FAB: open an account in UAE for non-residents

Overview

Key terms

FAB is the UAE’s largest bank. Its private banking arm serves wealthier clients: multi-currency accounts, investment portfolios, premium cards. Entry thresholds and terms are agreed with the bank individually; every case passes an extended source-of-wealth review.

Account type: Private banking
Client: Including non-residents — per bank requirements
Currencies: AED · USD · EUR
Bank card: Yes, per the selected bank product
SWIFT: Yes
SEPA: No: EUR payments run via SWIFT
Opening: In-person visit / per current bank terms
Timeline: Individual: private banking reviews each case separately
Bank fees: Set by the bank; shown before the work starts
BRIDGES GLOBAL service: Individual, after the preliminary check

Products

What you get

Private banking account

An account with AED, USD, EUR balances and in-bank conversion. The base of the client’s settlement infrastructure in the jurisdiction.

Bank card

An international payment card linked to the account — physical and digital formats per the bank’s line.

Digital banking

Online banking and a mobile app: payments, conversion, statements and bank communication remotely.

BRIDGES GLOBAL support

File preparation, filing coordination and responses to bank requests — before the decision and after opening.

Bank card

Debit card

Payment network: Visa or Mastercard — per bank product
Currencies: AED · USD · EUR
Format: Physical and digital card
Delivery: At a bank branch at opening or later
Mobile wallets: Per current bank terms
Maintenance: Per bank tariffs; shown before the project

Card issuance and maintenance terms are set by the bank. Before the project we confirm the current tariffs of the selected product.

Non-residents

For clients without UAE residency

FAB private banking also works with non-residents — given verifiable capital and a clear structure of its origin. Citizenship, country of residence and source of wealth are assessed together; a resident visa broadens the available line.

Entry thresholds follow bank requirements and are discussed individually
Verifiable source of wealth is the key to the review
A UAE resident visa broadens the product line

Availability

Availability by citizenship

Select citizenship:

Statuses reflect review practice as of the verification date and are not a promise on the bank’s behalf. The bank makes the final decision on each specific application.

Requirements

What the applicant needs

Verifiable capital

The arm serves clients whose capital meets the bank’s thresholds and is documented.

Source of wealth

The history of the capital is the main review subject. We build the evidence chain before the bank introduction.

A clear task

Custody, investments, settlement infrastructure or all three — the task is defined before filing.

In-person meeting

The banker introduction happens in person. We arrange the meeting and prepare the client.

Preparation

Documents for the bank

Passport
Proof of address
Proof of tax residency
Proof of employment or business
Source of funds documents
Emirates ID — for a resident account; the visa is a separate project
Additional documents — at the bank’s request

The exact list depends on citizenship, residency and source of funds: after the pre-check we send a personal list with samples.

Source of funds

Pick your main source — we show the documents the bank typically requests.

Documents usually required

Employment contract or employer letter
Salary account statements
Tax returns where applicable

Pricing

BRIDGES GLOBAL support packages

Account onlyIndividual

Account and core support until the bank’s decision

Account + bank cardIndividual

Adds card issuance and digital banking set-up

Account + extended supportIndividual

Adds support for bank compliance requests for 6 months after opening

Included

Preliminary check
Personal document list
Application and banking file preparation
Visit booking and coordination
Bank communication support
Responses to additional bank requests

Not included

The bank’s decision to open the account
Bank fees and tariffs
Minimum balance and deposits
Third-party costs: translations, apostilles, travel

Process

How the account opening works

01Pre-check
We assess citizenship, residency, source of funds and account purpose — and say honestly whether the application has a prospect.
02Payment and project creation
Once the fit is confirmed we invoice the service. The project gets a number and a personal coordinator.
03Document collection
We send a personal list, verify each document and request anything missing in advance.
04Banking file
We build the file in the logic of compliance questions: source of funds, account purpose, expected operations.
05Filing and visit
We coordinate the branch visit in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, prepare the client for the bank’s questions and support the filing.
06Compliance review
The bank reviews the application. We answer additional FAB requests and keep the client informed.
07Bank decision
The decision belongs to the bank. If declined, we analyse the reason and propose the next step — keeping the prepared file.
08Account and card
We help activate the account, the card and digital banking. On the extended package we stay available for bank requests.

Compliance

Compliance and source of funds

The bank assesses not the size of the capital but its clarity: where the funds come from, what the client does, what operations are planned. We prepare the file in this logic before filing, so most compliance questions close in advance rather than in correspondence after filing.

The final decision on opening the account, issuing the card and providing banking products belongs to the bank. BRIDGES GLOBAL provides consulting and support services and does not guarantee a positive bank decision. Payment is made for BRIDGES GLOBAL services in preparing and supporting the project.

Questions

Account opening questions

Thresholds are set by the bank and discussed individually — they depend on the service mix and booking jurisdiction. We give reference points at a consultation after the task is assessed.

By the level of tasks: private banking means custody and management of capital, investment mandates and structuring — not just a card with perks. The source-of-wealth review is accordingly deeper.

For a standard personal account — yes, together with an Emirates ID. Some banks offer non-resident savings accounts with higher balance requirements — we check this scenario at the pre-check. If there is no visa, the visa-plus-account setup is handled as one project.

Most banks set average monthly balance requirements below which a fee applies. Thresholds depend on the bank and the service tier — we confirm them before the project.

A reference point is several days to four weeks: it depends on the product, the applicant’s status and the FAB review.

Payment covers BRIDGES GLOBAL’s preparation and support work, not the bank’s decision. We start with a free pre-check and do not take on applications without a realistic prospect. Termination terms are fixed in the agreement before payment.

Team

Who runs banking projects

Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantBanking solution shortlist and the preliminary client check

Klara RihterHead of Compliance and Due DiligenceThe banking file and source of funds

Elena TitovaClient Relationship ManagerProject coordination and client liaison

20+ yearsof international practice
8,000+families obtained status with BRIDGES GLOBAL
40+countries and jurisdictions in work

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