Moving to Abu Dhabi

Moving to Abu Dhabi comes down to a handful of property decisions: how you will get a residence visa, which area to live in, whether to rent or buy, and what it all costs. Everything else — a bank account, a tenancy, connecting the power — follows from those.

This guide is the map. It takes each stage in turn and links to the detailed guide for it. Where Abu Dhabi does things its own way — Tawtheeq instead of Ejari, ADDC instead of DEWA, ADEK instead of the KHDA — the linked guides cover the specifics.

Almost everything — a long-term tenancy, a bank account, school enrolment, a car — needs a UAE residence visa and an Emirates ID. Most people arrive on an employer-sponsored work visa. If you are self-sponsoring, the main routes are the 10-year Golden Visa (which a property worth at least AED 2 million can bring) and the remote-work and freelance permits. In Abu Dhabi, the Golden Visa is handled through the Residents Office (ADRO).

Sort the visa route first, because it shapes everything after it — including whether buying a property is part of your plan.

Abu Dhabi spreads across the main island, the newer island communities and the mainland suburbs, and the right area depends on your budget, your commute, whether you have school-age children, and whether you want an apartment by the water or a villa with a garden. Shortlist a few areas before you look at individual homes.

The island communities — Yas, Saadiyat, Al Reem and Al Raha Beach — and mainland areas such as Khalifa City and Al Reef are where most expatriate buyers and renters look. Browse what is available to narrow it down:

Most newcomers rent first — it keeps you flexible while you learn the city and decide where you want to settle. Buying tends to win the longer you will stay, because you build equity instead of paying rent, and a property worth at least AED 2 million can bring the Golden Visa with it. As a non-GCC foreign buyer, bear in mind that freehold is limited to Abu Dhabi's designated investment zones.

Weigh the two, and read up on whichever you choose:

Once you have signed for a home, a short run of admin turns it into a place you can live in:

• Register the tenancy (Tawtheeq). A tenancy in Abu Dhabi is registered on Tawtheeq — the step you need to connect utilities, enrol children and sponsor family.
• Connect ADDC. Electricity and water come from ADDC, and a Tawtheeq-registered lease sets the account up automatically; a deposit and the municipality housing fee are added to the bill.
• Budget the move-in costs. A security deposit, the agency fee, the Tawtheeq fee and the ADDC deposit come on top of your first rent cheque — our renting guide adds them up.

Housing is by far the biggest cost, followed by school fees for families, utilities and cooling, transport and health insurance. There is no personal income tax, but 5% VAT applies to most goods and services, and expatriate tenants pay a municipality housing fee on the utility bill.

We don't quote prices — they vary by area, school and lifestyle — but our cost-of-living guide shows what makes up the total and where to check each figure from the authority that sets it.

If you are moving with children, schools often decide the area — so shortlist them early. Private school fees and inspection ratings are published by ADEK, Abu Dhabi's education authority and the emirate's counterpart to Dubai's KHDA. Health insurance is mandatory for Abu Dhabi residents, regulated by the Department of Health (DOH); an employer usually covers the employee, and you pay for dependants.

Both feed back into the area choice and the budget, so settle them alongside the home, not after it.