RS1429

Hi everyone

Posting on behalf of my husband.. Is there anyone who is a UAE based British citizen, who has attested their degree via the Saudi Cultural Attachè in Dubai? If so can you kindly advise the process and what documents to take?

Thank you

RS1429

Hi,

We were asked to fill out the school enrolment form too and asked for tentative dates when we would expect our son to start. However, it’s tricky to say without having all the docs/visa etc ready. We provisionally put January.
They also told us that once we have a place in school then we can be placed on the waiting list for a 2 bed, but there’s still uncertainty as to when my son can actually join (jan/feb time or if we have to wait till august) and to how long the wait for a 2 bed is. We have considered the option of me staying in the UAE with both kids until accommodation becomes available but the uncertainty is definitely becoming a little stressful.

In terms of the education allowance being forfeited I’m really not sure tbh, we are paying the first term only and then seeing how things pan out over the next couple of months.

We’re living in AD but my husband has been asked to go to Dubai to get his uni degree attested as part of the next step

Scott78

The school is not really a problem. We started filling the information out in June (28th) and at the beginning on July they sent a notification that the kids were enrolled and ready to start in August (3 kids). In April, we've been told that the waiting list for a 2 bedroom cabins were around 3/6 months, and that were high in the queue due to the number of kids enrolled in the school. After trying to get a more accurate estimate date for the 2 bedroom cabin, they have confirmed by email the waiting list for us would be 18 months. So I have no idea how they expect us to deal with 3 kids and no accomodation. We have asekd them by email what solution they would have for us, and they have not replied just yet.

That is a deal-breaker for us. My wife doesn't want to be a single mother of 3 kids for 18 months (100% understandable) and I don't want to be away from my kids either.

christmasoompa

I guess it depends on the person, I'd assume that most people on hundreds of thousands of pounds a year will have a very comfortable life in the UK and can't see them leaving that to live in the desert and only see their family at weekends. The other factor is that most people at that level get a big chunk of shares/equity as part of their salary each year and from my understanding, NEOM don't recognise anything other than bonuses in their 20-30% uplift calculation. Which means that even with with the tax free aspect, it could be a pay cut for execs. Hence I think they're needing to bump the salary up for them, as otherwise they'll struggle to attract any applicants at that level.

bxpuser7645372

Hey Scott78,
can you please tell me who you used'/how did you go about for your degree attestation? I'm NZ based too and trying to get ahead with the process...
Cheers!

Ancilla

Hi all,

currently working in saudi (Riyadh).
my partner has been told he will moving to neom 2 from Riyadh .
my questions
1 . Is he allowed visitors ( ie friends or strictly family ) I mean girlfriend
2. How far is neom air port to the camp
3. any hotels near the camp .

thank you all

Anshjo3

We've recently moved from UAE, hope these insights will help you out with your decision to move:
1. My husband has stayed in NC2 for 6 months and has moved to 1 Bedroom cabin in NC1 recently. NC1 expansion is still pretty much a construction site, so realistically speaking, we don't expect to move to 2Br cabin for another 3-4months.
2. NC2 studio is just not viable for family even with 1 kid. We've visited my husband for 2 nights and it's just too cramped for 2 persons. NC2 community is also not designed to have kids. There's no playground and except for the pool, small kids will not have any place to play. Bus shuttle between NC1 and NC2 is about 30mins.
3. New school will open in November. It should allow them to double their current student intake.
4.We've opened a freezone company in Fujairah to keep all our residency. This has helped as we didn't have to close dewa, etisalat and bank accounts while in transition.

Having first hand experience of how the onboarding has worked for us, my personal opinion is to try to confirm the school space for your son (or for his name to be put on waitlist) at the soonest and be prepared to fly in and move with your husband as soon as he's been given 1 bedroom cabin in NC1. It seems that it's easier to get 2 bedroom cabins once the family is physically here. If you manage your expectations, 1 BR will suffice temporarily for family with 2 small kids. The children can stay in school until 5.45 pm (after school care is free) and with cooking, laundry and housekeeping already taken care of, you're all sorted. Keep it light and bring only the necessary stuffs. We're family of 3 and we've only used half of the available cupboards and closets. Amazon.sa is efficient and there's no need to bring a lot of stuffs. Lulu Supermarket is also open in NC1 and they give you option to order from Lulu (Tabuk) online and they will arrange collection the next day.

My husband's onboarding phase took 6 months from first contact. Give or take another 6months to be allocated 1br cabin in NC1, you are looking at about at least year from now until you can move in with your husband. Flydubai flies Dubai-Tabuk several days a week, and this should help with your husband's commute.

There's been few minor hiccups during our journey but I personally believe that onboarding and HR are doing a good job, considering the number of new and ongoing employees' requirements that they have to deal with. Try to be as flexible as you can (e.g. start advising your landlord about closing contract and possible extension if needed, flexible nursery enrolment for your child, de-clutter, sell stuffs etc). Hope these help. Good luck!

Ancilla

Hey . I know saudi uses data flow. My hospital in Riyadh helped wit it all

Scott78

we have stopped the process, sorry I can’t be more helpful

RS1429

Hi,

Thank you this is actually very helpful!

We are happy to stay in a 1 bed in NC1 temporarily, our aim is to try to stay together rather than me staying in the UAE alone with the 2 young kids so we’re prepared to manage with a smaller space initially. We’ve sent the application off for school just awaiting confirmation of my sons place now so fingers crossed that gets sorted soon. And yes, given that school is on site, plus food/laundry etc gets provided it’s a small sacrifice to make!

Can I ask roughly how much the freezone company option costs? I understand it varies with each emirate but just so we have a rough idea as to what to expect?

Thanks!

Anshjo3

If your husband is eligible for Golden Visa, that would even be cheaper as you won't need to open a company. If not, Sharjah Free zone seem to be the cheapest or you can also go to DED Cafe, they offer freelance visas, depending on activity and nationality. If you decide to open with freezone company, do it directly as the terminating charges of the company start-up agents are enormous, don't be fooled with their promotional offer.

I won't recommend doing visas the Fujairah Freezone, tbh, it's expensive. We've opened the company in 2020 prior to the new UAE laws and now we're stucked.

Evilbungle

Thanks for your insight, Great to hear some experience from further along the line that a lot of us are at.

If I can ask a more personal question, how do you make the 1 bed work? Does the front room convert to a bedroom? Is it a sofa bed? How many bathrooms does it have?

My wife is worried about trying to fit into a 1 bed unit as we have 1 child and 1 dog. I know it is a bit of a frivolous position but asking my family to move from our current 4 bed family home to not having a living room is a bit too much for me to do, I have also been told that as we only have 1 child we would be the bottom of the priority list for 2 bed units and given the number of people coming in all the time I can't see how we would ever get one?

wiseman231

Hi everyone, newbee here.
I was contacted by a recruitment firm for a potential offer in Neom. I know its still early stages, but if there is anyone out here from Australia, I would like to connect with them and find out more about the tax implications. If I still have to pay tax in Australia on my earnings in SA, then the calculations have to be revisited.
I did seek some help from accountants / ATO website, but they are pretty much useless. would really like to hear first hand from someone who has already made the move and knows first hand.
many thanks in advance.

Claud123

Australian here.... no tax paid to ATO working in a tax free country I've been away for more than 8 years . but there are rules. 1. you have either sell your house or rent it out 2. remove yourself from the electoral role. 3. if you have family such as wife and dependents children's they must join you overseas their are exceptions check with expat accountant this. 4. must be away from Australia for more than 2 years as general rules otherwise ATO will hit you with tax so make sure you plan more than 2 years away. 5. you must inform you bank in Australia that your bank account is set up as tax withholding interest earned .6. if you visit Australia don't stay more than 45 days. The rules are changing yearly if you going to go now because it will be much harder in the future such as Canada and USA tax rules are becoming more stringent. Seek Tax advise from expat accountant: Speak SMATS accountant google it : ask for Mick his a champ looks after my affairs in oz.

JayVeeBee

Hi ALL,

I've recently cleared the Background Check and have been asked to resign & confirm my start date. I've advised my onboarder that I will resign & estimate a start date once I've received my contract & the other visa documents from Neom (been told these documents will take 2-weeks......).

For those on the ground, when did you resign?

Thanks - J