Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

I've been offered a job in the UAE, and it's looking like I might move in the next few months. I aim not to bring much, since part of the job offer includes a furnished apartment. I won't be bringing my (somewhat) extensive DVD or CD collections, instead I'm ripping a bunch of it to an external hard drive. There's a lot of scare stories on the internet about what can and can't be brought into the UAE. If I'm bringing in hard drives containing video and music files (all non-adult, for the record), are they subject to the same declaration/mandatory holds that are required for physical DVDs and CDs?

Not once! have I, my family members, friends or colleagues in as far back as I can remember, had Laptops, Netbooks, Notebooks, Tablets, PDA's, Kindles, Smartphones, Dictaphones, Telephones, Earphones, Hearing Aids, associated Storage Media or Test Instruments looked at twice by customs in Dubai Airport.

Maybe we all look the innocent type? I dare say that if you look like a guilty type, customs will pay you a little more attention than some others but in my experience, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

There were several articles published not long ago, warning travellers of the possibility of confiscation of hardware if pirated software and/or media was found within, but then doesn't everyone face the same threat travelling through any other airport worldwide?

Are you a genuine Duke? or just a Beano fan!

Hah! Beano FTW! (Actually first heard of it in a song by the Bonzo Dog Band...)

That is true, pirated software/media is big risk going through airports. Then again, it begs the question: how does one determine whether a film or a cd on my hard drive was illegally downloaded or ripped from my own media? Or whether a computer program was purchased by me or installed illicilty? But I digress.

Hiya,

Sib here from Acorn Worldwide. Specialising in removals to Dubai from UK, we have moved hundreds of people there, and to date not one consignment has ever been checked by Customs for Hard drives or laptops etc. The only thing they are quite strict on are religious artefacts such as Hindu temples and scriptures. Things which are very visible to they eye and against the cultures of Islam. However everything is readyly available in UAe anyway. Tbh, Customs do not have the time to go through everyones harddrives, UAE Customs are not like Saudi customs where they inspect all material wherever possible. Therefore I dont think you have any thing to worry about. However Customs do regularly inspect shipmens overall (via xray) they dont usually open boxes etc. They can also levy charges for this of anything between AED624 - AED1500.