Destination guide
Moving to Dubai
Zero income tax, year-round sun, residency routes for every profile.
Dubai is the world's most visible zero-income-tax city — a cosmopolitan hub of some 200 nationalities where English is the working language. The trade-offs are real: health insurance is private and mandatory, there is no state pension for expatriates, and summer heat shapes the calendar.
Currency
UAE dirham (AED)
Language
Arabic & English
Residency routes
Golden · Green · Retirement · Remote work
Tax highlight
0% personal income tax
There is no personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no tax on rental income in the UAE. Companies pay 9% corporate tax on profits above AED 375,000, and free-zone companies with qualifying income can still sit at 0%. VAT is a light 5%.
Estate planning deserves early attention: UAE courts may apply Sharia inheritance principles by default, so expatriates commonly register a will with the DIFC Wills Service to ensure assets pass exactly as intended.
- 0% personal income tax
- 0% capital gains and rental tax
- 9% corporate tax above AED 375,000 of profit
- Free-zone 0% options for qualifying income
- 5% VAT; DIFC wills for succession certainty
Healthcare is world-class and entirely private for expatriates: insurance is mandatory, with employers required to cover employees in Dubai and sponsors covering dependants. Reputable plans start around AED 5,000–10,000 a year for a healthy adult.
Public hospitals serve Emirati nationals; expatriates choose among internationally accredited private groups such as Mediclinic, Aster and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi next door. Waiting times are short and costs, while above Europe's, sit far below the US.
- Mandatory private health insurance
- Employers must cover staff; sponsors cover dependants
- Outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi, employers must buy at least the AED 320/year basic federal package (since 2025)
- Cover from ~AED 5,000–10,000/year
- Globally accredited hospitals, short waits
The UAE has no state pension for expatriates, so retirement planning is entirely self-directed. The statutory safety net is the end-of-service gratuity: 21 days of basic salary per year for the first five years of service, then 30 days per year, paid when you leave.
Long-term residents build private provision on top: international pensions and offshore savings plans, workplace DEWS-style schemes for DIFC employees, and — because investment growth is untaxed — portfolios that compound without friction.
- No state pension for expatriates
- End-of-service gratuity: 21 days' basic pay/year (first 5 years), then 30
- DEWS workplace savings scheme in the DIFC
- Offshore and international private pensions common
- Investment growth is untaxed
Residency scales with your situation. The ten-year Golden Visa is open to property buyers (AED 2 million), top professionals earning AED 30,000 a month or more, and outstanding talent. The five-year Green Visa lets skilled workers and freelancers self-sponsor. Since 2026 mortgaged owners no longer need to prove a minimum amount paid, and the two-year property visa has dropped its minimum property value for sole owners. Overstays now cost a flat AED 50 a day.
Over-55s qualify for the retirement visa with AED 1 million in property or savings, or AED 240,000 a year in income, and remote employees can live in Dubai for a year on the virtual working programme.
- Golden Visa: 10 years, from AED 2m property or AED 30k/month salary
- Green Visa: 5 years, self-sponsored skilled workers & freelancers
- Retirement visa for residents aged 55+
- One-year remote-work visa
- Straightforward family sponsorship
Also consider
Cyprus
Mediterranean light, EU structure, a famously friendly tax regime.
Greece
Islands and mountains, Schengen access, Europe's boldest tax incentives.
These guides are general information, current to early 2026, and are not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change and personal circumstances matter — confirm the specifics with a licensed advisor before you act.
Next step
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