How safe is United Arab Emirates for travelers?

The law is the risk, not the criminals

The UAE is among the safest countries in the world for street crime. Walking anywhere at any hour is fine, and theft is rare.

What gets visitors arrested is behaviour that is unremarkable at home.

• Swearing and rude gestures are criminal obscene acts, including in a WhatsApp message or a social media post, and including in English. Prison or deportation follows.
• A road rage gesture is a genuine arrest risk. This is the classic case: a tourist makes a hand gesture at a driver, the driver photographs the car, and there is a police complaint waiting.
• Kissing in public can lead to arrest. Holding hands is tolerated for married couples.
• Drinking or being drunk in a public place is illegal anywhere in the UAE, even though buying and drinking in a licensed venue is not.
• Posting anything critical of the UAE, its rulers or its institutions is an offence, including something written before you arrived and including a bad restaurant review that names people.
• Photographing people without consent, government buildings, military sites and airports is prohibited. Plane spotting near an airport attracts a police response.

Drugs and medication

• Zero tolerance, with minimum three-month sentences for even minimal possession.
• CBD is illegal in every form, including skincare products and vape refills, whatever the law says where you bought them.
• Trace amounts found in a blood or urine test count as possession, including for something consumed legally in another country before you flew.
• Poppy seeds and some herbal supplements have caused arrests.
• Codeine, tramadol and many sleeping tablets need advance Ministry of Health approval. See the health section, and do this before you travel.

Money and debt

• Non-payment of a debt is a criminal matter and people have been imprisoned or prevented from leaving over an unpaid hotel bill, a bounced cheque or a defaulted loan.
• Never leave a bill unresolved on departure.
• Property investment scams are common enough that the FCDO warns about them. Take independent legal advice, never advice from the seller.

The scams and the real dangers

• Fake charity collectors and gold "bargains" in the souks. Gold is sold by weight at a posted rate plus making charges; anything much below it is not gold.
• Unlicensed taxis outside malls and clubs. Use the regulated ones or Careem.
• Drink spiking is a reported risk in Dubai's nightlife, and the FCDO notes that sexual assault victims face a high evidentiary burden, particularly where alcohol was involved.
• Desert safaris vary enormously in safety. Dune bashing has caused serious injuries. Choose a licensed operator, and skip it if you have a back or neck problem.
• The sea has strong rip currents and many beaches have no lifeguard. Flags mean what they say.
• Heat is the most dangerous thing in the country in summer. See health.