ADIB Lets New UAE Residents Start Banking Before Their Emirates ID

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has introduced ADIB Arrive, a package for people and families who have just moved to the UAE. It pairs account services with settling-in guidance and partner offers.

The core is pre-arrival onboarding. Eligible applicants can start a banking relationship before their Emirates ID is issued, submitting an employment letter, passport and, where applicable, an entry visa. A dedicated team guides them through the steps.

ADIB values the package at up to AED 7,500, delivered through salary welcome rewards and special terms on investment deposits, subject to conditions. Selected products carry preferential rates and charges, including remittance benefits. Eligible customers can have the AED 99 annual fee waived on the Cashback Visa Covered Card, and safe deposit lockers are priced at a discount that currently stands at 50%.

A Settle-in Guide covers telecommunications, home rentals, transport, schools, utilities and the government and transport apps residents rely on. Partner discounts span car rental, hotels, healthcare, real estate and storage.

ADIB describes the package as an extension of its work beyond conventional banking, into helping customers establish lives and financial futures in the country. It says the UAE keeps drawing professionals, entrepreneurs and families.

For most newcomers, the awkward gap is administrative: a lease, a phone line, a school place and a utility account usually wait on residency paperwork that takes weeks to clear. Shortening that queue is the practical case for pre-arrival accounts. The value on offer, though, is conditional. The AED 7,500 headline depends on salary transfer and on the terms attached to each product, so what a household actually captures varies.