Moving to Dubai with Children: Process, Visa, School and Daily Life

If you are planning a fresh start in the United Arab Emirates, you face an interplay of visa, choice of school, place to live and family life. This guide shows how to plan a move to Dubai with children realistically, from the application to settling in.

Key points at a glance

Every family member needs a residence visa. The order is decisive: first the parents secure their own visa, then the Emirates ID, and only after that can they sponsor the children. Without these documents there is no school place, no tenancy contract and no health insurance.

• Legal basis: residence visa and Emirates ID for all family members
• School: compare curricula, observe admission deadlines, budget for the costs
• Costs: rent, school fees and insurance are the largest items
• Location: a family-friendly community with a short school run
• Climate: a very safe city, but plan for extreme summer heat

The order is everything

No residence visa of your own means no Emirates ID, and without an Emirates ID there is no access to school, bank account or tenancy contract. This chain of dependencies is the one most often underestimated.

1. The parents obtain their residence visa, through an employer, their own company or a Golden Visa
2. Once approved, the Emirates ID is applied for
3. Only with an active Emirates ID can the spouse and children be sponsored
4. Many international schools require proof of residence status before final admission, or at least confirmation that the application is in progress

Ask the school to confirm in writing which interim documents it accepts. Without a clear sequence, gaps arise in insurance, school start and tenancy, mistakes that cost weeks.

A realistic timeline

Start research and applications six to nine months before the planned school start. Children can enter visa-free in the meantime, but their status must be converted in good time before overstay fines apply.

Visa and sponsoring the children

There are three routes to your own residence visa: an employment visa through your employer, a visa through your own company in a free zone or on the mainland, or the Golden Visa with a ten-year term.

For sponsoring the children, the following applies:

• The parent with a valid visa and sufficient income sponsors the spouse and children
• The child's visa is tied to the parent's visa: if its status changes, this directly affects the children
• Sons can generally be sponsored up to the age of 25, daughters as long as they are unmarried; for children with special needs the age limit usually does not apply
• The term follows the parent's visa: two years for a standard employment visa, up to ten for the Golden Visa
• Renewal: first the parent's visa, then the child's visa, ideally 30 days before expiry

Documents required: valid passports and passport photos, certified and translated birth certificates, the sponsor's Emirates ID and visa, a tenancy contract registered via Ejari and proof of salary.

The legalisation route is the most common bottleneck: certification in the home country, translation, then attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Start this in parallel with setting up your company, not afterwards.

School and nursery

Compulsory schooling applies to children between 6 and 18. Public schools are free only for Emiratis; expatriates use private international schools.

• Available curricula: British, American, IB, Indian and German
• The German International School Dubai offers German-language teaching up to the Abitur
• Nursery costs typically range between AED 15,000 and AED 60,000 a year
• School fees range between AED 30,000 and AED 130,000 a year, depending on the school
• Indian schools are significantly cheaper, British and IB programmes are at the upper end

The application process includes online registration, an admission interview or test and a non-refundable registration fee.

On choosing a school: if you plan to return to Germany, Austria or Switzerland, the German curriculum is your best option. If further relocations are likely, British or IB programmes offer better continuity.

Living as a family

When living with children, the school run matters more than the view. Families mostly choose communities on the edge of the city rather than high-rises in Downtown.

• Popular choices: Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills Estate, Emirates Living, DAMAC Hills, Al Barari, Jumeirah Village Circle
• These developments offer parks, pools, sports pitches and kids' clubs on site
• Annual rents for villas with three to four bedrooms typically range between AED 140,000 and AED 400,000
• Travel times to school shape the daily routine: plan realistically for the school bus and traffic

Our advice: start with a furnished apartment for four to eight weeks and try out two or three neighbourhoods before you sign an annual tenancy contract. A tenancy contract in Dubai usually runs for one year and cannot easily be terminated.

What it realistically costs

The absence of income tax sounds tempting, but for families with school-age children the cost of living considerably reduces this advantage.

As a guide, we give clients a household budget of around EUR 7,500 a month for a couple with one child, plus around EUR 2,000 for each additional child. Depending on location, school and lifestyle, the range is roughly EUR 5,700 to EUR 10,500 a month.

• Rent – the largest single item, in Dubai usually paid annually in advance or in a few cheques
• School fees – the item that scales most with several children
• Health insurance – mandatory for every family member
• Transport – car, fuel, school bus
• Visa costs – renewal every two years

Budget a reserve for flights home and additional medical services.

Health and insurance

Health insurance is required by law in Dubai. Without a valid policy there is no residence visa.

• Many employers insure the family as well: check early whether children are included
• Healthcare is internationally oriented, with doctors from all over the world
• Well-known hospitals include Al Jalila Children’s Hospital, Mediclinic, American Hospital and NMC
• When choosing a policy, look for paediatrics, emergency care, vaccinations, orthodontics as well as speech and occupational therapy

Daily life, safety and climate

Dubai is one of the safest major cities in the world. For many families, that is the main reason for the move.

• Leisure: Aquaventure, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Zabeel Park, Kite Beach, JBR Beach
• Many communities have their own playgrounds and pools, so activities do not require long drives
• From May to September temperatures exceed 45 degrees; daily life moves indoors
• October to April is the outdoor season; many families take their home leave in summer
• A 4.5-day week is common in many companies and creates family time

The transition for the children

English is the everyday language; Arabic is not necessary. Children at international schools usually settle in quickly.

What helps: joining sports clubs, music schools and German-speaking groups early, regular video calls with grandparents, keeping familiar rituals. Homesickness is normal and usually passes, provided there is a social structure on the ground.

Local rules need to be observed: appropriate clothing in malls and public buildings, consideration during Ramadan, clear rules on alcohol in public.

How we assess it

Moving with children can be planned, but it is a project with dependencies, not a series of independent steps. School, visa, tenancy and insurance are linked, and one delayed link pushes back everything that follows.

From our client work: the most expensive mistake is starting too late with the certificates. If you only have birth and marriage certificates certified once the licence is in place, you lose four to six weeks and may then miss the start of the school year.

Our advice: as soon as the decision is made, start two things at the same time: the legalisation of certificates and the school applications. Neither depends on the visa, and both take the longest.

And do not leave out the tax side: exit tax (Wegzugsbesteuerung), remaining tax liability and registration obligations should be clarified before the move, with an adviser in your home country.

Checklist

• Tax and exit advice in your home country
• A realistic budget, including rent, school and insurance
• Choose your visa route: employer, own company or Golden Visa
• Have certificates certified, translated and attested
• Apply for the sponsor's residence visa and Emirates ID
• Start school and nursery applications in parallel
• Find a home and register the tenancy contract via Ejari
• Apply for the family visa as soon as the Emirates ID is active
• Take out health insurance for the whole family

As of: 28 August 2026. Figures on costs and deadlines are guide values and are subject to change.

Which structure suits your plans and how the process works in detail is explained on our page on visa and residency in the UAE.