Abu Dhabi is the largest United Arab Emirates and the oil-rich emirate offers an abundance of work opportunities. The emirate shares many characteristics with Dubai, from a thriving expat community which dwarfs the local population to a vibrant but safe environment with lots of choice for shopping and entertainment and low crime rate.
A clear example of how this amazing location has grown in recent years is the opening of Innovator Space. This tech hub is full of state-of-the-art technology tools and is helping innovators to turn ideas into reality. The Innovator Space was opened by Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) during the UAE Innovation Week. The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ordered the celebration week take place across the country and declared 2015 the “Year of Innovation”.
The UAE is becoming an amazing Fintech hub and is showing potential to become the the centre of the Middle East in this respect. It remains to be seen whether this industry can follow in the footsteps of Commercial banking in the country, which was only established in the later 20th century and saw Dubai become the regional leader in 2015 and up to 12th in the world. An environment in which financial firms and tech companies can compete and cooperate in essential to ensuring UAE secures its place as a Fintech hub. This involves new regulatory frameworks such as crowd funding platforms, mobile banking and trading.
Developed, then redeveloped to host adjacent activities for the Formula One in Abu Dhabi, this stretch of fine white sandy beaches (the sand was reportedly trucked in, less coarse than the native variety) adjacent to the Gulf is one of the best parts of the city. With Al Mina Port on one end and Emirates Palace and Marina Mall on the other, this is the place to be on the weekend. Loved by fitness fanatics, families and swimmers, there are stretches of boardwalk, beaches dedicated to families, showers and washroom facilities, not to mention a host of new shops and cafés, many with beachside tables. Bicycles can be rented by the hour. On the weekends there are frequent art displays and events for children, including puppet shows. And there is almost always sunshine.
If you are a EU citizen looking to relocate to Abu Dhabi, you will need to obtain a visa. You can get sponsored to obtain a visa by your employer or by a family member. Something to bear in mind when relocating to Abu Dhabi is the cost of living. Please refer to Numbeo to compare specific expenses to your city of residence. Abu Dhabi has a cost of living index of 65.18. The average price to rent a 3 bedroom apartment in the city centre is around £2,400 and the cost of living per person excluding rent comes up to around £587. Something to really take advantage off is that Abu Dhabi offers a wide range of types of cuisines and restaurants from all over the world for really not a lot of money!
Abu Dhabi is a multicultural and multilingual jumble of nationalities, foods and talents. The broad and ever-changing face of the emirate is one of the biggest draws to people from all over the world. If you are relocating with your family, you will be happy to know there is a wide number of international schools, and we advise you to apply to these as soon as possible! Although expats form the majority of the population in Abu Dhabi, the islamic faith still forms the basis of expected behaviour and social rules. It is important that those looking to relocate to the UAE familiarise themselves with the culture. Expats will have to adapt not only to cultural differences but also to the stifling hear of summer in the UAE and the artificial air-conditioned shell in which the desert emirate cocoons itself.
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