Okay so I’ve been helping a friend who just moved here last month figure out the banking situation and honestly it brought back all my own memories of how confusing it was when I first arrived 
She has her Emirates ID, her visa, and her salary certificate — but she’s getting different answers from different branches about what’s needed and how long it takes. One branch told her she needs a certain minimum salary, another said something different entirely.
For those of you who’ve been through it recently: which bank was actually the smoothest experience for a new expat? Did you go with a big local bank or did you try one of the digital options? And did you have to go into a branch multiple times or was it manageable?
Would love to collect some real experiences here — I feel like this is one of those things everyone goes through but nobody talks about openly until a friend is stuck! 
Oh this is such a real topic, so glad you brought it up because the inconsistency between branches drives everyone mad at first!
From what people generally find: Emirates NBD, ADCB and Mashreq are popular starting points for new expats. Mashreq Neo (their digital arm) and liv. by Emirates NBD are worth looking at if she wants to skip branch visits mostly, as account opening is app-based and the salary minimums tend to be lower.
For traditional accounts, salary minimums vary by account type, typically AED 5,000-10,000 depending on the product, but this genuinely differs by branch and account tier, so checking directly on each bank’s official site is the move rather than trusting one branch’s answer.
Documents she likely needs: Emirates ID, visa page, passport, salary certificate and sometimes a tenancy contract or utility bill for address proof.
Pro tip: call the bank’s main customer service line rather than relying on individual branch staff, as you get more consistent answers.
Did she try any digital-first options yet, or is she set on a traditional bank?