What a relocation company costs in Dubai and the UAE

What does a relocation company cost in Dubai?

First, which company. A search for relocation companies in Dubai returns lists of movers: firms that ship your furniture. Movers have their own associations, such as FIDI, described as the global alliance of professional international moving and relocation companies specialised in household goods, and the International Association of Movers, which connects companies in moving, shipping and logistics (FIDI, IAM). This guide is about the other kind: the relocation consultant who finds your flat, shortlists schools and does the registrations with you. Shipping is a separate bill, and we give no figure for it.

No UAE consultant we found publishes a price list. What exists are marketing pages, and we give their figures as estimates.

What do the published estimates say?

A broker’s blog, dated 5 April 2026 in our research, describes how Dubai relocation services charge (Gaia Realty):

• Flat fee per relocation: AED 5,000 to AED 20,000 (depends on scope).
• Full corporate relocation management: AED 8,000 to AED 25,000 per relocation (depends on scope and company policy).
• Property-specialist relocation agent: AED 4,000 to AED 12,000 (property search and settling-in support).
• Share of the yearly rent: 5% to 10% (instead of a flat fee).
• Hybrid: a fixed fee plus a commission (no figure given).
• Employer’s budget: paid through the corporate mobility budget (no figure given).

The same blog gives an example of a clearly defined split: AED 8,000 for the property search and AED 5,000 for settling-in support. It advises asking what is included in the quoted fee and what is charged on top. A relocation firm’s cost guide, published in 2025, lists other lines you may meet in a move: visa and residency AED 3,000 to AED 8,000, settling-in expenses AED 2,000 to AED 7,000 and school registration AED 2,000 to AED 10,000 per child. It puts the whole move at AED 20,000 to AED 60,000 or more, a total that includes flights, shipping and housing costs, not only an agency fee (360 Global Relocations).

Both pages are written by firms that sell what they describe. Treat the ranges as the opening of a conversation. They are not official and they are not quotes.

How does the fee compare with the rent?

Take an invented yearly rent of AED 100,000. This is our arithmetic, not an average rent. A share of the rent at 5% to 10% comes to AED 5,000 to AED 10,000. A flat fee of AED 5,000 to AED 20,000 is 5% to 20% of the same rent. If you also pay a broker’s commission of up to 5%, that is up to AED 5,000 more. Put side by side, a consultant is a decision worth thinking about, in the same order as a broker’s commission.

What does the government say about the broker’s commission?

The UAE government portal says some brokers may require a commission fee, up to 5 per cent of the total amount of rent (u.ae, leasing a property). This is a broker’s fee for the lease, not a consultant’s fee. If the consultant is also a licensed broker, you may be asked for both. Ask who pays what.

In Abu Dhabi, Law No. 3 of 2015, as published in the Abu Dhabi legislation library, says a broker may not carry out the activity without a licence and is then not entitled to remuneration. It says a broker earns a commission only if the service leads to a contract that both parties agree on, and that the maximum commission is set by a resolution of the Chairman of the Department that the law names. It requires a written brokerage contract before the broker does any work (Law No. 3 of 2015). The text may have been amended since, so check the current version. Whether these rules apply to a consultant who finds your flat for a flat fee is a question for a lawyer.

Which costs are not the consultant’s fee?

• Registration. Ejari costs AED 177.75 online and AED 220 at a trustee centre (Dubai Land Department). In Abu Dhabi, Tawtheeq is paid for through the municipality fee below.
• The housing or municipality fee. In Dubai, 5% of the yearly rent, added to your electricity and water bills. In Abu Dhabi, 5% of the rental value, or the rental index if it is higher, spread over 12 months, with a minimum of AED 450 a year (Resolution 49 of 2018).
• The deposit and the cheques. Our guide on renting in Dubai says the law leaves the deposit amount to the contract.
• Visa, Emirates ID and insurance. See moving to Dubai and the guide to health insurance. We found no official fee table for the visa or the Emirates ID.
• Movers, flights and temporary housing. Not part of a consultant’s fee.

A quote that bundles any of these should list them as separate lines.

Who usually pays, you or your employer?

The broker blog says a fee may come from the employer’s mobility budget in a corporate setting. We found no UAE rule that obliges an employer to pay for relocation, so packages differ from employer to employer. Ask for yours in writing before you book anything, and ask whether the employer pays the consultant directly or reimburses you.

What changes the price?

• Scope: home search alone, or with settling-in and school search.
• Corporate or private: the blog quotes different ranges for a full corporate package and for a property-specialist agent.
• Family size: school registration is quoted per child.
• Model: a share of the rent grows with the rent, and a flat fee does not.
• Emirate: Abu Dhabi has few agencies with an office there, and we found no price for it.

How do you compare two quotes?

1. Ask for the scope in writing: how many viewing days, which emirate, what is excluded.
2. Ask whether the fee is flat, a share of the rent or both, and what rent it applies to.
3. Ask whether the company is a licensed broker, and for the licence number. Our guide on how to choose a relocation company in Dubai shows how to check.
4. Ask what is refunded if no flat is found.
5. Ask for pass-through costs on separate lines.

To compare agencies for your move, get matched or open the United Arab Emirates directory. How we rank explains the order. For the search itself, read how to find an apartment in Dubai.

What we could not source

We did not find a price list from any consultant, and the figures sourced here are marketing text, not quotes. We found no UAE rule on whether an employer must pay, on whether a flat-fee consultant needs a broker licence, or on the DEWA deposit. We did not convert the figures to euros or pounds. The Abu Dhabi law text may have been amended; check the current version. This guide is general information, not legal advice.