Your Roadmap After April 2025

Non-Dom Status Has Ended. Where Will You Go?

Non-dom status ended in April 2025. For families with £5M–£50M in assets, that wasn’t just a policy change — it was a seismic shift.

Alexandra’s Reality Check

Alexandra, a second-generation non-dom with £12M in global assets, had always built responsibly. She’d contributed millions in UK taxes while preserving flexibility for her family.

But the April 2025 abolition ripped up the rules she was playing by. Overnight, her entire structure became exposed: trusts, investments, even her succession planning.

This is exactly why Dubai Shift exists. Licensed under SRTIP, we’ve executed 150+ non-dom migrations for UK families. We don’t just explain the reforms. We deliver complete transitions — UK exits, Dubai residency, trust restructuring, and family office execution.

The Scale of the Exodus

• UK projected to lose 16,500 millionaires in 2025 — the largest global outflow (Henley)
• At least 10% of non-doms have already left since reforms were announced
• British investors = 21.2% of Dubai property purchases, the #1 nationality

This isn’t avoidance. It’s mathematics.

As Ray Dalio put it:
“People with wealth and talent will go where they’re treated best.”

The Four Transition Paths

1. Clean Break Relocation

• Exit UK residency completely
• Move family, business interests, and in some cases trusts, to Dubai
• Secure Golden Visa or family office base

2. Gradual Migration

• Phase residency shift over 2–3 years
• Time investments and gains around clean tax years
• Layer UAE structures while reducing UK exposure

3. Trust Restructure (for clients with existing offshore trusts)

• Move offshore trusts into DIFC/ADGM frameworks
• Eliminate exposure to 40% IHT
• Gain audit-proof, treaty-recognised governance

Dubai Shift integrates UK counsel with UAE execution, ensuring trusts and wills are restructured legally and securely.

4. Strategic Return

• For clients keeping limited UK ties
• Re-anchor tax residence abroad while maintaining lifestyle balance
• Structure global assets for resilience

Why Execution Matters More Than Ever

The non-dom abolition is complex. Here’s where families fail:

• DIY “tax exile” moves that HMRC challenges in court
• Cheap property-only agents that ignore UK exit compliance
• Trust migrations without professional structuring → triggering exit charges

Dubai Shift rebuilds dozens of these failed setups every year. It always costs more to fix mistakes than to do it right the first time.

For premium families, we coordinate directly with Big 4 audit firms to produce audited financials, trust reports, and substance documentation — making your new structure bulletproof with HMRC and credible with global banks.

For straightforward exits, the process is measured in months and tens of thousands. For complex trust migrations, it climbs higher — but so do the stakes. A £100K professional execution is trivial when the alternative is losing £5M–£10M to IHT.

Case Study Snapshots

Roberto (Private Equity, £22M assets): Relied on Cayman trusts. HMRC challenged substance. Dubai Shift restructured through DIFC family office → 0% inheritance tax, £7.8M secured for heirs. Required full Big 4 audit coordination — an investment in the £80K+ range, but it preserved millions.

Maria (Second-Gen Family, £8M portfolio): Property-only agent sold her a Golden Visa villa. Still UK-resident under SRT. Dubai Shift rebuilt: UK exit certified, £2.4M in gains protected. Resolved within a standard non-dom migration — at a fraction of her potential loss.

James (Tech Founder, £30M exit): Faced £12M UK tax liability under new rules. Shifted to Dubai family office with phased exit. Savings: £9.2M preserved.

The Compliance Advantage in Dubai

UK burden post-2025:

• Ongoing reporting on offshore trusts
• Worldwide income taxable from Day 1
• IHT on all global assets after 10 years

Dubai alternative:

• 0% personal income tax
• 0% inheritance tax (no 10-year rule)
• 0% capital gains tax
• DIFC/ADGM trust structures trusted globally
• Residency in 4–5 months, not years

Timeline Reality: 4–5 Months Minimum

• Month 1: UK exit planning, trust review, UAE residency applications
• Months 2–3: Property / business licence / family office setup, banking integration
• Month 4: Banking, residency, school planning
• Month 5: Trust migration (if you have one), audit-proofing

Any low-cost agent’s “30-day promise” for your UK tax exit is a red flag. Non-dom exits involve multiple jurisdictions — and shortcuts create permanent exposure.

The ROI of Acting Early

• £12M portfolio under UK regime = £4.8M IHT liability
• Same portfolio under Dubai regime = £0
• Annual compliance cost: ~£75K
• Net 10-year benefit: £5M+

That’s not just wealth preserved — it’s capital compounding tax-free for the next generation.

Your Next Move: The Dubai Shift Consultation

Every non-dom client we advise asks:

• Can I restructure my trusts without triggering charges?
• How do I legally exit the UK before the deadline?
• What’s the safest way to protect £5M–£50M of family assets?

Dubai Shift, licensed under SRTIP, has executed 150+ non-dom exits for UK clients. We deliver the only end-to-end solution: UK tax exit, UAE residency, Golden Visa, trust migration, and family office setup.

And because precision matters, we only take on a limited number of new clients each quarter. As of today, 3 consultation slots remain for Q4 2025.

To secure a clean exit before the April 6, 2026 deadline, you must begin no later than November 2025.

Book your consultation today.

Haseena from Dubai

A founder, a Dubai insider, globally seasoned. Writing to you from the city I’ve always called home — but now see with fresh eyes.