New to DubaiHow to open a bank account in Dubai: documents, timing and choosing a bank
To open a bank account in Dubai, you'll need your passport, your Emirates ID, a UAE mobile number and usually a salary certificate from your employer. Plan to open the account once your Emirates ID card is in your hand. In the NTD Team's experience, banks ask for it.
Below we go through the paperwork, the Emirates ID question and how to choose a bank based on how you'll actually use it. Newcomers tend to skip that last part, and it's the one that makes the most difference.
The documents most banks ask for
Every bank has to check who you are, that you live here legally and where your money comes from. So the paperwork is much the same wherever you go, but each bank sets its own exact list. Look at the bank's website or call before you go.
Since 2022 the UAE no longer puts a residence visa sticker in your passport. Your Emirates ID is now the main proof that you live here. Bring the originals and a copy of everything. A missing letter is an annoying reason to have to come back another day.
- Your passport, valid and with you (not held by your employer or a visa office)
- Your Emirates ID card
- A salary certificate or employment letter on company letterhead, showing your job title, salary and start date
- A UAE mobile number, which the bank uses to send security codes
- Sometimes: proof of address, such as your tenancy contract or a utility bill
- Sometimes: recent statements from your bank back home, especially if you're self-employed or applying for a premium account
Can you open an account before your Emirates ID arrives?
Plan on no. When the NTD Team opened accounts, the bank needed the Emirates ID. You may meet people who got started with just the application receipt. Rules here change, though, and they can differ from one bank to the next, so treat stories like that as a maybe rather than a plan.
If you're still waiting for your card, use the time to get everything else ready: the phone number, the salary letter and the bank you've picked. Our guide to getting your Emirates ID explains the steps and what you can and can't do while you wait.
Get a UAE phone number first
People get caught out by this one. Banks send one-time security codes by text, and they want a local number on the account. Give them your number from home and you could be locked out of your banking the day you switch SIM cards.
So sort out your SIM card before you apply for an account. It's quick to do, and it saves you a second trip.
It also helps to set up UAE Pass, the government's digital ID app, early on. Some banks use it to open accounts online. Emirates NBD added UAE Pass to its online account opening in 2021, and Al Hilal Bank offers instant account opening with it.
Salary transfer or not: the choice that shapes everything
Most current accounts here come in two kinds. With a salary transfer account, your employer pays your salary straight into it. In return, the bank usually lowers or drops the minimum balance you have to keep, and it becomes easier to get a credit card or a loan.
Without salary transfer, many accounts make you keep a minimum monthly balance and charge you if you drop below it. Before you sign, get the exact rule in writing and ask what happens if you fall short for a month.
Talk to HR before you choose. Companies registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation have to pay salaries through the Wage Protection System (WPS), a government system that tracks salary payments. The money goes through banks, exchange houses or other firms approved by the Central Bank. Many employers already pay staff through one particular bank, so ask whether yours has a preferred bank before you commit to a different one.
How to compare banks
Forget the welcome offers for a minute and think about what you'll do with the account every month. Then put these questions to each bank you're considering.
Ask people who've lived here a while which bank they use and why. Their experience is useful, but don't take it as fact. Things change quickly in Dubai, so get a second opinion and check with the bank itself.
- Is there a minimum balance, and what happens if you go below it?
- Do you only get the better terms if your salary is paid into the account?
- Do you get a chequebook, and how long does it take to arrive? (This matters for rent. More on that below.)
- How good is the app? Read the app store reviews and ask friends who bank there.
- How do international transfers work, and how does the bank's exchange rate compare with the market rate?
- How many ATMs and branches are near your home and office?
- Do you get a debit card on the day, or is it posted or collected later?
- Is it a conventional bank or an Islamic bank? Islamic banks follow Sharia principles, so they don't pay or charge interest in the usual way and they set up their products differently.
- Is it digital-only? Banks that work through an app, such as Wio, let you open an account on your phone using your Emirates ID. Wio says it takes minutes. The NTD Team rates Wio highly. With any app-only bank, check whether you can get a chequebook and how you reach a real person if something goes wrong.
Opening the account, step by step
Most banks follow much the same steps, in a branch or in an app. Expect it to take longer than you think. That's normal here, so don't panic. Be ready to redo your signature several times, too. It happens to plenty of people.
- Get your UAE SIM card and have your new number to hand
- Wait until your Emirates ID card arrives
- Ask HR whether the company has a preferred bank, and ask for your salary certificate
- Check the bank's current document list online or by phone
- Apply in the app or book a branch visit
- Upload or hand over your documents and sign the forms (possibly more than once)
- Wait for approval. The bank may call you to confirm details.
- Activate your debit card, set up online banking and order a chequebook if you need one
- Give your employer your account details, including your IBAN (your international account number), so your salary can be paid in
Things that catch newcomers out
Rent is the big one. Landlords in Dubai often want rent as one or more post-dated cheques. If your account doesn't come with a chequebook, or the chequebook takes weeks to arrive, that can hold up your flat. Ask about it on day one. Our guide to renting rules explains how rent cheques work.
Don't treat cheques casually. Since 2022, a cheque that bounces because there isn't enough money in the account is usually a civil matter rather than a crime. You still owe the money, though, and it can be enforced against you. Fraud and bad faith are still crimes.
Use your account now and then. If an account goes quiet for a long time, the bank can mark you as a dormant customer, and the money can eventually move to the Central Bank. It stays yours and you can claim it back through your bank, but it's a hassle you don't need.
If you leave the UAE one day, close your accounts and pay off any credit cards or loans properly before you go. Unpaid debts don't disappear when you get on the plane.
What to do next
Once your account is open, most people move on to finding a home and setting up utilities. Our getting started guide puts the rest of your first few weeks in a sensible order.