Guides
Straight answers for Irish movers
The questions people actually ask before they move, answered plainly. Where it gets specific to you, that's what a conversation is for.
Browse by topic
Moving from Ireland
The full picture for Irish leavers: timing, costs, and what to sort before you go.
Explore →Irish & UAE Tax
Irish tax residency, the three-year ordinary-residence tail, split-year relief and the treaty.
Explore →Company Formation
Freezone, mainland, offshore, trade licences and setting up from Ireland.
Explore →Visas & Residency
Golden, investor, freelance and employment routes, plus the Emirates ID.
Explore →Banking in Dubai
Opening personal and business accounts as an Irish citizen, without the runaround.
Explore →Living in Dubai
The culture, the etiquette, the Irish community and settling in.
Explore →All guides
- Moving from Ireland
Moving to Dubai from Ireland with a family: the full checklist
A practical guide to relocating your family from Ireland to Dubai, covering schools, visas, tax exit, shipping and banking. The three-year ordinary-residence tail is the part most families miss.
- Living in Dubai
Settling into Dubai from Ireland: the first month checklist
The first month after arriving in Dubai is mostly admin. Here's what Irish movers need to tackle first, including one step most people do in the wrong order.
- Living in Dubai
Ramadan and the Dubai working week: what actually changes
Working hours shorten by law, the city slows by day and comes alive at night. The catch: if your Irish clients are expecting 9-to-5 availability, plan ahead.
- Living in Dubai
Schools in Dubai for Irish families: British curriculum, IB, or something else
Most Irish families in Dubai choose British curriculum or IB schools. The catch: demand far outstrips places at the top schools, and sibling priority doesn't guarantee you a spot.
- Living in Dubai
Dubai vs Dublin: cost of living for an Irish family
Dubai can cost less than Dublin for a family once you remove income tax, but private schooling and summer travel are the numbers most Irish families underestimate.
- Living in Dubai
Business culture in Dubai: what surprises Irish professionals
Dubai business culture rewards directness and relationship-first thinking, but the Friday-Saturday weekend, hierarchy norms, and Ramadan rhythms catch Irish arrivals off guard.
- Living in Dubai
The Irish community in Dubai: GAA clubs, events and where to find them
Dublin to Dubai: there's a thriving Irish community waiting. The GAA Dubai club is one of the largest in Asia, with both adult and juvenile sections active year-round.
- Banking in Dubai
Why UAE bank applications get declined, and how Irish founders avoid it
Most UAE bank rejections come down to three fixable issues. Irish founders face one extra hurdle generic guides miss: proving economic substance when your income source is still Ireland.
- Banking in Dubai
Opening a UAE bank account as an Irish citizen: what the banks actually ask for
UAE banks will open accounts for Irish citizens, but the document list is longer than most expect. Proof of UAE residency is the single biggest gate, not nationality.
- Visas & Residency
UAE residency vs Irish residency: can you hold both?
Yes, but holding a UAE residence visa doesn't end your Irish tax residency automatically. The Irish 183-day test still applies, and the three-year ordinary residence tail catches many people out.
- Visas & Residency
Family visas for Irish movers: sponsoring your spouse and children
Irish movers can sponsor a spouse and children on a UAE residence visa. The catch: your visa category and salary determine whether your family qualifies at all.
- Visas & Residency
The UAE Golden Visa for Irish investors and founders
Irish nationals qualify for a UAE Golden Visa with no sponsor needed, but the investment route and the 10-year term come with conditions most guides skip.
- Company Formation
The costly mistakes Irish founders make setting up in the UAE
Most Irish founders pick the wrong UAE structure for their situation. The costliest error: a freezone company that can't trade locally, paired with an Irish tax tail nobody warned them about.
- Company Formation
Setting up a UAE company remotely from Ireland: what you can do without flying out
Most UAE freezone companies can be incorporated from Ireland without a single flight. The catch: bank account opening almost always requires you to travel in person.
- Company Formation
RAKEZ vs IFZA vs DMCC: which freezone fits an Irish founder
DMCC suits trading and commodities, IFZA is the flexible low-cost option, RAKEZ fits manufacturing and industrial. The catch: your activity type, visa needs, and Irish tax position should drive the choice, not the price alone.
- Company Formation
What a UAE trade licence actually costs, for Irish founders
UAE trade licence costs vary by freezone, activity and visa count, the number on the brochure rarely matches what you pay at the end.
- Company Formation
Freezone vs mainland vs offshore: choosing from Ireland
Freezone suits most Irish founders moving to Dubai; mainland unlocks local contracts; offshore holds assets but can't trade in the UAE. The Irish tax tail changes the timing calculus.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Does UAE corporate tax affect Irish company owners?
UAE corporate tax is 9% above AED 375,000 profit, but whether it hits your Irish company depends on where it's registered and managed, not just where you live.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Domicile vs residence: why Irish-domiciled leavers can stay in the net longer
Irish domicile can extend your exposure to Irish tax beyond the ordinary-residence tail. The key catch: it affects investment and passive income, not employment income worked wholly abroad.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Irish pensions (ARF and PRSA) and moving to Dubai: the conservative overview
Moving to Dubai doesn't freeze your ARF or PRSA, but Irish tax may still follow you. The ordinary-residence three-year tail is the detail most people miss.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Irish company owners moving to Dubai: bring it, run it remotely, or restructure?
Three real options for Irish company owners relocating to Dubai, each with different tax, residency and control implications. The ordinary-residence tail changes everything.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Split-year relief when leaving Ireland for Dubai
Split-year relief means you're only taxed as Irish resident for the part of the year you actually lived there. The catch: it applies to employment income only, not passive income or gains.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Keeping Irish property and rental income after moving to Dubai
You can keep Irish property after moving to Dubai, but rental income stays taxable in Ireland regardless of where you live. The ordinary-residence tail can widen that exposure further.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Irish CGT and your move to Dubai: what stays taxable
Irish CGT at 33% follows you after you leave, Irish land and property stay in scope for non-residents permanently, and the ordinary-residence tail can catch other gains too.
- Irish & UAE Tax
The Ireland–UAE double taxation agreement: what it actually covers
Ireland and the UAE have a DTA, but it doesn't eliminate Irish tax automatically. The ordinary-residence tail can keep some income in the Irish net for years after you leave.
- Irish & UAE Tax
The three-year tail, mapped year by year
Ordinary residence follows you out of Ireland for up to three full tax years. Here's exactly what that means, year by year, and the one employment exception most people miss.
- Irish & UAE Tax
What ordinary residence actually means for Irish leavers
Ordinary residence follows you for three years after you leave Ireland, meaning some worldwide income stays in the Irish tax net even after you've moved to Dubai.
- Irish & UAE Tax
Irish tax residency when you leave: the three-year tail explained
Stopping Irish tax residency is only step one. Ordinary residence keeps most Irish leavers partly within the Irish tax net for three more years, here's how the rules actually work.
- Moving from Ireland
Moving to Dubai from Ireland: what's actually different for Irish leavers
The Irish side of a Dubai move has its own rules, tax residency, the three-year ordinary-residence tail, and what stays Irish-taxable. What Irish leavers should know before they go.
- Company Formation
Setting up a UAE company from Ireland: what Irish founders should know
How Irish founders set up a UAE company, freezone vs mainland, what can be done remotely from Ireland, and the Irish tax rules that decide whether the structure actually works.