Moving To Dubai

[ttthailand]

I just accepted an offer of a job in Dubai. Has anyone lived there together, man and woman, and not been married ? The law is clear that it is not accepted but is it done ? I am not in Thailand currently and will need to go directly there and wanted to bring Thai Fiancee there without going to Thailand to get married and then bring. I am thinking to perhaps get married there. Any comments, any suggestions ?

[tarakandi]

Yes you can live with your girlfriend in Dubai, the only time I have heard of problems is when there has been some sort of dispute and one of the parties has informed the authorities.

[SweatySock]

I lived in the United Arab Emirates, both Dubai and Abu Dhabi for more than 10 years. It is illegal to co-habit with a person of the opposite sex unless you are married. That is the law and please don't forget that this is an Islamic country.

However, with the huge amount of tourists and business visitors to Dubai, it has become common for people to co-habit and the authorities, up to now, have turned a blind eye.

A couple of points to be aware of if you intend to take your Thai GF with you, what visa will you obtain for her? To acquire a residency visa (4 years) a work permit is required or a husband may sponsor his wife or vice versa. If you are going to get her a tourist visa, these are only valid for 3 months then she must leave the country until you acquire another visa.

Good luck with your time in the Land of the Sand.

[SweatySock]

I lived in the United Arab Emirates, both Dubai and Abu Dhabi for more than 10 years. It is illegal to co-habit with a person of the opposite sex unless you are married. That is the law and please don't forget that this is an Islamic country.

However, with the huge amount of tourists and business visitors to Dubai, it has become common for people to co-habit and the authorities, up to now, have turned a blind eye.

A couple of points to be aware of if you intend to take your Thai GF with you, what visa will you obtain for her? To acquire a residency visa (4 years) a work permit is required or a husband may sponsor his wife or vice versa. If you are going to get her a tourist visa, these are only valid for 3 months then she must leave the country until you acquire another visa.

Good luck with your time in the Land of the Sand.

Sorry should have read "Visit Visa" not "Tourist Visa".

[ttthailand]

Thanks for the info sweatysock. The company I will be working for will have a visit visa for her. She has a Thai Law degree and my be able to get a local job. Not in law but perhaps something in hotel or other business, who knows ...

Any one know anything about getting married there, Thai and American. I checked out the web and got some info but all will help. Any other information that might be useful is welcomed.

Thanks all !

[b19bry]

Hi ttthailannd,

You should be ok living together so long as you keep a low profile. I had my Thai gf with me here for a couple of months on a visit visa before we got married in Thailand and it was fine. We now live in Dubai and she has a residence visa on my sponsorship.

If you step out of line the consequences can be pretty severe as witnessed in this recent case : http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article...jail-Dubai.html

I've lived here for 8 years and don't know anyone who has 'chosen' to get married in Dubai. I would say if you plan that, be ready for a lot of frustration and running around for officially stamped and translated documents (It took a mornings work to complete the official process for us in BKK).

Once your gf is here on a visit visa she will have to go out of the country every 90 days to renew this (tourist visa is 30 days), although I heard immigration are now clamping down on this. Otherwise you will need to marry and sponsor her for a residence visa. If she then wants to work there may be issues since she would then be under your sponsorship on a 'non-working' residence visa.

In any case it's unlikely your gf/wife will get a job in law here, she may well get a job in a hotel for example but it's most likely, as a Thai national, she will get paid peanuts.

Do make sure your contract provides adequate accommodation as prices are spiralling here now.

Good luck in your new venture in Dubai.

[Pseacraft]

I would advise against it, and think your better off getting married first. Yes, you can get away with co-habitation as mentioned but be advised that any kind of public affection will get the attention of the Dubai authorities. I work in Abu Dhabi and have noticed a trend in Dubai in th elast 18 months towards being more conservative than the image they try to portray. They have resently started enforcing rules that forbid "bachelors" from living in the same building/neighborhoods as families, all it takes is one phone call and your out of your residence. These are the areas where most normal westerners would prefer to live. There are numerous press notices in the local papers about westerners in trouble at the airport and the beaches for displaying too much affection such as kissing; granted some are way over the top also. There are places were you can behave normally, by our standards

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/07/13/10228444.html

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/07/19/10230049.html

On a bigger note that no one has mentioned is the visa rules are changing significantly effective August 1. Visit visas are to be more strictly regulated nationwide; foreigners with a residence visa can no longer sponsor a friend to visit - only an national can; the term of a visit visa is to be 30 days, there are schemes to get a 60 day visit but you pay extra and god knows what else; a visit visa must be sponsored by a hotel or tour company if not by a national; you can no longer depart the country and re-enter to acquire a new visit visa, this part is not really new but is now to be seriously enforced, there is some scheme in place with time limits similar to LOS but stricter. There are many changes but unfortunately it has proven to be difficult to find all of the facts in black and white, we have tried as many of our people are here on visit visas which are illegal anyways.

Good luck with the new job!

Eric

Abu Dhabi

[justaskdan]

Moving to Dubai was the best thing for me and my family. We recently had our second daughter here. Our first was born in Phuket where we lived for four years. This is our first year in the UAE and we both absolutely love it. There is nothing dangerous about the UAE as long as you respect the laws and culture. All of the advice that I have read here is excellent and I will add what I can although most will be redundant.

You must get married before you arrive. A paper wedding takes 24 hours in Bangkok. We got our piece of paper in less than 4 hours driving around Bangkok. You should get it translated to English as you will need to get it attested here in order to qualify for your residence permit. Also, we found it impossible to get my wife’s security clearance until I had my residence permit first which took a month, so don’t make the mistake that we did. You will not be coming together. Many people will tell you that it is possible as they did with us, yet it was not possible. I work for the federal government and I was not able to get my wife here at the same time as I came even though they told us it was possible.

It will be better for you to come and get set up and learn the ropes before your wife arrives anyways. Expat areas are very nice places to live but very expensive as well. I am sure your company will be providing you with housing and you will learn about Dubai and your area where you live. We live in an area that is mostly locals in large villas next to the beach as we did not want to live in an apartment and the government provides us with a 150,000AED a year for housing. There is very little public transportation here and taxis although plentiful can sometimes be hard to get at peak times. Make sure you have either a western or international drivers license which can easily be traded for a UAE license. Used cars are very cheap out here as is petrol.

Do your internet research and get a few books on living in the UAE. If you have any specific questions or would like to meet once you are here please PM me. Good luck in your move and I think you are o n the right track. But make sure you get your marriage license before you come. I am sure your fiancé would not appreciate a 50 degree prison cell with 80 roommates.

[Redsands]

Hi, re the move to Dubai, please note that new visa rules come into effect on the 1st of August, and visit visas cost Dhs 500 for 30 days and Dhs 1000 for 90 days. You then have to exit back to yoyr country and wait fro another 90 days before you can apply. Also, there was a rule that single women under 28 could not enter witout a sponsor, but i am not sure if that rule still applies. Depending where you live in Dubai, the Thai community is not that large, so unless your girlfirens speaks good English, she may well find it lonely. The comments about living together and not being married are being enforced, in the main in Sharjah. One final note, accomodation is EXPENSIVE, VERY.

best og Luck

redsands

[Pseacraft]

- Juastaskdan raises a very good point that I will add to ie drivers license.

Once you get your Residence Visa you MUST get the UAE Drivers License as the International Drivers Permit becomes invalid here under UAE law. To drive without one on the Residence Visa is illegal - been there done that, got a royal butt chewing and couldn't drive for almost a week but luckily didn't get the normal fine. Some rules/laws are applied in different ways depending on your country of origin, like GCC states and certain type of UK passport holders differ from the reset of us.

The cost of living is very expensive and continues to rise. I'm, read my company first then our customer is, paying 200K AED for my 2 bedroom 110 square meter flat with underground parking in a new high rise in Abu Dhabi. The rates for the same flat have gone up over 30K in the last 3 months. There are many areas where one can get a "fair" (stretching the word) rent but a lot of areas also come with their own challenges. Just make sure you get a place with reserved parking!!!!!! Or you'll be sorry.

The Thai community is very small here so she might feel isolated. I know of about 2 dozen Thai and have bumped into a handful more. They seem to socialize in very tight circles and do not know of those outside their own. The embassy is in a small villa and is helpful to falang and hit or miss to nationals.

The UAE is a totalitarian regime that on paper looks like a unified country but is still very tribal in rules, laws and interpretation of national laws, each emirate acting on it's own accord. Everything is nationalized some at the proper national level and some at the emirate level. As example diesel fuel is double in Dubai what it costs in Abu Dhabi because Abu Dhabi has the only refinery in the country. But on a whole its like any place else, wonderful times and PP times; good people and bad apples.

Good luck,

Eric

ps...you can keep that traffic and Salik up in Dubai too!! :-) Unfortunately were going to be just as bad soon.

[sandmike]

Good luck with your new job, and getting your fiancee into Dubai.

I have a Thai wife and we live in Bahrain, and got (officially) married here after the Thai wedding. The Thai embassy can marry you, but you need to be a UAE resident, and there is all the paperwork to sort out - probably not much more than the paperwork for Thailand, but it's probably easier to do the wedding registration in Bangkok.

One more thing, there are 2 Thai tv channels on the hotbird satellite, TGN, which offers a selection from several Thai tv channels, and the dhamma channel, which is a buddhist religious channel.

[mrbojangles]

I have a Thai wife and we live in Bahrain,

I live in Riyadh and am driving down to Bahrain in about 3 hours, for a well deserved "blow out"

[ClaytonSeymour]

I have a Thai wife and we live in Bahrain,

I live in Riyadh and am driving down to Bahrain in about 3 hours, for a well deserved "blow out"

[b19bry]

Looks like they are indeed clamping down on visa-runs (from today's Gulf News):

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Immigration...s/10231176.html

The only viable option now to get your fiance/gf here would appear to be a residence visa, and for that you first need to be married.

[mrbojangles]

I have a Thai wife and we live in Bahrain,

I live in Riyadh and am driving down to Bahrain in about 3 hours, for a well deserved "blow out"

Miserable git.

[Livinginexile]

Sounds like a few of us TV members live in the UAE!!

Maybe we should organise a get together sometime.

PM me if interested

[FBN]

This came on e-mail today: (Currently in Qatar)

ANTICIPATE CONFUSION DURING INTRODUCTION OF NEW VISA REGULATIONS

New visa regulations on 28 July came into force, though officials stated that the new system would probably take months to implement fully.

Nationals of 33 countries who can currently receive a 30-day entry permit on arrival, including the US, the UK, Japan, Australia and most Western European nations, will remain exempt from the new regime, which is intended to prevent the practice of workers staying in the UAE on a series of short-term visas. Personnel with concerns over their visa eligibility are advised to contact their nearest UAE embassy or consulate for full details. Despite the uncertainty over the introduction of the new rules, business travelers should be prepared to comply immediately. The changes are likely to cause delays; personnel should allow additional time for the processing of visas and anticipate delays at airports as incoming passengers are subjected to increased scrutiny.

The regulations have been introduced to reduce the number of illegal workers in the UAE; the main change specifies that nationals of countries not on the exemption list must return to their home country once their visa expires, rather than crossing the border briefly before re-entering the country and gaining another short-term visa. In addition, a fee of 500 dirhams ($140) is payable each time a national of a non-exempt country enters the Emirates for a 30-day stay. Business groups have expressed concern over the move, claiming that the reform will hinder recruitment from countries such as India, Pakistan and the Philippines for low-paid jobs in the tourism and service sectors. An official from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) cited by the local media stated that he was unsure when immigration officials would begin to enforce the rules fully and was awaiting guidance from the authorities.

[Jose]

Thinking of moving to Dubai? Some points to think about:

The dark side of Dubai.

[beano2274]

Anyone got info about Telecommunication jobs over there in the Saudi, Dubai, etc.

Stuck in Thailand wanting to spread my wings

[tutsiwarrior]

My wife and I were married at the Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2000. The embassy folks then were friendly and helpful. I was a resident at the time. One requirement was that you must obtain obtain a notarized declaration from your embassy that you are free to marry; i.e., no divorce pending or in the works and I got in under the wire as my decree absolute from the UK had just been issued. I had been living with my wife in a western compound for 6 months previous and there were a number of other casual falang/thai living arrangements that we knew of and no one worried. We lived there happily for 4 years and were sad to leave.

Regarding UAE driving licenses; they used to be issued on a reciprocal basis only if the applicant's license was issued in the same country as his passport. I had a UK license and carry a US passport; had to make a special trip (paid for by employer) to the US to renew my CA DL before I could obtain the UAE license. As was advised in another post you must have a UAE license to drive if you are a resident.

good luck and all the best...

[asiaquakedb-tester]

Anyone got info about Telecommunication jobs over there in the Saudi, Dubai, etc.

Stuck in Thailand wanting to spread my wings

Howdy beano2274, I wouldn't advise to work in Dubai at the moment due to the nonsense in terms of work permit issuance going on there and the market is pretty much in a mess as well, however, PM me with your details or a contact number and I will get in touch with regards to Teleco jobs in Saudi (do you have a preference on location - Eastern Province, Western or Riyadh?).

Yes mods, this is off-topic... but thought of answering the mate ;-)

[proximity]

So is anyone in Dubai these days? I've been here two years and looks like I'll survive this downturn.