How to make a digital business card in Dubai and the UAE

A step-by-step guide to a digital business card that works in the UAE: what to put on it, how to share it at meetings and on WhatsApp, and what it costs in dirhams.

By Wesley Sing, Founder of Newbi16 October 20265 min read

A consultant setting up her phone at a café beside Dubai Creek in the late afternoon

Business in the UAE moves quickly and runs on phones. You meet someone at a conference in Dubai, follow up on WhatsApp the same evening, and send a proposal by morning. A paper card fits awkwardly into that. It gets photographed, typed in by hand or lost, and when you change roles, which people in the Emirates do often, every card you have handed out is suddenly wrong.

A digital business card is a short link to a page with your details. You share it as a QR code, a WhatsApp message or a pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. The other person needs no app: they open the link and save your details in one tap. Change something, and everyone who has your link sees the update.

Here is how to make one that works well in the UAE.

Step 1: Decide what goes on it

Start with the details people actually use, and get them right.

Your name, spelled the way it is on your passport. If you want an Arabic version too, use one fixed spelling in each script. Our guide to Arabic and English business cards covers this in detail.
Your title and company name. Use the company name as it appears on your trade licence.
A mobile number in international format, starting +971, so it works for overseas contacts too.
WhatsApp. Most people in the UAE would rather message than call. Remember that WhatsApp voice and video calls are blocked in the UAE, so keep your normal number on the card as well.
An email address on your company domain rather than a personal Gmail, if you have one.
Your location at area or building level, such as "DIFC, Gate Village", with a map link. Dubai addresses can be hard to describe, and a pin saves a lot of "where exactly are you?" messages.
LinkedIn. It is widely used for business in the UAE, and often the first place a new contact will look you up.

Leave off anything you would not want a stranger to have, such as a home address or a personal number you do not answer for work.

Step 2: Add what makes people act

A card that only lists contact details is a digital version of paper. A card that earns its keep gives people something to do next:

A short description of what you do and who you do it for, in two or three sentences.
Your services or packages, with prices if you are comfortable sharing them.
A way to book a meeting, so a new contact can pick a time without a week of messages.
A form for leaving their details, so you know who looked at your card and can follow up.
Photos or a short video of your work, your venue or your product.

Step 3: Choose a design that matches your brand

The UAE market rewards polish. A clean design with a good photo and a calm colour palette makes a stronger first impression than a busy one. Use a recent, professional photo of you, or your logo for a company card, and keep the colours consistent with your brand.

Step 4: Share it everywhere you meet people

At meetings and events: show the QR code on your phone, or keep it in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet so it is a second away.
On WhatsApp: send your card link after every first meeting with a short note. It is the follow-up most people expect.
In your email signature and LinkedIn profile, so every message carries it.
On paper, if you still use it: print the QR code on the back of your printed card, so paper and digital point to the same, always up-to-date page.

Step 5: Keep it current

The biggest advantage of a digital card is that it never goes out of date, but only if you update it. When you change your number, role or company, change it once on the card. Everyone who has your link, QR code or wallet pass sees the new details.

What it costs in the UAE

Free digital cards exist and are fine for sharing a name and a number. Paid plans make sense when the card needs to do more: take bookings, show products and prices, collect leads or add a wallet pass. Check whether a provider charges in dirhams or in dollars, since dollar pricing also brings bank conversion fees on some cards.

Where Newbi fits

With Newbi, you can make your card in a few minutes from your phone. You can start from scratch, describe your business in a sentence, or take a photo of your paper card and let Newbi fill in the details. The photo option uses one AI credit; check the result and add your address and company yourself. Then choose a theme, add your WhatsApp and phone, and publish.

Every card can be opened in English or in Arabic, with the Arabic version laid out right to left. Every card has a form where visitors leave their details. The plans:

Newbie, AED 19 a month: one card.
Pro, AED 45 a month: up to three cards, bookings, a small shop with up to ten products, and Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes.

Yearly plans cost the price of ten months. You can see made-up example cards for a restaurant, a dental clinic and a wealth adviser, and try the Pro plan free for 14 days.

Quick answers

Does the person I share my card with need an app? No. It opens as a normal web page on any phone, and they can save your details to their contacts in one tap.

Can I add my digital business card to Apple Wallet? With Newbi, yes, on the Pro plan. The pass shows your QR code, so you can open it from Wallet and let someone scan it.

Can my card be in Arabic? Newbi cards can be opened in Arabic, with the whole layout right to left. Your own text appears as you wrote it, so write your name in both scripts if you want both.

What happens when I change jobs? Update your card once, and everyone who has your link sees the new details.