Before you hand a stranger the keys to everything you own, here's exactly how to check who you're actually hiring — the licence, the accreditation, the contract, and the warning signs — plus a checklist you can run through with any mover, including us.
Twelve checks, four categories, drawn from UAE trade-licence rules, FIDI and IAM's own verification tools, and the red flags Dubai's consumer-protection cases keep repeating.
Most people vet a mover the way they'd vet a restaurant — a quick look at reviews and a price comparison. But a moving company is handed your passport copies, your house keys, and, for a few weeks, physical custody of everything you own. The relocation industry's own watchdogs — and Dubai's consumer-protection casework — point to the same handful of patterns: a lowball quote that balloons once your boxes are loaded, a truck with no company markings, a "mover" who is really just a WhatsApp number and a rented van. None of that is hard to catch. It just has to be checked before moving day, not during it.
Everything in this guide collapses into four checks. If a company can't clear all four, that's your answer.
A real, current licence from the DED (or the relevant emirate or free-zone authority) — one you can look up yourself, not just take their word for.
Membership in a body like FIDI or IAM that audits moving companies against a standard — and lets the public check that membership online.
An itemised quote and terms in writing before your goods are loaded — not a number over WhatsApp that changes once your truck is packed.
Documented transit cover for your belongings, with a policy or certificate they can show you — not a verbal assurance.
These are the actual tools, not just advice to "do your research."
Ask for their trade licence number and company name, then check it on the Dubai DED's eservices.dubaided.gov.ae under "Search License Information" (other emirates run the same check through their own Department of Economic Development; free zones like DMCC or JAFZA run theirs through their own authority). Confirm the licence is active, and that the listed business activity actually covers moving and relocation.
FIDI's FAIM certification is independently audited by EY, not self-declared. Use the "Find a FIDI Affiliate" search on fidi.org to confirm the company is a current, named member — not just displaying the logo.
The International Association of Movers runs a public directory at mobilityex.com. Search the company name and check its standing — IAMTrusted and IAMX-Validated members are flagged distinctly from unverified listings.
Ask for their office address and, where practical, visit it — or at least verify it's a real commercial location, not a P.O. box or a residential building. A legitimate mover will also handle any move-in/move-out permit your building or community management requires, rather than leaving that paperwork to you.
A binding, itemised quote — inventory, services, and final price — signed before the move starts. If the number is only ever spoken aloud, there's nothing to hold anyone to once your things are on the truck.
Use this with any mover you're considering — tick what you've actually confirmed, not what you assume.
These patterns show up again and again in moving-scam reports out of the UAE. Any one of them is worth a second opinion; more than one is worth walking away.
Keep every quote, contract, and message in writing as you go — it's the difference between a resolvable dispute and a "your word against theirs" situation. In Dubai, service complaints against a business go to the Consumer Rights platform run by the Department of Economy and Tourism (consumerrights.gov.ae); other emirates handle this through their own Department of Economic Development. If money was taken fraudulently, that's a matter for Dubai Police or the UAE's cybercrime reporting channels rather than a consumer complaint.
Ask for their trade licence number and registered company name, then look it up yourself on the Dubai DED's eServices portal ("Search License Information"), or the equivalent Department of Economic Development portal for other emirates, or the relevant free-zone authority. Confirm the licence is active and that its business activity covers moving and relocation.
FIDI is a global alliance of international moving companies. Its FAIM quality certification is independently audited by EY on a recurring basis, rather than self-declared — and FIDI's own "Find a FIDI Affiliate" directory lets anyone confirm a company is a current member.
No — they're separate, complementary bodies. FIDI is the international quality-certification alliance; the International Association of Movers (IAM) runs its own public directory, the Mobility Exchange, where members carry distinct trust tiers (IAMTrusted, IAMX-Validated, and standard membership). A well-credentialed mover often holds both.
On its own, not necessarily — but it's the single most common opening move in the bait-and-switch pattern documented across UAE moving complaints: a low number to secure the booking, followed by a much higher one once belongings are already loaded. Get it in writing and binding, and treat an unusually low quote as a reason to check the other eleven items on this page more carefully, not less.
Don't pay under pressure if you can avoid it — document everything (photos, messages, the original written quote) and file a complaint with Dubai's Consumer Rights platform (or your emirate's equivalent). If the situation escalates or feels unsafe, involve the police rather than negotiating on the spot.
Service and pricing complaints go to the Consumer Rights platform run by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (consumerrights.gov.ae). Suspected fraud or theft is a matter for Dubai Police or the UAE's cybercrime reporting channels.