It’s very important for foreigners who are planning to live in Dubai for a number of years to be familiar with what they are allowed to put into their 20 and 40 ft containers. While Dubai, compared to other Middle Eastern countries, is more open to cultural differences, you’ll find that moving here is more challenging than moving to a non-Muslim country.
Take note of prohibited items
If you’re including anything in your container, make sure that it’s not a prohibited item. Guns, religious artifacts which could contradict Islam, medicines without prescriptions, pork, and many more may be quarantined by the Dubai customs. If your container has any of these items, it will take a while for you to be able to claim your personal belongings. You can always get an updated list of all prohibited items from the Dubai Embassy. This way, you won’t have to worry about bringing in items you’re not supposed to bring into the country and getting into trouble for it.
Three things may happen if you do bring in prohibited items, depending on the gravity of your offense. The most harmless is that it will be confiscated, and you won’t be able to see it anymore. The second possibility is that you’ll be fined for bringing in a prohibited item and it will be confiscated. For very grave offenses, the shipper is even detained. Usually, this only happens when one brings in narcotics and other items which could threaten the peace in the country.
Permits
You should itemize all of your personal belongings and get the proper permits for artillery, relics, and other items. These won’t be allowed entry into Dubai without the proper paperwork. The Embassy of Dubai should also provide you with a form for these documents. If they are in Arabic, have someone translate them for you so you won’t have to sign any document you don’t understand.
Permits for personal belongings may be challenging to acquire. You should allow at least three months before your date of departure so you will be able to get these things. Your visa should also be clear. This way, you won’t have to worry about the shipment coming into the country before you do. If you have a job waiting for you in Dubai, you should make sure that you have the proper papers for it. Work permits will protect you from any harm while you’re working in the country. If you don’t have one, you may be detained and then deported.
Packaging
If you’re looking for movers, make sure that you get a company that has been shipping items to Dubai without any issues. Let them brief you on the packaging. Twenty feet and 40 ft shipping to Dubai are enclosed containers, which means you will have to keep all of your personal belongings inside a box. This way, everything can be compressed easily, and there’s no threat to friction or collision inside the container during transit. Over-sized items may be kept in an open rack container but they must be properly protected too so that they won’t be damaged in transit.
