubai

Dubai Customs exempts used household items from duty for foreigners coming to live in the UAE for the first time, and for UAE nationals returning for good, on these conditions:

• The items are used and in quantities suitable for furnishing a home.
• They are shipped in the name of the person who is moving.
• You show proof of work and residence, and a packing list of the full contents.
• New items are not exempt and pay customs duty.

Ask your international mover for a packing list that matches the shipment box by box. The international moving guides cover sea and air freight and the documents for common routes.

The order of local paperwork