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A comprehensive guide to the laws and rules in the UAE that expatriates need to know all about before they move to live and work in Dubai – from drugs to drink driving from non-married couples living together to public displays of affection.

Dubai has become more famous for all the wrong reasons lately. We have heard about Britons being jailed for kissing in public, having sex on the beach and even bouncing a cheque. In other words, we have learned that in the UAE what might only be considered ‘inappropriate’ behaviour in our society at worst is punishable with jail time in Dubai.

This has served to show us that Dubai is a Muslim state, it is strict in its moral and ethical code, it has very different laws to those we have in the UK or in Europe or America for example, and that if you want to live and work in the UAE you need to tread particularly carefully when it comes to your behaviour.

So, when it comes to living in Dubai and knowing the rules, what is it important for you to understand? We have produced a report that compiles the information you need to know and understand if you’re going to have a safe and enjoyable time in the UAE – from dress code to alcohol consumption, drug abuse to holding hands in public, we cover it all. Now you can have no excuses that you didn’t know your behaviour was not acceptable in Dubai – and you can have no worries about being arrested because you will be well aware of what is and is not appropriate behaviour.

What Are the Emiratis Like?

It’s never easy to sum up a people in one paragraph! But for the purposes of introducing you to the local people you will be living amongst if you move to Dubai, it’s fair to say that despite the massive modern advancements that Dubai embodies, Emiratis are very traditional people. They take their culture and heritage seriously and they expect visitors and expatriates to respect their values. If you respect Emiratis they will respect you, and you will find them warm and welcoming. Finally it’s worth noting that they are in general tolerant and open minded – but there are limits to the behaviour that they will accept.

An A to Z of Acceptable Behaviour for Expats Living in Dubai

A is for Alcohol - non-Muslims are allowed to drink alcohol in Dubai if they are on licensed premises. Some restaurants and most hotels hold a license to serve you alcohol. Additionally, if you’re a resident in the emirate you can apply for a license to buy alcohol and consume it in your own home. If you are stopped for a traffic offence and you have alcohol in your car you need to hold a liquor license to prove you have permission to buy it otherwise you will be fined. What’s more, even if you’ve been drinking at home and you have a license or you’ve been out drinking at a licensed venue, if you’re caught drunk on the street you could be arrested. Alcohol is therefore tolerated in Dubai, it is not really accepted.

Bouncing a Cheque - in Dubai it’s standard practice to pay for large ticket items such as a car, or even your rent, with forward dated cheques. This is because it is very hard for expatriates and even some local people to get credit or loans, and it’s the accepted method of staggering payments to offer up post dated cheques. However, unlike in other countries where bouncing a cheque is just an annoyance, in Dubai it is a very serious criminal offence. You will be arrested, jailed and then forced to remain in Dubai to pay your debt before being forced to leave the country. So, don’t write a cheque unless you have the funds to cover it – and remember that in writing a cheque you’re entering into a very strict financial agreement. It is no joke to miss a payment in Dubai.

Dancing in Public - whilst you or I might think nothing about shimmying down the street arm in arm with a few friends after a night out, dancing in public in Dubai is considered to be indecent – and it is also thought of as provocative, which can be very dangerous for women. You can dance in your own home behind your curtains, and you can dance at official clubs – anything else is not acceptable and dangerous.

Dress Code - Emiratis dress conservatively and expect visitors and expatriates to also dress conservatively when in public. So, if you’re going shopping, you’re out for a walk or you’re going to work you need to make sure your clothes are of a decent length, that you do not wear anything see-through, that you’re not revealing too much flesh that could be considered indecent and that you also don’t have anything offensive on your clothes in the form of slogans or images. In shopping malls you’ll see signs warning you that if you’re inappropriately dressed you will be removed!

When it comes to sunbathing you can wear beach attire but again it needs to cover up the most ‘offensive’ parts! And you cannot sunbathe topless, nor is any form of nudity acceptable – even for children. Once you leave a beach, pool or water park area you have to be properly attired for public places. I.e., you can’t walk home in your bikini. It is not making some sort of statement about how fashionable you are or what a rebel you feel – it is mortally offending public decency and punishable officially with imprisonment and unofficially with abuse and potential assault. Again, don’t take stupid risks – respect the local culture.

Drink Driving - you cannot even consume a thimble-full of alcohol and get behind the wheel in Dubai. There is a zero tolerance policy when it comes to drink driving and you will be imprisoned if you break this very firmly upheld law.

Driving Offences - when you see the way Emiratis and expatriates drive in Dubai you might be forgiven for thinking that there are no laws and no rules on the road…however that is absolutely not true! It is illegal in Dubai to tailgate, break the speed limit, street race, lane hop or using a mobile phone while driving – despite the fact you will see all of these going on every single day. Bear in mind that Dubai is cracking down and losing its tolerance for law breakers so do not get into the habit of driving like the locals drive. You can bet your bottom dollar that the police will begin cracking down on driving related offences hard in due course, so do not get into bad habits that you will have to break. If you do break a road law you can be fined, imprisoned and have your car impounded.

Drugs - as with drink driving, drugs are a zero tolerance issue and whilst you may think that only extends to narcotics that are illegal in our own countries, it actually extends to some prescription and over the counter medicines too. So, this is a very serious point to understand. You need to know that even if you’re travelling through an airport in the UAE on your way to another country, if you’re caught with what’s deemed to be an illegal substance you could face an automatic 4-year prison term before deportation. If you’re thought to be supplying drugs you could face automatic life imprisonment.

So, before coming to the UAE know what you can and cannot bring in. The simplest rule is bring absolutely nothing. However, if you are on prescription medicine or you don’t like following other people’s rules it’s very important to listen up. Firstly you need to know whether what you intend importing is on the banned substances list. The British Embassy in Dubai has as exceptional ‘controlled medicine’ resource list that you need to check out.

This list also includes the Drug Control Department’s details in the UAE Ministry of Health so that if you are ultimately left in any doubt you can contact them before entering Dubai. The details are: -
Telephone: +971 2 611 7342 / +971 2 633 4958

Fax: +971 2 631 3742

e-mail: essaj@moh.gov.ae
Or write to:
Ministry of Health

Drug Control Department

Abu Dhabi – UAE

Do NOT take a risk.

Offensive Behaviour - no matter how many times a driver cuts you up do not gesticulate in their general direction in an offensive manner, they can call the police and as an expatriate you will be in the wrong and you will be fined or even imprisoned. Road rage is not tolerated, and neither is swearing nor making any rude gestures – so rein it all in.

Public Displays of Affection - holding hands in public if you’re a married couple is about as far as you can go in terms of public displays of affection. Hugging and kissing is not tolerated – i.e., any open display of physical affection should be limited to within your own four walls.

Religious Issues - the main religion in Dubai is of course Islam – expatriates follow their own religions and that is tolerated. However, anything that is an offence against Islam will not be tolerated on any level and will result in fines and/or imprisonment. There is no gray area. Muslims are called to pray five times a day and if you’re on the open road or in a public area away from a Mosque, Muslims will pray wherever they are. Do not disturb them and do not openly stare. During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown and so it is unacceptable for you to be seen eating, drinking or smoking in public during the month as well.

Sexual Harassment - despite the fact many western women hate the way they are so openly stared at they have to put up with it. On the other hand, if any expatriate man addresses a local woman in public, takes her picture without permission, follows her or in some way ‘bothers’ her, that is not acceptable behaviour.

Sexual Relationships - unless you are married in Dubai you cannot have sex! Even if you have been cohabiting with your partner for decades before you move to Dubai, once you are in Dubai you cannot even legally live together. If you holiday in the emirate and you’re unmarried and you come to the attention of the authorities for some reasons, if it’s then discovered you’re sharing a room and a bed you can be jailed and then deported. In terms of expatriates living in Dubai, if you’re not married to your partner, you cannot live with them and you cannot sleep with them. Do not take the risk.

If you conceive a baby outside of marriage in the UAE you and your partner face imprisonment – and you might think you can get away with it and marry quickly perhaps? But when it comes time to register the birth the authorities can look at when you married and when the baby was born, and if the sums don’t add up you could still be in trouble. Do not take the risk.

Smoking - smoking is banned in many public offices and places such as shopping malls, so do observe the rules. There are also designated smoking areas all over the city so the ban is not difficult to observe even for the most addicted smoker!

Working in Dubai - finally it must be noted that you should not attempt to illegally work without a permit in the UAE. You must first obtain your paperwork before you take up your job – doing it any other way can land you in prison first and then on an enforced flight home.

In Conclusion

Many of the rules in Dubai are commonsense, some of the laws are just an extension of our own, but in some certain cases – such as in the case of non-married couples not being allowed to live together or have a sexual relationship – the laws in Dubai are perhaps strange to us. The fact of the matter is, despite how you may feel, you will not be able to change the rules, and in breaking them you risk fines, imprisonment and deportation. So, if you want to live and work in Dubai you need to follow the laws of the land and accept the rules and standards by which Emiratis live.

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