Arranging your own visa - If the company which is taking you on does process your visa application for you, you'll need to head to the visa section of the Department of Naturalization and Residence. Here you'll need to provide: an application from (available on site); your passport; three passport sized photographs; your original entry permit if you have one (if you come from one of 33 states including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and many EU countries, you'll be able to enter Dubai on your passport, without the need for an entry permit); your original medical check-up document; a copy of the valid commercial license and copy of the valid establishment card (get these from your work) and an original receipt from the Ministry of Labour (labor card-again, get this from your work). You'll need to pay Dhs300 residency fees for a three year visa. See www.Dubai.ae for more info.

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If you want to set up a contract arrangement, then you will need to have your residency visa. You may find your company can handle getting a contract SIM card for you. If your company has no such facility, then you'll need to head down to Etisalat HQ on Baniyas Street in Deira yourself. At time of publishing, it cost Dhs185 to set up a phone contract, which includes a connection fee (Dhs100), quarterly rental (Dhs60) and SIM card (Dhs25). You then have to pay Dhs60 every three months. You'll need to bring your passport with your residency visa in it, a copy of your passport including the residency visa page and a letter from your employer detailing your income. You'll need to fill in a form, wait in line and pay the fee.
If you lose your SIM card, you can get a replacement for Dhs50.

Paying your bill is simple: you can either set up a direct debit or pay by cash at Etisalat HQ or at one of the automated payment machines which you'll find in most mall including City Centre, Al Ghurair City, Lamcy Plaza, BurJuman Centre and Wafi City Mall.

Prepaid mobile connection
Etisalat Wasel provides prepaid mobile solution for instant communication and a convenient way of being in touch with the world.

A Wasel connection costs AED 160 for Registration Charges with a yearly renewal fee of AED 100.

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DEWA Main Office: Next to Wafi City, Bur Dubai (04 324 4444) open daily 7:30 am - 8 pm for bill payments and 7:30 am - 2:30 pm for enquiries; closed on Friday.

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To retain the services of a full time house help you must have a monthly salary of over Dhs6,000 and your employee must not be related to you or of the same nationality. As an employer you must sponsor your help and take it upon yourself to deal with all residency papers and other such bureaucratic matters including the statutory medical test. It's common practice to find a maid through an agency, although many people hire someone on the strength of a personal recommendation from a colleague or a friend.

If you decide to sponsor your own live-in help then you will have to pay for their residence visa. A residence visa for a maid costs approximately Dhs 5,000 (Dhs4,800 for the government fee, Dhs100 for the residence visa and Dhs100 for the labour card). UAE nationals will also be charged an extra Dhs1,500 for sponsoring a housemaid. The residency visa is only valid for one year and it is illegal to share a live-in maid with another household.

An alternative, and cheaper, option is to get in part-time home help. There are a number of agencies that offer domestic help on an hourly basis. The standard rate is about Dhs25 an hour, with a minimum of two hours paid work per visit.

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Dubai Kennels and Cattery (04 285 1646), the Doghouse (04 347 1807) or the Ajman Pet Resort (06 743 1629) can help you with this, as well as with customs clearance, collection from the airport delivery and boarding your pet for a short amount of time - if you require it. You can also get advice about the necessary requirements from your local vet or the originating country's local embassy. There is no quarantine for pets brought to the UAE. You need to get a UAE pet health certificate if you plan on taking your pets on anywhere with you. This can be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (04 222 8161. P.O. Box 1509, email, maf@uae.gov.ae). You need to submit a copy of the pet owner's passport, including the residence visa page along with an import application form and a copy of the pet's vaccination booklet along with a Dhs 2,000 processing fee.