Table of Contents

Wealthy Britons who look at a move from the UK to Dubai mostly ask about setting up companies. Nearly 60 percent of UK-origin enquiries about the UAE to adviser Sovereign PPG involve setting up a company. Interest is rising. Yet only about one in four people thinking of a move has started looking, on Saltus survey data.

Key takeaways

  • 30 percent of wealthy Britons are thinking of leaving, but only 8 percent are actively looking.
  • The UAE leads UK-origin enquiries at Sovereign PPG with 16.2 percent, ahead of the Isle of Man and Portugal.
  • Nearly 60 percent of those UAE enquiries concern company formation, not just residency.

Stage one: how many Britons are thinking of a UK to Dubai move

Start with intent. The Saltus Wealth Index asked 2,000 UK adults who hold at least GBP 250,000 in investible assets, not counting their home. Of those, in fact, 30 percent said they were thinking of leaving the UK. That is up from 25 percent a year earlier, The National reported.

However, the detail matters more than the headline. Only 8 percent were actively looking at a move, while 22 percent said they might think about one later. In addition, 70 percent had no plans to leave.

The FOUAE calculation

First, divide the active group by the wider group. That gives about 27 percent. So roughly one in four people who are thinking about leaving has started looking. Across the whole sample, meanwhile, it is about one person in 12.5.

In other words, interest is broad but action is narrow. Treat this as a reading of one survey, not a forecast of moves.

Stage two: why the UAE leads UK to Dubai enquiries

Now the destination. Sovereign PPG Corporate Services, a firm that helps set up companies, said the UAE drew 16.2 percent of its UK-origin enquiries. The Isle of Man came next at 12.8 percent. After that came Portugal at 11.7 percent, Gibraltar at 5.5 percent and Malta at 4.3 percent.

So the UAE leads the Isle of Man by 3.4 points and Portugal by 4.5 points. That said, this is one adviser’s enquiry data, and the firm sells UAE services. So it shows interest, not migration.

As Simon Gordon, Middle East managing director at Sovereign PPG, put it, “Tax efficiency may start the conversation, but it is rarely enough to complete the move.”

Stage three: Britons are asking about companies, not just homes

This is, in fact, the most useful finding for founders. Nearly 60 percent of UK-origin UAE enquiries involved company formation, business licensing or commercial set-up. Meanwhile, visa questions made up 21.9 percent, and wealth structures such as trusts and foundations 13.9 percent.

By contrast, only 42 percent of all UK-origin enquiries, across every destination, concerned business set-up.

What the comparison shows

On FOUAE’s arithmetic, UK enquirers looking at the UAE are about 1.4 times more business-focused than UK enquirers overall. Put differently, UAE company formation alone accounts for up to roughly 9.7 percent of all UK-origin enquiries in the dataset.

That pattern fits the UAE’s pitch to founders. For the practical side, therefore, our guide to Dubai business setup costs explains what the headline licence price leaves out.

Stage four: what turns UK to Dubai interest into a move

Tax alone rarely decides. Savills ranked Dubai eighth and Abu Dhabi tenth among top cities for young wealth, The National reported. By young wealth, Savills means people under 40 who inherited or built large fortunes. London ranked third, so the UK remains a strong draw too.

In particular, Savills credited the two emirates with business-friendly rules, strong infrastructure and lifestyle. Kelcie Sellers, associate director for world research at Savills, put it simply: “Location decisions are becoming a core component of wealth planning.”

What a move from the UK to Dubai actually involves

Residency. First, most people need a visa route, through a job, a company or an investment. For example, the UAE Golden Visa property route starts at AED 2 million.

UAE tax residency. Under Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022, in force since 1 March 2023, a person is UAE tax resident if the UAE is their main home and centre of interests. Spending 183 days in a 12-month period also qualifies. Residence permit holders can qualify after just 90 days if they also have a home or work in the UAE.

Company tax. Once a company is running, UAE corporate tax charges 9 percent on taxable profit above AED 375,000. Qualifying free zone income can be taxed at 0 percent, so the structure matters.

UK rules. The UK abolished the non-dom regime in April 2025 and moved inheritance tax to a residence-based test. In FOUAE’s reading, leaving therefore may not end UK tax ties straight away. Expert advice on both sides is therefore essential.

How big is the flow from the UK to Dubai?

Still, survey intent and actual moves are different things. CitizenX, a Swiss advisory firm, puts its baseline net loss of UK millionaires at 8,600 in 2026. It forecasts a smaller 5,700 in 2027. That forecast is about 34 percent lower, on FOUAE’s arithmetic.

For scale, Henley & Partners and New World Wealth expect 165,000 millionaires to relocate worldwide in 2026. So the UAE competes for a share of that global pool, not just the UK slice. Our look at UAE wealth shows how that capital already shapes the country.

The case for caution

These figures deserve care. First, a survey of intent is not a count of departures. Second, two of the sources are advisers that earn fees from moves. Third, CitizenX’s figures are a private firm’s projections, not official migration data.

Moreover, the UK still ranks highly for wealth, and many people who think about a UK to Dubai move will stay. Even so, the fair reading is that the UAE ranks high on the shortlist for those who look abroad.

The verdict on UK to Dubai moves

The UK to Dubai story in 2026 is less about flight and more about founders. After all, Britons who look at the UAE ask mainly about companies, and the UAE tops one adviser’s enquiry list. Yet only one in four of those considering a move has started looking. For the UAE, the task is converting that interest into lasting residents and businesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are wealthy Britons moving from the UK to Dubai?

Business is the main reason in the data. Nearly 60 percent of UK-origin enquiries about the UAE to Sovereign PPG involved company formation. Savills also ranks Dubai eighth among favoured cities for young wealth, citing business-friendly rules, infrastructure and lifestyle.

Do you pay tax in Dubai if you move from the UK?

The UAE does not tax personal employment income, and companies pay 9 percent corporate tax above AED 375,000 of profit. However, tax residency has rules: one route is 183 days a year, and there are others. UK tax ties can continue after leaving, so take advice on both sides.

How many millionaires are leaving the UK?

CitizenX, a Swiss advisory firm, puts the UK’s net loss at 8,600 millionaires in 2026 and forecasts 5,700 in 2027. In FOUAE’s view, these are best read as estimates. A Saltus survey found 30 percent of wealthy Britons thinking of leaving, with 8 percent actively looking.

Sources

Sources: The National, Nearly one in three wealthy Britons consider leaving UK, citing the Saltus Wealth Index, Sovereign PPG and CitizenX, October 2026; The National, Dubai and Abu Dhabi among top destinations for next-generation wealth, citing Savills, October 2026; Withers, Tax residency in the UAE, on Cabinet Decision No. 85 of 2022, July 2023; UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on corporate tax. The one-in-four ratio, the 1.4 times comparison, the 9.7 percent share and the 34 percent decline are FOUAE calculations. This is general information, not tax, legal or immigration advice.

Founders of UAE (FOUAE) is an independent, digital-first business publication covering the founders, companies and economy of the United Arab Emirates. Follow FOUAE on Instagram and LinkedIn.