The verdict in three sentences
In Dubai, a website for an immigration and relocation firm costs roughly 6 000 to 40 000+ USD from a local agency in 2026, and much less from a freelancer, with very uneven quality and ownership terms. Kolonell builds the public site at a fixed 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD, with native English copy, a project manager available at Gulf hours and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks (Premium: usually 4 to 6 weeks). For a visa and relocation business, the deciding factors are clear service pages, honest disclaimers and lead forms that handle personal data properly, not animations.
What do Dubai agencies and freelancers charge?
Dubai agencies usually quote in AED, and the market is wide: from boutique studios in Business Bay and Dubai Internet City to regional network agencies. Public rate cards, Clutch.co profiles and freelance platform listings support the prudent 2026 ballpark below, converted to USD. Scope, languages and integrations move these numbers a lot.
| Option | 2026 ballpark (USD) | Typical delay | Usually included | Common catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional or network digital agency | 15 000 to 40 000+ | 10 to 16 weeks | Strategy, custom design, English and Arabic, CMS | Long retainer, change requests billed |
| Boutique Dubai web studio | 6 000 to 15 000 | 6 to 10 weeks | Theme-based design, CMS, forms | Copy often left to the client |
| Freelancer (Upwork, Fiverr Pro listings) | 1 500 to 8 000 | 3 to 12 weeks | Build only | Domain and hosting sometimes in their name |
| Kolonell Starter | 2 900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Essential firm site, native English copy | Arabic and other languages quoted |
| Kolonell Growth | 4 900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Full service catalogue and lead forms | Case portal quoted |
| Kolonell Premium | 8 900 | Usually 4 to 6 weeks | Richest scope, bilingual EN/FR | Custom applications quoted |
The Kolonell formulas, with what each one covers, are on our international website offer.
What does an immigration and relocation site in Dubai need?
Your visitors are a mix: a professional who just received a job offer, a founder comparing free zones, an HR manager moving ten employees, an investor asking about long-term residence. Most arrive on a phone, many from abroad.
- One page per service: employment visas, Golden Visa and long-term residence options, investor and company setup routes, family sponsorship, freelance permits, document attestation, and on the relocation side home search, school search and settling-in.
- Honest disclaimers: decisions belong to the authorities (GDRFA Dubai, ICP and the relevant free zone or ministry). Your site should say your firm does not guarantee outcomes and that official requirements and fees change, and point to official sources rather than copying fee tables that go stale.
- Lead forms that respect personal data: passport and family details are sensitive. Collect the minimum on the first form, use secure channels for documents, and publish a privacy notice. The UAE federal data protection law applies, and firms located in DIFC or ADGM fall under those free zones' own data protection regulations. Your counsel should confirm which framework applies. This is not legal advice.
- Languages: English first, Arabic for credibility with local partners and authorities, and often French, Russian, Hindi or Urdu for specific client communities. Kolonell writes natively in English and French; Arabic and other languages are supplied by the firm or quoted separately.
- Corporate relocation section: a dedicated page for HR teams, with the process, the documents and a contact route for volume moves.
A case-tracking portal where clients upload documents and follow their application is a custom application, quoted on request, never part of the fixed grid.
Which formula, and what will it cost over three years?
| Line | Mid-range Dubai agency | Kolonell Growth | Kolonell Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build | 12 000 USD (assumed mid-range) | 4 900 USD | 8 900 USD |
| Included support | Often none, retainer from launch | 3 months | 6 months |
| Paid maintenance (assumption 250 USD/month) | 36 months: 9 000 USD | 33 months: 8 250 USD | 30 months: 7 500 USD |
| Arabic version | Often in the agency quote | Supplied or quoted | Supplied or quoted |
| Client case portal | Separate quote | Quoted on request | Quoted on request |
| Indicative 3-year total | about 21 000 USD | about 13 150 USD | about 16 400 USD |
Kolonell maintenance after the included support is quoted, so the table applies the same 250 USD monthly assumption to all columns. Before you sign anything, check five points in every quote: the domain in your name, all access handed over, the number of revision rounds, who writes the copy in which language, and the payment schedule (Kolonell: 50 % at start, 50 % at delivery, bank transfer or Wise).
Mini case study
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Illustrative example, fictional persona: Nadia runs a six-person immigration and relocation firm in Business Bay serving corporate HR teams and individual expats. A Dubai agency quotes 14 000 USD plus 300 USD a month. Three years: 14 000 + 10 800 = 24 800 USD. With Kolonell Growth at 4 900 USD, 3 months included, then her own assumption of the same 300 USD for 33 months, the total is 4 900 + 9 900 = 14 800 USD. She budgets 1 500 USD for an Arabic translator and still keeps about 8 500 USD, which she sets aside for a scoped quote on a document upload portal.
Kolonell has delivered in Dubai: Orven Properties (orvenproperties.com), an off-plan real estate advisory firm, has a trilingual FR/EN/AR site with project pages and investor guides. In the US, TR Signing Group (trsigninggroup.com), a notary and apostille service in New Jersey, runs a bilingual EN/FR site with per-file quote requests, a booking calendar, live chat and a back office, a close cousin of a document-heavy immigration workflow.
FAQ
Can you work on Dubai hours?
Yes. Dubai is GMT+4 and the Kolonell team is based in Senegal (GMT), so mornings in Senegal overlap with Dubai afternoons. Your project manager books Google Meet calls at a time that suits you and sends a written weekly update.
Do you write the Arabic version?
Kolonell writes natively in English and French. Arabic is supplied by your firm or quoted separately; bilingual EN/FR is available from Premium at 8 900 USD.
Can the site show visa fees and processing times?
It can explain the process, but official fees and timelines change, so the safer approach is to link to official sources and state that your firm does not guarantee outcomes.
Is a client document portal included?
No. Uploads, accounts and case tracking are custom applications, quoted on request, on top of the 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD grid.
How do we pay and who owns the site?
Bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at the start and 50 % at delivery. The domain is registered in your name and all access is handed over. Ready for a number? Request a free quote.
Let's scope your project. Send us your service list, target languages and lead flow, and we will confirm Starter, Growth or Premium with a fixed USD price and a 3 to 6 week schedule. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
