Making hijrah: a practical 12-step roadmap

This is a practical roadmap for families and individuals who are planning a relocation to a Muslim-majority country. It covers planning, paperwork and daily life. It does not tell you whether you should move, and it does not give individual immigration advice. For the meaning and history of the word, and for the range of scholarly views, read Hijrah: meaning, history and modern usage.

Fiqh note. Whether relocation is religiously required, recommended or neither is a question on which scholars hold different views. This page is about logistics only. Clarify your intention (niyyah) and speak to qualified scholars about your own situation.

Visas and residence. Everything below about visas and documents is a dated summary of what official sources publish, read on 12 November 2026. It is information, not legal advice, and it can change without notice. Professional review of this page is in progress. Always confirm on the official portal and, for anything that matters, with a qualified immigration adviser.

The 12 steps at a glance

1. Define your goals
2. Set a realistic budget
3. Choose a shortlist by criteria
4. Take an exploratory trip
5. Gather and legalise documents
6. Research the residence route
7. Plan your income
8. Plan schooling
9. Plan housing
10. Plan healthcare
11. Plan shipping, pets and your old home
12. Check tax residency and set a timeline

Step 1. Define your goals

Write down, in order of importance, what you want the move to achieve. A shared list helps a couple or a whole family to agree before money is spent. Typical headings:

• Family. Who is moving, and who may need to stay or visit often? Elderly parents, adult children and spouses with different work situations change the plan more than anything else.
• Work. Will you keep your current income, change jobs, start a business, or retire? The answer decides which residence routes are even possible.
• Schools. Children’s ages matter. A move before a school-leaving exam year is very different from one in early primary school. List the curriculum you need (national, British, American, IB, French or Islamic schools) and whether a language of instruction is a barrier.
• Deen environment. Be specific: walking distance to a mosque, Friday prayer arrangements, halal food, Ramadan working hours, Qur’an and Arabic classes, and a community you can join. These are concrete and can be checked, unlike a general impression of a country.

Step 2. Set a realistic budget

A budget has three parts. Put them in a spreadsheet with a line for each family member.

• One-off costs. Document legalisation and translation, application fees, flights, shipping, deposits and furnishing, and an exploratory trip.
• Running costs. Rent, utilities, school fees, healthcare, transport, food and visits home.
• A buffer. Plan a reserve for unexpected costs and for the first months before income settles. How large the reserve should be is your own decision.

For a first comparison of general price levels you can use the “price level” column in the country comparison table, which shows World Bank purchasing-power data. It is a whole-economy average, so treat it only as a starting point and replace it with real quotes for rent and school fees in your chosen city. For two worked examples see cost of living in Dubai and cost of living in Malaysia.

Where a residence route requires a deposit, property purchase or minimum income, include it as a separate line in the budget, because it is often the largest figure of all. Take advice from a qualified professional before committing funds. This site does not recommend any financial product.

Step 3. Choose a shortlist by criteria

There is no single best destination, only the one that matches your own list. Choose three to five criteria from step 1 and compare two or three countries at a time.

The comparison table covers 14 Muslim-majority countries and lets you sort by the Muslim share of population, the Global Peace Index rank, price level, GDP per capita, English proficiency, the existence of a long-stay route and the UK FCDO travel advice level. Each criterion is sourced and has a note on its limits. Several Gulf countries currently carry a “regional tensions” warning from the UK FCDO, updated on 27 October 2026, so check the live advisory on the day you decide.

When you have a shortlist, read the full country pages on this site:

• United Arab Emirates
• Malaysia
• Turkey
• Morocco
• Egypt

Each page has a safety section built on official travel advice and a summary of residence routes with links to the official portal.

Step 4. Take an exploratory trip

Visit before you commit, ideally for two to four weeks and in the season that will be hardest (heat, humidity, Ramadan). Use the trip to test the plan rather than to sightsee:

• Live in the neighbourhood you might rent in. Walk to the mosque, the shops and the school.
• Visit two or three schools and ask for their admissions rules and waiting lists in writing.
• See a clinic or hospital and ask how foreign residents are billed.
• Meet a few people who live there, including people from your own background.

Before booking, read the destination’s current UK FCDO or your own government’s travel advice. Some countries now carry warnings for certain areas or for the region as a whole.

Step 5. Gather and legalise documents

Most routes ask for civil documents: birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, degree certificates and sometimes medical reports. Gather them early, because issuing authorities can be slow and some documents expire (police certificates are often valid only for a limited period, set by the destination).

Apostille or legalisation

Foreign documents are usually accepted only if they have been authenticated. There are two systems:

• Apostille. Under the Hague Apostille Convention, a single certificate from a designated authority in the issuing country is accepted in any other contracting party. The HCCH status table, last updated 30 June 2026 and listing 130 contracting parties, shows that Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Indonesia, Brunei, Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia are contracting parties. We did not find the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Egypt or Jordan in the table read on 12 November 2026, so confirm the current status on the HCCH page and on the destination’s official site before you order any apostilles.
• Legalisation chain. Where either country is not a party, documents usually pass through the issuing country’s foreign ministry and then the destination’s embassy or consulate, sometimes with an extra step in the destination. Each country sets its own rules. We have not found an official source that sets out a common chain for the Gulf states, Egypt or Jordan, so ask the destination’s embassy for its written checklist.

Keep scans of every stage. Order two or three originals of key documents, because each application may retain them.

Translation

Many authorities want an official or sworn translation into the local language, sometimes done in the destination country. Confirm which translators they accept before you pay for any.

Step 6. Research the residence route

Start from the official government portal of the destination, not from a third-party agent’s summary. Typical categories, with examples of official pages read on 12 November 2026:

• Employment sponsored by a local employer. The most common route. Terms are set in the destination’s labour and immigration law.
• Long-stay programmes without a local employer.
  • The UAE Golden Visa lists categories including investors, entrepreneurs, exceptional talent and outstanding students, with 5- or 10-year validity and, for investors, a stated minimum capital of AED 2 million.
  • Malaysia’s MM2H is a renewable pass with Platinum, Gold, Silver and special-zone categories; its guidelines set a minimum age of 25 for the main categories and require holding a fixed deposit with a licensed Malaysian institution and buying a residence after approval. The DE Rantau Nomad Pass is the country’s remote-worker route, with details in its FAQ.
  • Saudi Arabia’s Premium Residency portal lists several residency products. Note the FCDO advice in step 4 before considering Saudi Arabia.
  • Indonesia’s immigration directorate lists an Indonesian Golden Visa on its home page; details sit on the visa pages.
• Property-linked residence. Several countries link residence to property ownership. Terms, minimum values and eligible areas change often; read the original text of the law or regulation.
• Retirement, study and family routes. Check the age, income and relationship rules in each case.

For each route, write down the stated requirements, the fees, the validity, whether dependants are included, the renewal conditions and what happens if circumstances change. Do not rely on information older than a few months.

This site does not tell you which visa to apply for. If your case is not straightforward, a licensed adviser in the destination country can review it.

Step 7. Plan your income

Decide how the family will be financed over the first two years.

• Remote work. If you keep an existing job or clients, confirm in writing with your employer that working from abroad is allowed, and check whether the destination has a visa for it. Time-zone gaps and bandwidth are practical matters to test on the exploratory trip.
• Local employment. Check how the destination recognises your qualifications and whether the profession is regulated. Check whether the employer sponsors a visa and what happens to the visa if the job ends.
• Business. Ownership rules for foreign nationals vary and sometimes require a local partner or a free-zone licence. Look at the official investment authority’s guidance and take legal advice before signing.
• Retirement or savings. If you rely on a pension or savings, check how they are transferred and taxed (step 12).

Whichever route you take, keep your income halal and documented, and keep records that you may be asked for at renewal.

Step 8. Plan schooling

Schooling is often the deciding factor for families. For each child:

• List the curriculum options and the language of instruction.
• Ask each school in writing about admission rules for foreign pupils, fees, entry tests, waiting lists and start dates.
• Ask about Islamic studies, Arabic and Qur’an provision, uniform and prayer arrangements.
• If a child has special educational needs, ask what support is available and in what language.
• Plan the timing so that the child does not change systems in an exam year.

Verify any school’s accreditation with the education ministry of the destination, and with the awarding body where the school offers an international curriculum.

Step 9. Plan housing

• Plan to rent first. A purchase can wait until you know the city and the legal position for foreign buyers.
• Rental practices vary: deposits, advance payments, agents’ fees and written contracts differ by country. Insist on a written contract in a language you understand.
• Check the distance to the school and the mosque and the commute, rather than only the rent.
• If a route requires buying a home, compare the sale and resale conditions in the official guidelines before committing. For example, the MM2H guidelines state that the residence bought after approval may not be sold for 10 years unless the owner upgrades to a higher-value property.
• Do not send money for a property before checking the title with the official land registry and a lawyer in the destination.

This site does not promote any mortgage or financing product.

Step 10. Plan healthcare

• Find out whether the destination requires health cover as a condition of residence. Where a law requires it, the official portal states what is needed.
• Ask the hospitals you might use how they bill foreign residents, and which of your regular medicines are available or restricted. Some countries restrict particular prescription drugs; check the health ministry’s rules and carry the prescription.
• Keep your records, vaccination certificates and a summary from your doctor, with a translation if needed.
• For a pregnancy or chronic condition, plan a reserve and a fallback location.

Step 11. Shipping, pets and your old home

• Shipping. Get at least three written quotes from established movers, check customs rules for personal effects, and list items that may be prohibited, including some books, electronics, medicines and food items.
• Pets. Entry rules for animals are set by the destination’s agriculture or veterinary authority. They usually involve a microchip, vaccinations, a health certificate and sometimes a waiting period. Start months ahead, and ask the airline about its own conditions. Note that some countries restrict certain breeds.
• Your old home. Decide whether to sell or let it, and who will handle your post, your bank and your obligations while you are away.

Step 12. Check tax residency, then set your timeline

Moving abroad does not automatically end your tax obligations in your home country, and living in the new country may create new ones. Rules differ by country and by nationality. As examples of home-country rules, the UK publishes its residence and tax rules, and the US publishes how it determines residency status. Check the tax authority of both countries and, where there is a tax treaty between them, read it. This site does not give tax advice; a qualified tax professional can look at your case. Also check social security, pensions, inheritance rules and whether a bank account in the destination requires proof of residence.

A typical timeline

The table is a planning template, not an official processing time. Official times vary and are published by each authority.

When	What to do
12 to 9 months before	Steps 1 to 3: goals, budget, shortlist. Talk it through as a family.
9 to 7 months before	Step 4: exploratory trip. Request school and housing information.
7 to 5 months before	Step 5 and 6: order documents, apostilles and translations; confirm the residence route from the official portal.
5 to 3 months before	Steps 7 and 8: confirm income and school places; submit residence application where the route allows.
3 to 1 months before	Steps 9 to 11: housing, healthcare, shipping, pets. Give notice on your old home and work.
Arrival month	Collect documents; register where the law requires; open a bank account; enrol children.
First 3 months	Complete residence formalities; find the local mosque and community; keep copies of all paperwork.
After 12 months	Review step 1 goals. Check tax filings and renewal dates.

Adjust the dates to your own situation, for example around a school-year start or a lease end.