The Dubai Expat Diaries

It seems the 5 – 15% services charges, that we are often hit with while eating out, is illegal after all. Only restaurants and cafes operating in hotels are allowed to add these charges to the bill. Which is good news for those of us who dine out frequently, as we get to decide how [...]

According to Gulf News, expats who wish to bring their families here will now be required to earn minimum AED 10,000 and also rent an independent accomodation:
Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, director general of the Naturalisation and Residency Department (NRD), said the decision was made after a study by the Ministry of Interior [...]

According to a report by Arabian Business, the police will carry out random checks  as part of the UAE government crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The Ministry of Interior has asked residents to carry their visas or labour cards (or copies) at all times.
To read the entire article, click here.

The iPhone 3G has finally arrived here after being officially launched by etisalat.
“iPhone is a perfect blend of advanced functionality and high performance and we are delighted to be one of the first operators in the region to offer this to our customers on the nation’s most advanced high-speed network to make calls, send emails and surf the web even [...]

There have been a few positive developments in the badly affected real estate industry in recent days. 

According to Arabian Business, a new federal law will be soon introduced which will grant freehold property owners six month renewable residency visas. This will certainly help end users. With the current economic climate, there’s no point in buying [...]

There are lots of very good deals out there this DSF 2009, from clothing and accessories to mobile phones and home appliances. 
If you are looking to replace an old refrigerator or washing machine with a new one, you can check out the offer available with LG. This DSF, they will take back these old appliances [...]

A report by Swiss Bank UBS estimates that the population in Dubai will decline 8 per cent this year.

It seems like there will finally be some respite for Dubai expats struggling with the huge jump in apartment rents over the last few years. According to a property firm Asteco, the average rent of a one bedroom apartment rose 4 per cent last year with no rise at all in the final quarter.
“Certainly for [...]