Your contract decides how much notice you owe. The figure of 90 days gets repeated everywhere, yet the current wording of Article 14 is about amending terms. Read what the law actually says before you plan around any number.
Leaving Dubai checklist
Start about 12 weeks before you hand back the keys. Lease notice and exit dates come first, DEWA and the permit in the final two weeks, and the bank account last. There are 27 tasks here. Skip the ones that do not apply.
12 weeks before
This decision sets the budget for everything else. Coming back inside a year points to storage. Leaving for good points to a mover or a sale. Run the three-way check.
The UAE side is short: MOCCAE issues the export health certificate in 1 working day, valid for 30 days, and charges AED 100 for up to 2 animals for personal purposes. The other country sets the real timetable, so that is where to start.
10 weeks before
Normally only the sponsor can cancel a residence visa, and you cannot apply on your own. With an employer, the labour contract and work card go through MOHRE first, then the employer applies to ICP. See the order.
Ask each mover to confirm export paperwork and destination customs in writing. Dubai Customs lists personal effects among goods individuals may clear, but this site found no published export procedure for used household goods, so a mover or customs broker has to confirm it. See movers and what they publish.
A loan changes the order of work: RTA lists an electronic mortgage release among the requirements for an ownership change, so ask your lender what it needs first. Car details are below.
8 weeks before
Move this forward if your clause asks for more time. A valid lease cannot be ended early by one side alone: it ends by mutual consent or under the law. Any early exit penalty comes from your contract or an agreement with the landlord. Neither law text sets a figure.
Central Bank rules give a bank up to 45 calendar days to close a credit card or payment account, and that clock does not finish with a negative balance outstanding. The card is frozen once you ask for closure, so have another way to pay for the last weeks.
6 weeks before
du: after the minimum term, the agreement ends on 30 days written notice from either side. Close everything and all charges fall due at once. e& Home Wireless: ending early costs one monthly charge (AED 229 or AED 299 by plan) plus remaining router instalments. Those e& terms do not cover mobile or eLife plans, so ask e& about those. Crown advises returning all original equipment to recover deposits.
Big items take the longest to sell and block the permit and mover dates if they are still there. List them while you still have time to drop the price twice.
4 weeks before
If some of it is staying in Dubai, compare what operators publish on the storage when leaving Dubai page. Vachi collects into storage at no charge from anywhere in Dubai and says as soon as the same day, but it does not run moves without storage.
A Khaleej Times legal column reports that a court can impose a travel ban at a creditor's request where a serious, due debt exceeds Dh10,000, and that it stays until settled. It also notes a bounced security cheque can lead to a complaint. This comes from press, not the law text. Check for any case or circular against your name with Dubai Police directly: this site could not read its pages, so it gives no steps or fees.
2 weeks before
Rules differ by community. Nakheel says to apply 3 to 4 working days ahead, charges nothing for the permit and wants your movers to get a daily pass 1 to 2 working days before. MyBayut reports no permit fee at Emaar. Building deposits and management fees vary: no figure here could be confirmed, so ask your building in writing.
Empower's form names move-out as a request type, with 4 working days of processing and an AED 10 charge. Refunds go only to the actual customer and not to a power of attorney, so do this while you are still here. Other cooling providers may differ: this site only read Empower's terms at source.
Banks must issue liability statements and clearance letters within 7 working days of application. Emirates NBD says immigration authorities might want to see one when you move abroad. Other banks may word this differently.
The official order is fixed: a person sponsoring a spouse, children or other dependants must cancel their visas before cancelling his or her own.
To cancel your work permit, the company submits a letter signed by you saying you received all wages and end of service benefits. Reading that wording, it makes sense not to sign until the money has arrived. How gratuity is worked out.
1 week before
Pay all earlier bills first, because the request cannot go in before that. Pick the date and time, and give an IBAN in the same name as the DEWA account. Full DEWA steps and fees.
The unit goes back in the condition you received it, except ordinary wear and tear. The Dubai Land Department says minor marks from normal use, such as scratches from moving furniture, are not yours to repair, and advises being able to prove the condition at handover. Dated photos do that.
Agree the timing with your sponsor against your flight. A grace period starts after cancellation and its length depends on your permit type. After it ends, the fine is AED 50 a day. Grace period table.
Selling: remove the tag and take the vehicle off your account at once, free of charge, or the buyer's tolls land on you. A recharged balance is neither refundable nor transferable, so run it down first. Exporting: plates must be handed over within 14 days of the application and payment, or RTA cancels the transaction without refund.
Handover day
Tenants and landlords can submit Ejari cancellation requests through the Dubai REST app. Ask the landlord to confirm the handover condition and when the security deposit comes back. End of tenancy guide.
It comes by email and SMS within 24 working hours of the date and time you requested, and it is due immediately. The clearance certificate follows automatically once it is paid. Your landlord needs that invoice for the settlement.
Weeks after
DEWA by IBAN takes 8 minutes for deposits up to AED 4,000 with nothing owing on related accounts, otherwise 3 working days. Lease deposit disputes go to the Rental Disputes Center. Gulf News describes a Writ of Payment route once you have formally notified the landlord.
Once refunds have landed, ask to close it. Non-card accounts must close within 7 complete business days of the request. Emirates NBD only closes at a zero balance and keeps you liable for cheques you issued. Other banks set their own terms, so ask yours.
The general rule: more than 180 days continuously outside the UAE nullifies a residence visa automatically. There are listed exceptions, including investors, students and residents sent abroad for treatment.
Know how the contract ends before you are in another time zone. GetSpace, for one, auto-renews monthly until you cancel in its app. Budget for getting things back too: Vachi charges AED 450 to 700 for return delivery.
Lead times are planning suggestions from this site, except where a source states one. Deadlines in your contract or from your employer come first.
The car, in more detail
Selling in the UAE. The seller pays any fines on the vehicle as part of the sale. If the car is on finance, RTA lists an electronic mortgage release among the requirements, and what the lender wants for that release is a question for the lender. RTA ownership change
Exporting. RTA issues an export certificate for a Dubai registered vehicle. Registration is cancelled and the car is treated as unfit for road circulation in Dubai. The certificate can come with plates if the car is insured, or with export plates on request. A car being driven out may use main roads leading out of the country only. Plates must be back within 14 days of the application and payment, or the transaction is cancelled with no refund. The fee depends on vehicle type and could not be read from the page, so check it on the RTA service. RTA vehicle export
Salik. On sale, take the tag off and remove the vehicle from your account straight away. Removal is free. A recharged balance is not refundable or transferable, and it is forfeited after 5 years with no activity. Use it up. Salik FAQ Salik service catalogue
Pets
MOCCAE issues a veterinary health certificate for exporting live animals. It is valid for 30 days from issue, and the service takes 1 working day. The fee is AED 100 for a consignment of up to 2 animals for personal purposes, pets included. An import permission from the destination is required except for companion animals. Dogs and cats are also carved out of the certificate of origin requirement unless the destination asks for it. MOCCAE
That is the UAE half. Vaccination, microchip and quarantine rules come from where you are going, and they are often what sets your earliest possible date. Ask a vet at the start.
What this checklist cannot confirm for you
- Export rules for used household goods. Dubai Customs lists personal effects among goods an individual may clear, but this site found no published export procedure or unaccompanied baggage rule. Its personal effects page is written for imports. A mover or customs broker should confirm this, and the destination has its own rules. Dubai Customs service guide
- Building deposits and move-out fees. These vary by building, and no figure here could be confirmed. Get yours in writing from building management.
- Police checks. This site could not read Dubai Police pages on circulars, travel bans or good conduct certificates when checking. Ask Dubai Police directly.
- Free zone and government employment. The labour wording here covers the private sector under MOHRE. Other employers can follow other rules.