Packing and unpacking
Packing Services in Dubai
Packing is where moves are won or lost. Anything that arrives broken was packed badly, and anything you cannot find for three weeks was labelled badly. We do it room by room, wrap fragile items individually, and label every box with the room it is going to.
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Labelled by destination, not origin
A box marked "kitchen — new place" is useful. One marked "from the spare room" is not.
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Fragile items wrapped individually
Glassware, ceramics and electronics each get their own wrapping. Bundling is what makes the crunching noise.
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Full or partial, your choice
We can pack everything, or just the kitchen, glassware and wardrobes and leave books and clothes to you.
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Materials included, and delivered early
If you are packing yourself we drop the boxes and wrap beforehand so you are not doing it the night before.
What good packing actually looks like
Three rules cover most of it. Heavy things go in small boxes and light things in large ones, so nothing is too heavy to carry safely or so under-filled that it collapses when stacked. Fragile items get wrapped individually rather than bundled, because two glasses wrapped together are two glasses hitting each other. And every box is labelled with the room it is going to in the new home, not the room it came from.
That last one changes the whole unpacking experience. When the crew is carrying boxes into a new apartment they read the label and put it where it belongs. Nothing gets stacked in the hallway to be sorted later, which is how “we will unpack over the weekend” becomes a month.
Full, partial, or just the materials
Full packing is the least work and the most cost. Doing it yourself is the reverse, and it is a genuine option — plenty of people pack their own books, clothes and linens perfectly well. What we would gently push back on is self-packing the kitchen and the glassware, because those are the two categories that produce almost all breakage claims.
The middle option works for most people: we pack the kitchen, fragile items, electronics and wardrobes, you do the straightforward boxes. If you want materials only, we deliver them in advance and collect the flattened empties afterwards.
Packing for the Dubai climate
Two local details worth knowing. Anything that can melt or warp — candles, vinyl records, some cosmetics, chocolate — should not sit in a truck in July, so those travel late and go in the car if possible. And electronics moved between a cold apartment and a hot truck can condense internally; we let them acclimatise before they are powered on rather than plugging a television in the moment it arrives.
What's included
- Double-walled boxes in several sizes
- Bubble wrap, packing paper and stretch film
- Wardrobe cartons so hanging clothes stay on their hangers
- Mattress, sofa and appliance covers
- Individual wrapping for glass, ceramics and electronics
- Room-by-room packing with destination labelling
- A box inventory for larger moves
- Unpacking and debris removal if you want it
What costs extra
If any of these apply to your move they will be on your written quote before you agree to anything — never added on the day.
- Custom crating for artwork, sculpture or antiques — quoted separately
- Packing hazardous items: paint, gas cylinders, aerosols, fuel
- Valuables such as jewellery, cash, passports and documents — keep these with you
Properties we handle
- Full packing
- We pack everything. Typically the day before the move for anything larger than a one-bedroom.
- Partial packing
- We take the kitchen, glassware, wardrobes and electronics; you handle books, clothes and linens.
- Fragile-only packing
- For people who are confident packing but do not want to be responsible for the dinner service.
- Materials only
- Boxes and wrap delivered to you in advance, with the empties collected afterwards.
- Unpacking
- Boxes emptied, contents placed, flattened cardboard taken away the same day.
Where we do this in Dubai
Access and permit rules differ by community. These pages cover what applies where.
- Downtown Dubai
- Business Bay
- Dubai Marina
- JBR
- JLT
- JVC
- Palm Jumeirah
- Al Barsha
- Jumeirah
- Deira
- Bur Dubai
- Dubai Hills Estate
Frequently asked questions
Roughly half a day for a one-bedroom, a full day for a three-bedroom apartment, and a dedicated day for a villa. Kitchens take far longer than people expect — a well-stocked Dubai kitchen is often a third of the total packing time on its own.
A rough guide: 15–25 for a studio, 30–45 for a one-bedroom, 50–70 for two bedrooms, and 80–120 for a three-bedroom home. Books and kitchenware push it up quickly. If you are packing yourself, order more than you think and return the unused ones.
Passports, visas, Emirates IDs, jewellery, cash, medication and laptops — keep those with you personally. Also anything flammable or pressurised: paint, gas cylinders, aerosols and fuel cannot travel on the truck. Empty and drain anything with liquid in it.
Yes. Unpacking means boxes emptied, contents placed on surfaces or in cupboards where you direct, and all the cardboard and wrap taken away the same day. It is the part most people skip and most regret skipping — a house full of flattened boxes is its own kind of stress.
Often yes for smaller properties, especially outside month-end. Packing needs less lead time than the move itself because it does not depend on a lift slot or a permit. Call and ask — the answer is more often yes than people assume.
Other things we move
Home Moving
Full-service moving for houses, flats and family homes anywhere in Dubai — surveyed, packed, permitted and reassembled.
See what it includesApartment Moving
High-rise apartment moves across Dubai, planned around service lift slots, loading bays and building move permits.
See what it includesVilla Moving
Villa and townhouse moves across Dubai — large-volume packing, garden and outdoor furniture, gate passes and multi-day planning.
See what it includesOffice Moving
Office relocations across Dubai planned around your working week — after-hours moving, IT handled carefully, desks rebuilt before Sunday.
See what it includesNeed packing services in Dubai?
Tell us where you are moving from, where you are moving to, and what you need help with. We will survey it properly and come back with one fixed written price.