Wrong forum immigrating to Abu Dhabi due to credit crunch

[block]

Hi new poster....

Myself and my girlfriend are looking in to moving to Abu Dhabi later this year, I was wondering if anyone has any info on the following-

I have heard that couples can't live together there without being married and also that if a group of people try to rent an apartment they must be of the same sex. The reason we would want to rent with other people is that the cost of renting an apartment is approx €70,000 for the year.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jquinn]

Are you sure you're not mixing up your currencies. Most places I've seen advertised are at AED70,000 - about €14,000

 

[block]

I have the curreny right the prices you have seen are probably for a room. I know people out there through friends of mine and one is living in an apartment thats costing €85,000 a year (5 girls sharing) i also know of a married couple who moved out there laast year who are paying over €70,000 a year for an apartment. crazy i know. check sublet.com

 

[PaddyW]

Check out this site : [broken link removed]

4 bed apartment at the bottom for AED200,000 (€41,000 APPROX.)

 

[Dinny]

I think your rental cost is high. I believe prices would be closer to 200,000AED per year and I have viewed 2 bed apartments in Abu Dhabi city for 180,000AED.

The job market has slowed dramatically out there and it is not easy to find a job in the construction industry anyway.

 

[block]

Thanks for the info but my main question is not about rent rates i was wondering - is it possible for a couple to live together in Abu Dhabi without being married? i have heard that this is illegal under their laws???

The type of job I would be seeking is Engineering in the Oil industry so the construction side of things wont affect me.

 

[Sunny]

Thanks for the info but my main question is not about rent rates i was wondering - is it possible for a couple to live together in Abu Dhabi without being married? i have heard that this is illegal under their laws???

The type of job I would be seeking is Engineering in the Oil industry so the construction side of things wont affect me.

Its illegal for a couple to live together without being married. I am not sure if that just applies to 1 bed apartments or all housing arrangements. I have a friend who did it and said the easiest thing was to pretend they were married. She just stuck a ring on the finger. He said it is common place and the landlords in general don't really care. However, they made the mistake of letting a neighbour find out and the reaction wasn't great so they had to move so it is an issue for some people. If you do it, remember that you are breaking the law and insulting their culture so think long and hard about it.

 

[supe]

Hi new poster....

Myself and my girlfriend are looking in to moving to Abu Dhabi later this year, I was wondering if anyone has any info on the following-

I have heard that couples can't live together there without being married and also that if a group of people try to rent an apartment they must be of the same sex. The reason we would want to rent with other people is that the cost of renting an apartment is approx €70,000 for the year.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Hi. I work in construction in AD and moved out here about 5 months ago on my own. I got a 1 bed in a villa for AED 126,000 (Approx Eur 26,500) and I have a married friend who moved out here around same time who paid AED 170,000 (Approx Eur 36,000) for a 2 bed. Rent has to be paid for the full year in advance and what you get for your money wouldn't exactly be 4 or 5 star, more like 2 star. Be warned though, jobs here at the minute aren't that plentiful and people being let go too.

As regards living with your girlfriend just pretend you are married. no-one will ask you any different unless you tell them. just refer to her as the wife. It's not as if you have to carry a copy of your marriage certificate around with you in your wallet. You won't be able to bring your girlfriend out on your work visa though. if she's coming out she'd have to have her own job sourced out here and be sponsored by her employer. same would apply to you. You can only sponsor a partner on your work visa if you are married. There is the option of getting married out here in a Sharia court which i'm told is very easy to do and only applies here. You would be married in the eyes of UAE law but it would mean nothing back home. I'm not entirely sure of all the facts but could be worth looking into.