Superannuation when you move to Dubai: can you withdraw your super?

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, moving to Dubai does not let you withdraw your super. The ATO says your super “remains subject to the same rules” whether you leave Australia temporarily or permanently. You reach it the same way as someone who never left: retire after your preservation age, turn 65, or meet one of a short list of other conditions of release.

Everything in this guide is general information as at October 2026, taken from the Australian Taxation Office. It is not personal tax or financial advice. Your super, your age and your plans for returning to Australia all change the answer, so take your own position to a registered tax agent or licensed financial adviser before you act.

Can I withdraw my super if I leave Australia permanently?

No, not as an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The ATO page on living overseas says that if you leave Australia temporarily or permanently, “you can’t access your super until you reach preservation age and retire or satisfy another condition of release.”

The ATO’s super withdrawal options page lists those conditions. You can withdraw your super when:

• you turn 65, even if you still work
• you reach your preservation age and retire
• you reach your preservation age, keep working and start a transition to retirement income stream
• you meet a condition that allows early access.

The early access list is short: medical, compassionate, hardship and incapacity grounds; the First Home Super Saver scheme for voluntary contributions; a very small balance; and “being a temporary resident who is leaving Australia”. A move to Dubai is not on it for Australians.

Withdraw super leaving Australia: who the DASP is for

The departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) is the route people mean when they search “withdraw super leaving Australia”. It exists for people who came to Australia on a temporary visa, built up super while working, and then went home.

As at October 2026, the ATO says you can generally claim a DASP if all of these apply:

• you built up the super while working in Australia on an eligible temporary resident visa
• that visa has expired or been cancelled
• you have left Australia and hold no other active Australian visa
• you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or an Australian permanent resident.

The last condition rules out Australians moving to Dubai. If you hold a temporary Australian visa yourself and are relocating to the UAE, the ATO’s DASP pages set out how to claim, and you can only lodge a claim after you have left and your visa has ended.

What is my preservation age?

Your preservation age depends on when you were born. The ATO publishes this table:

Most people moving to Dubai for work or business were born after 1 July 1964, so 60 is the age to plan around. Your preservation age differs from your Age Pension age, which Services Australia sets.

What happens to my super while I live in Dubai?

It stays where it is. Your fund keeps it invested under the fund’s rules, and you manage it from overseas through ATO online services in myGov. The ATO recommends myID as a sign-in option that works from abroad, so set that up before you fly.

A few housekeeping steps make life easier once you are in the UAE:

• Combine accounts you no longer need. The ATO points out that one account means one set of fees. You can see every account in myGov.
• Tell a fund if you want to keep a small account open. Otherwise a small or inactive account can be transferred to the ATO as unclaimed super. You can claim it back later, but it is easier to keep track of while it stays with your fund.
• Update your contact details. Use an email address and phone number you will keep, so your fund and the ATO can reach you in Dubai.
• Review your insurance inside super. Many funds include life and income protection cover, and the terms for members living overseas vary. Ask your fund what cover you keep while you live in the UAE.

Will my Dubai employer pay into my super?

Do not expect it unless your contract says so. The UAE runs its own system for expatriate workers, and it does not involve Australian super.

The UAE government portal states that “there are no pension schemes for expatriate workers in the UAE; however, they are entitled to end of service gratuity.” In the private sector you qualify after one year of continuous service, and the gratuity is calculated on your last basic salary, so it leaves out housing and transport allowances. See the u.ae page on pension schemes for expatriate workers.

When you compare a Dubai offer with your Australian package, treat the gratuity as a separate line. Your Australian employer’s super contributions stop when the job ends, and nothing in UAE law replaces them with contributions to an Australian fund.

Can I keep contributing to super from Dubai?

That depends on your age, your fund and how much Australian taxable income you still have. Some people keep contributing so the balance grows; others stop because a deduction is worth little with no Australian income to set it against.

Ask your fund whether it accepts contributions from members who live overseas. Then ask a registered tax agent whether a contribution makes sense for you. Contribution caps, deductions and the tax on contributions all depend on your figures, and a general guide cannot answer that for you.

I run an SMSF. Can I keep it if I move to Dubai?

This is the super question with the biggest risk for people who move abroad. A self-managed super fund only gets its concessional tax treatment while it meets the definition of an Australian super fund, and part of that test looks at where the fund is managed. When the trustees move overseas, the fund’s management may move with them.

The ATO’s guidance for people going overseas says: “If you’re a trustee of a self-managed super fund and intend to travel overseas for an extended period, check before you leave that your fund will continue to meet the definition of an Australian super fund.” Its page Check your SMSF is an Australian super fund sets out three conditions the fund must meet at all times in the financial year. Two matter most when you move to Dubai:

• Central management and control ordinarily in Australia. The fund’s strategic decisions, such as its investment strategy, must be made in Australia. The ATO says a fund generally still meets this if its management is temporarily outside Australia for up to 2 years, but not if it is permanently outside Australia for any period.
• Active members. If the fund has active members, those who are Australian residents must hold at least 50% of the value of the members’ super interests. The ATO suggests that a member who becomes a non-resident and still wants to contribute does so through a retail or industry fund instead.

If the fund fails the test, the ATO says you should roll your benefits over to a regulated Australian super fund and wind up the SMSF; otherwise the fund becomes non-complying.

If you are an SMSF trustee, get your fund reviewed by a registered tax agent or an SMSF specialist adviser before you set a departure date.

Is my super taxed differently when I become a non-resident?

Your super stays inside the Australian system, so the Australian rules for super continue to apply to it. How a future withdrawal is taxed depends on your age at the time, the components of your balance and the rules in force when you withdraw. Your residency status when you take the money can also matter.

We cannot give you a reliable figure for that, and neither can a general guide. A registered tax agent can model it against your balance and your expected return date, if you plan to come back.

What should I do with my super before I move to Dubai?

Use this list in the months before you leave:

1. Log in to myGov and check every super account you hold.
2. Consolidate the accounts you do not need.
3. Check insurance inside each fund and what happens to it while you live overseas.
4. Set up myID and confirm you can sign in from outside Australia.
5. Update your contact details with each fund and the ATO.
6. If you have an SMSF, get it reviewed before you choose a departure date.
7. Ignore early release offers. The ATO warns that it is illegal to withdraw your super unless you meet a condition of release, and that illegal early access schemes “will cost you a lot more than the super you withdraw”.

Super is one part of your Australian exit. Your residency status, your final tax return and capital gains tax on the assets you hold all need the same attention. Our guide on leaving Australia for tax covers the residency tests and the return you lodge for the year you leave, and Moving to Dubai from Australia sets out the whole move step by step.

How we help

We handle the UAE side of your move: your company or employment visa, your Emirates ID, your bank account and the practical landing. We do not advise on Australian super or tax. For that, we work alongside your registered tax agent or financial adviser, so the dates on both sides line up. If you would like to talk through the order of your move, get in touch with Alan; he replies within one working day.