Moving office in Dubai: a checklist for the six months before

Moving office in Dubai works best when planning starts around six months before the move date. In that time you need to settle both leases, confirm the new floor fits your team, design and approve the fit-out, order furniture, move IT and utilities, and update your licence and address. The order of those steps matters more than how fast each one happens.

Six months is not a rule. A small move into a fitted space can be quicker, and a full fit-out on a large floor can take longer. What follows is the sequence we see work, with the decisions that belong to each stage, so you can lay it over your own lease dates.

Six months out: leases, notice and a test fit

Start with the paperwork you already have. Read the current lease for the notice period, the end date and any reinstatement obligations — what you must remove or restore before you hand the keys back. Those dates set the latest day you can be out, and everything else is planned backwards from them.

Then look at the new space with a drawing, not just a viewing. A test fit is a simple layout that shows your headcount, meeting rooms and support spaces on the actual floor plate. It is the quickest way to compare two buildings, and it often shows that a floor that looked generous loses useful area to columns, cores or deep window bays.

Before you sign, it is worth checking:

• what the landlord hands over — shell and core, Category A or Category B — because it decides how much you will build
• the building’s fit-out guide, which sets the rules for works, working hours and approvals; we explain how to read a fit-out guide before you sign
• whether a rent-free or fit-out period is on offer, and how long it is, so the programme can sit inside it

Five months out: brief, team and budget

Name one person who can make decisions for the company and give them a small group to consult — usually someone from finance, IT and operations. Moves stall when every choice goes back to a committee.

Write the brief while the move is still abstract. How many people, now and in two or three years. How the team works during the day: at desks, in calls, in workshops, with clients. Which rooms matter most. What must come from the old office — furniture, artwork, server equipment — and what will be replaced.

This is also the moment to choose how the project will be run. With one studio handling design, documentation and furniture, there are fewer hand-offs; this is how we approach an office fit-out in Dubai. Whatever route you take, agree a budget range early and include furniture, AV and moving costs, which are easy to forget when the focus is on construction.

Four months out: design and drawings

With the layout agreed, the design develops into materials, lighting, ceilings, joinery and furniture. Sign off in rounds and then hold each decision. A wall moved after the technical drawings are done affects the ceiling, the services and the fire layout, and may mean resubmitting to the authorities.

Two items need attention now, even though they arrive last:

• Furniture made to order. Bench desks, boardroom tables and reception counters built to measure need final dimensions from the drawings. Our bespoke office furniture is detailed at this stage so production can start once approvals are under way.
• IT and AV. Data points, floor boxes, screens in meeting rooms and the location of the comms room all need to be on the drawings, not added on site.

Three months out: approvals and contractor

Before work starts, the design normally needs the landlord’s no-objection, a permit from the authority that governs the building, and civil defence approval for fire and life safety. We set out who signs off and in what order in our guide to office fit-out approvals in Dubai.

Use the review period well. Contractor pricing, sample approvals and orders for long-lead items can all move forward while the drawings are being reviewed. Agree the site rules with building management at the same time: delivery hours, noisy-work hours, lift bookings and where the contractor can store materials.

Two months out: construction, IT and services

Once the permit is issued, site work begins. The sequence — strip-out, partitions, services, ceilings, finishes, joinery — is covered in our office fit-out timeline. Visit the site regularly, but channel comments through one person so the contractor receives one set of instructions.

In parallel, start the services that depend on other companies:

• Internet and telephone. Order the connection for the new address early; installation depends on the provider and on the building’s risers.
• Electricity and water. Arrange the DEWA account for the new premises and the final reading for the old one, in line with your lease dates.
• Access and security. Access cards, parking allocations and visitor procedures are usually handled through building management.

The last month: inventory, labels and communication

The month before the move is about people and objects. Walk the old office and decide, room by room, what moves, what is stored, what is sold or donated and what is discarded. Give every item that moves a label matching a room and position on the new plan, so the movers place it once.

Tell people what will happen and when: which day they pack, when IT disconnects their equipment, where they sit on the first morning. Update clients and suppliers with the new address, and check what your licensing authority — the economic department or the free zone — needs from you to change it, together with the registration of the new lease. Requirements differ, so confirm them directly with the authority.

Move week and the weeks after

Book the moving company for a period when the building allows deliveries, often outside working hours, and confirm the lift booking in writing. Keep the old office accessible for a few days after the move in case something is left behind.

Before the team arrives, the contractor should have completed snagging — a room-by-room inspection for defects — and the authority’s final inspection should have closed the permit. Expect small adjustments in the first weeks: a desk that needs another socket, a meeting room that is too bright in the afternoon. Keep a single list and work through it with the contractor during the defects period.

Then return to the old office. Complete the reinstatement your lease requires, agree the condition with the landlord in writing, and collect the deposit. Our guide to reinstatement clauses in Dubai office leases explains what the clause usually covers and how to plan the works.

If you are planning a move and want to see how these stages sit against your lease dates, we can start with a test fit of the floor you are considering. Tell us about your space.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should we plan an office move in Dubai?

Around six months is a sensible starting point when the new space needs a fit-out, and earlier is better if the floor is large or the building’s approval process is slow. Start by reading the notice period and end date in your current lease, then plan backwards from those dates.

Can we move into the new office before the fit-out permit is closed?

Usually not. Most buildings expect the authority’s final inspection and completion certificate before the space is occupied. Confirm the exact requirement with building management early, so the move date is not set before the permit can realistically be closed.

What do we need to update with the authorities when we move office?

Typically the registration of the new lease and the address on your trade licence, with the economic department or your free zone authority depending on where you are licensed. Requirements and order vary, so confirm them directly with the authority before the move date.

Should we reuse our existing office furniture?

It depends on its condition and on how the new office will be used. Good chairs, storage and artwork often move well, while desks and meeting tables may not suit a new layout. Decide during the brief so the design accounts for what is coming with you.

What happens to the old office after we move out?

Most Dubai leases require the space to be returned in an agreed condition, which can mean removing partitions, joinery or cabling you installed. Check the reinstatement clause early, include the work in your budget and programme, and agree the final condition with the landlord in writing.