NextraLogicSoftware
04Kathmandu · UTC+05:45

Offshore software development from Nepal for teams in the UAE

The closest thing to a shared working day on this list — under two hours apart, and it never changes.

Time difference between Nepal and the United Arab Emirates

Kathmandu local time at the start and end of a working day in the United Arab Emirates, your local time when a 10:00–18:00 Kathmandu day starts and ends, and the number of working hours the two share.
Your zone9:00 am for you5:00 pm for youKathmandu opens, your timeKathmandu closes, your timeShared hours
Dubai / Abu DhabiGST · same all year10:45 am6:45 pm8:15 am4:15 pm7 hours 15 minutes

Kathmandu times shown for a 10:00–18:00 working day in Nepal against 09:00–17:00 in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai / Abu Dhabi is 1 hour 45 minutes behind Kathmandu on GST. That leaves 7 hours 15 minutes of the working day in common. Convert other hours in the Nepal time converter and overlap calculator.

Working with a team in Nepal from the United Arab Emirates

Most of the working day is genuinely shared. There is no handoff model to design, no window to protect, and no question about when it is reasonable to call: the two days run more or less on top of each other, with Kathmandu starting and finishing slightly earlier.

Neither country observes daylight saving, which matters more than it sounds. The schedule you agree in the first week is the schedule twelve months later — no seasonal drift, no recurring conversation about whether the standup has moved, no calendar invites quietly landing an hour out twice a year.

In practice this removes the main reason offshore engagements need heavy process. When the overlap is this wide, coordination can stay lightweight, because almost nothing has to wait a cycle.

Kathmandu has direct air links to the Gulf, so an onsite visit in either direction is a single flight rather than a connection through a third country.

Worth knowing in the United Arab Emirates

  • Sat–Sun

    A Saturday–Sunday weekend

    Since 1 January 2022 the UAE federal government has worked Monday to Thursday plus Friday morning, with Saturday and Sunday off. Six emirates' governments adopted the same week; Sharjah's government works Monday to Thursday.

    Source: UAE Government portal

  • DIFC · ADGM

    Free-zone data laws

    Firms in Dubai's DIFC and Abu Dhabi's ADGM work under their own data protection laws, DIFC Law No. 5 of 2020 and the ADGM Data Protection Regulations 2021, each supervised by its own commissioner.

    Sources: DIFC, ADGM

  • 5% VAT

    VAT on imported services

    A VAT-registered UAE business that buys services from abroad accounts for the 5% VAT itself under the reverse charge, declaring it in its own return and recovering it there where it is entitled to.

    Source: Federal Tax Authority

Each fact links the source it was checked against. Page last updated .

Offshore development questions from the United Arab Emirates

What is the time difference between Dubai and Kathmandu?

Kathmandu is 1 hour 45 minutes ahead of Dubai and Abu Dhabi throughout the year, since neither country observes daylight saving. When Kathmandu starts work at 10:00, it is 8:15 am in Dubai.

How much of the UAE working day overlaps with Nepal?

7 hours 15 minutes of a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Dubai day, against a 10:00–18:00 day in Kathmandu. The Kathmandu day ends at 4:15 pm Dubai time, so only the tail of your afternoon has nobody on the other side.

Which days do UAE and Nepal teams both work?

For most arrangements, Monday to Friday. The UAE federal government and six emirates' governments have kept a Saturday–Sunday weekend since 2022, with Friday a half day. Saturday is Nepal's weekly holiday, and since April 2026 its government offices have also closed on Sundays, so confirm which week a team keeps.

Do DIFC and ADGM companies follow separate data rules?

Yes. Firms in the DIFC and ADGM work under their own free-zone data protection laws, each overseen by its own commissioner, so the rules covering any data a team in Nepal can reach depend on where your company is licensed.

Is VAT charged on an invoice from a developer in Nepal?

A supplier outside the UAE does not add UAE VAT to its invoice. If your business is VAT-registered, the reverse charge moves the 5% to your side: you declare it on your VAT return and, where you are entitled to, recover it on the same return.

Offshore development guides for buyers in the United Arab Emirates

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