Do I need to close my Australian company or accounts before moving?

Not necessarily, but you do need to understand what stays taxable in Australia and what your reporting obligations look like once you leave. That's a question for an Australian-qualified tax adviser who can look at your specific structure, not something to decide from a general guide.

Is a UAE company setup different for an Australian than for anyone else?

No. Freezone, mainland and offshore company formation in the UAE works the same regardless of your nationality: 100% foreign ownership is standard, the process and paperwork don't change based on where you're moving from. What changes is what you need to sort out on the Australian side before and after you go.

Will I still be an Australian tax resident once I've moved?

It depends on your specific circumstances and Australia's residency tests, which don't turn on a simple day count the way some countries' rules do. This is exactly the kind of question that needs a proper assessment from an Australian-qualified adviser rather than a general answer.

Should I sort out the Australian side or the UAE side first?

Plan them together, in the right order, before you go. Decisions on each side affect the other, for example when you formally cease Australian residency can matter for how assets are treated, and that in turn can affect timing on the UAE side. Doing them as two disconnected projects is how people end up with problems on either end.

Do I need to be in Dubai full-time to keep my UAE company and residency valid?

No. Many founders base their company and residency in the UAE while living and travelling more flexibly, provided the visa and any renewal requirements are kept up. What that looks like in practice depends on the specific visa route and structure you choose.

Moving to Dubai from Australia: how the process actually works

By Alan Underwood, Founder, Dynamic Transition Consultants · Last reviewed 3 August 2026

In shortMoving to Dubai from Australia means running two separate projects in parallel: the UAE side (company structure, visa, banking, the move itself) and the Australian side (your tax residency position, what happens to assets and superannuation you leave behind). The UAE side follows the same well-trodden process as any founder's move. The Australian side is genuinely specific to you and needs an Australian-qualified tax adviser, not general guidance.

Just researching? Read the Australia guides → · Specific situation? Talk to us →

Moving to Dubai from Australia is, in one sense, no different from moving from anywhere else: the UAE side of the process, choosing a company structure, getting a licence, securing residency, opening a bank account, doesn’t change based on your passport. In another sense, it’s very different, because what you leave behind in Australia has its own rules, and those rules are not something a general guide should try to answer for you.

This guide sticks to what we’re confident about: how the UAE side works. Where the Australian side comes up, we say so plainly and point you to getting proper Australian advice, rather than guessing at numbers we haven’t verified.

The UAE side: what actually happens

Freezone, mainland or offshore

Most people moving from Australia are looking at one of three structures.

A freezone company gives you 100% foreign ownership and is usually the fastest route to a licence, often a matter of weeks rather than months. It suits founders running a services, consulting, trading or online business, especially if most of your customers are outside the UAE.

A mainland company lets you trade directly with the UAE market and take on local and government contracts, with the widest range of permitted activities. Foreign ownership is now available on the mainland for most activities too, though it can depend on exactly what you do.

An offshore company is a holding or asset-protection vehicle rather than a trading company. It doesn’t carry visas, but it can be useful for structuring and holding assets rather than running day-to-day operations.

Which one fits depends on what your business actually does and where your customers are, not on whichever option sounds cheapest. Getting this decision wrong is the most expensive mistake to unwind later.

Visas and residency

Once your company is formed, you can typically apply for a UAE residence visa through it. Options exist for investors, employees of your own company, and longer-term routes like the Golden Visa for those who qualify. Family sponsorship, for a spouse and children, generally follows once your own residency is in place.

Banking

Opening a UAE corporate bank account is usually the slowest step in the whole process, and it isn’t about nationality. Banks want a clear, well-documented picture of your business activity, ownership structure and expected transactions. A clean, well-prepared application, ideally with a proper introduction rather than a cold approach, is what gets a yes without unnecessary delay.

The Australian side: what we won’t guess at

This is the part that’s genuinely different for an Australian mover, and it’s also the part where a general guide has no business giving you numbers.

Australian tax residency doesn’t work on a straightforward day-count basis the way some other countries’ rules do. Whether you remain an Australian tax resident after you leave depends on a set of tests specific to Australian tax law, and the answer depends on your personal circumstances: how long you’re away, your ties back home, your intentions, and more.

Leaving can also have consequences for capital gains tax on assets you hold, and the mechanics of how that applies on departure are specific enough that they need a proper look from someone qualified in Australian tax, not a general statement here.

Get Australian-qualified tax advice before you go, ideally in parallel with planning the UAE side, not after. The right order for the two exits, Australian and UAE, interacting properly is worth getting an adviser’s eyes on early, not something to work out from articles alone.

Planning both sides together

The founders who land well are the ones who treat the Australian exit and the UAE setup as one project with two halves, not two separate errands done in whatever order is convenient. Get the UAE structure right for what you actually do, get proper Australian advice on your specific tax position, and time the two together.

If you’d like a clear read on the UAE side of your move, and a steer on where to get the right advice on the Australian side, get in touch.

General guidance, not personal legal, tax or financial advice. UAE rules and fees change and individual circumstances differ, speak to us, or another suitably qualified professional, before acting. See our full disclaimer.

Where this gets specific to you: how the Australian rules land depends on your residency status, your income types and what you keep in Australia. The general picture is a start; your plan needs your numbers and Australian-qualified advice.