One of the things that surprises and frustrates people most when planning a move to the UAE is the amount of paperwork involved in almost everything you have to do to get set up. You will have to apply for a residence visa, labour card - which require quite a few documents - driving license, liquor license (yes, you can consume alcohol here), tenancy contract (depending on your company), credit card and many other bits and pieces which make life easier - eventually!
The main documents such as the residence visa and the labour card will be taken care of by the PRO in the company you will work for. However, you need to provide the correct paperwork. The other licences and permits are either done by yourself or your PRO, depending on the company.
To assist speedy handling of your paperwork, there is some work you could do in advance of your arrival in the UAE. Your documents such as degrees, diplomas etc as well as marriage certificate, birth certificates need to be attested by the UAE embassy and stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country. Sometimes, a future employer will contact your university or college to verify your qualifications, so you should check if you need all qualifications stamped. In addition, many people go to their local registry office or council and buy additional original birth or marriage certificates (1 or 2). To complete some applications, you will need to submit originals (these are returned with the processed document), but if you need more than one at a time, it can be useful to have a couple.
Those with children will need to bring school reports and transfer letters. The Ministry of Education here is quite strict on the level a student can enter based on age etc. A full transcript on arrival will make it easier for you to get your child successfully registered in a school. At the moment however, I would strongly recommend contacting schools well in advance of your arrival, as places in Abu Dhabi schools are very difficult to secure.
When you arrive in Abu Dhabi, you will need to copy everything about 5 times and get about 50 passport photos taken to get you started with the paperwork. There are many shops here where you can get these done quite cheaply so I would advise waiting until your arrival to get them.
It is always advisable to have a copy of your passport stored safely while your residence visa is being processed (you do not have your passport for this time), as this may be your only proof of identification.
As always, if in doubt, ask the PRO/HR person of your company to clarify the documentation needed before you arrive. It can be very costly to stamp and verify documents once you arrive here, even if you have an embassy in Abu Dhabi.
One final note: this year Ramadan (the month of fasting) will fall at the beginning of September. For those considering a move to Abu Dhabi in time for the academic year, I would recommend arriving mid August. This will ensure that you will get your paperwork started before Ramadan begins, when working hours are shorter and therefore everything takes longer to process.
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Thanks for highlighting what we will need when we move over this September. Anything we can do now to speed up the process will hopefully make our lives a bit easier upon arrival and no doubt some of the documents may take some time to issue.
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