Laws World Residents

Entry/Exit Requirements

All expatriates are subject to UAE immigration laws, which can seem complex & demanding at times. A passport is a must for travel to UAE. While nationals of certain countries are allowed to obtain visitor visas on arrival at the airport, others will have to obtain visitor visas in advance. Please contact your local embassy for latest entry/exit rules applicable.

Customs Restrictions

Travellers are advised to avoid transport of any arms or items that may be considered to be against the law, such as military equipment, weapon parts, tools, ammunition, body armour, handcuffs or other police equipments. People carrying any such items even in small quantities will be arrested & may face stringent criminal penalties, including huge monetary fines, imprisonment & forfeiture of items. Transport of any such & all types of law enforcement equipments are usually taken seriously by the UAE, wherein it has already shown its ability to enforce its laws in such matters.

ID Card

The Government of UAE mandates that every person residing in the UAE should possess a national identity card.

Dual Nationality

The UAE government does not permit dual nationality. Children of UAE fathers automatically acquire UAE citizenship at birth & can enter UAE with UAE passports. However, dual nationality is not acceptable in the UAE & your passport may be confiscated, if caught. UAE nationals, in addition to being subjected to all general UAE laws, will also be imposed to some special obligations.

It should be noted that any attempt to work illegally in Dubai is considered a crime & can land you in prison or you may be deported. Expatriates seeking to reside & work in the UAE are required to present authenticated personal documents such as birth & marriage certificates, adoption & custody degrees & other educational documents. The authentication of documents is a complex process, which involves state, federal & local offices & may take several weeks for completion.

As for issues such as post-dated cheques getting bounced, it is considered a criminal offence, unlike in other countries, where it is only looked as an annoyance. Non-payment of bills, and passing bad cheques, are taken seriously in the UAE, resulting in fines or imprisonment.

Throughout the UAE, stringent penalties are imposed for certain traffic violations, particularly for drinking and driving under the influence of alcohol. In such cases, violators are often jailed for several days, and may have to go through legal procedures, black points and huge penalties. A driving license is a must to drive in UAE and foreign driver’s licenses are not recognized. If involved in an accident, the UAE law emphasizes that you remain there until authorities arrive. For any further details on traffic rules, visit www.rta.ae.

Drinking or possession of alchol without the Ministry of Interior liquor permit is illegal and may result in arrest and/or fine & imprisonment. Alcohol is served at bars in some major hotels, but is intended only for the hotel guests. Any others, who are not guests of the hotel, and who consume alcohol in restaurants and bars here, are required to have their own personal liquor licenses. Liquor licenses are issued only to non-Muslims who own UAE Residency Permits.

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