Dubai Laws You Should Know

Let’s say you’re planning a trip to one of the fanciest cities in the world. You’ve already picked your best suit or dress, chosen the destinations to visit, and decided to rent Lamborghini for your dream vacation. Is there anything else you need to consider? There’s at least one important thing you don’t want to miss or ignore, and that’s Dubai laws.

In this guide, we’re going to cover the following:

• smoking and alcohol consumption regulations;
• music, dancing & swearing rules;
• rules of street photography;
• dressing requirements;
• rules set specifically for Ramadan;
• some unusual laws you didn’t expect.

Remember that the law is strict in the Emirates, to say the least. However, knowledge is power, so read on to feel completely safe on your trip to Dubai.

Alcohol in Dubai

Though UAE is a Muslim country, it’s also rather secular. You can legally consume alcohol in Dubai, but there are important rules everyone should know:

1. Locals and tourists can drink alcohol either at a restaurant, club, beach or another establishment that has a valid alcohol license or at private places after obtaining an individual alcohol license.
2. You can easily get an alcohol license online or offline from one of the licensed local alcohol retailers — African Eastern or MMI.
3. You must be at least 21+ to get a private alcohol license or to be able to get alcoholic beverages at local establishments.

We’d like to stress that drinking and driving is strictly prohibited. Violation of this rule may result in huge fines (the minimum fine for alcohol consumption before driving is now 25,000 AED and $6,800+, respectively), driving license cancellation for those who have a license issued in UAE, deportation, and even imprisonment.

If you’re considering luxury car rental and still want to party or relax occasionally, there’s a solution. You can choose any of the top-notch vehicles from our car fleet and hire a private driver to be 100% flexible and enjoy your trip to Dubai to the fullest.

With Trinity, you get rent without a deposit, access to 80+ of the newest luxury cars, 300 km daily, flexible payments including crypto, personal manager, delivery to any location, and a full fuel tank as a gift. However, the service has zero tolerance for drinking and driving, as well as smoking in the car.

Photography Rules

Of course, taking pictures isn’t illegal in Dubai. However, if you want to avoid any kind of problem, remember these simple yet crucial do’s and don’ts:

1. Never take photos near government or military buildings and establishments.
2. Don’t take photos at the local airport.
3. Respect other people’s privacy and get consent if you’re going to take a photo of a stranger.
4. Don’t distribute photos of someone else if you have no permission.
5. Take official approval if you’re going to take a professional photoshoot at a public location, for example, at the mall.

These are quite simple rules for tourists and locals, but their violation may have serious consequences. For example, if one takes a photo of someone without their permission and posts it online, the potential fine will range from 150,000 to 500,000 AED or $4,000 to $135,000+, respectively.

Dress Restrictions

Contrary to common belief, there’s no official dress code in the city. Nonetheless, there are some common ethical rules. Here are the don’ts when it comes to clothing:

• don’t wear clothes with slogans or offensive language/images;
• don’t wear too revealing clothes (regular tops, skirts, and shorts are still acceptable);
• don’t sunbath topless (nudity is strictly prohibited);
• don’t wear clothes commonly associated with another gender.

So, aside from cross-dressing and nudity prohibited by the law, no dress requirements are too strict. You are free to wear bikinis and other swimwear, but only if the place is appropriate. You can’t go to a mall wearing your bikini top, but it will be completely fine if you’re at the beach.

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Rules around Ramadan

There are no specific laws for tourists visiting the city during Ramadan. Moreover, now, there are fewer restrictions than ever — a few years ago, the government made it a lot easier for visitors to enjoy their trip to the city by letting restaurants, clubs, and public spaces function during a sacred month.

However, there are etiquette rules, and the most important ones are as follows:

• Try not to eat and drink in public. It’s allowed, and you can go to cafes and restaurants, but don’t do it too openly.
• Dress more modestly and even conservatively. As noted previously, there are no strict dress rules, but during Ramadan, it’s better to pay some extra respect for local traditions.
• Don’t smoke in public spaces during Ramadan (that goes for vaping, too).

As you can see, though there are some expectations about public behavior, locals don’t ask for anything extraordinary. Visitors can still have a great time, just without loud parties and similar activities.

Smoking Regulations in Public Places

Smoking is legal in Dubai, but there are some strict rules on tobacco consumption, as the government aims to create a safe environment for everyone. In particular, you can’t smoke in public places, from malls to offices and parks. The fine is now 500 AED which is around $140. You can smoke where it’s allowed, in secluded areas like smoking cabins, sheesha hotels, and just at your hotel if you have discussed it with the hotel management.

Prohibition of Loud Music

Many foreigners think this is one of the most unusual laws of Dubai, but the fact is that loud music is prohibited everywhere, including in malls. There are quite strict regulations regarding noise levels. In particular, from 7 AM to 8 PM, the acceptable noize level is 40-50 dbA, and it’s 30-40 dbA at night, which is basically the sound in the library.

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Swearing in Public

We’d recommend thinking twice before saying any swear words in public in Dubai. The thing is, the offensive language, and in particular, the f-word, are considered to be disgracing the honor of modesty. As usual, the penalty is serious — 10,000 AED (around $2,700) and/or up to a year in prison.

Using Your Left Hand

It’s commonly believed that it’s prohibited to use your left hand (for example, to eat, greet someone or open doors) in Dubai. It’s partially true — not using a left hand is a part of local etiquette, but you won’t experience any difficulty with using things/communicating with people. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t use it when approaching locals.

Things to Avoid When in Dubai

What is prohibited in Dubai? Now you know all the basic rules, so it’s time to proceed to smaller nuances one still should consider when planning a trip to Dubai:

• Forget about public displays of affection. Dubai can be a very romantic place for the two, but we’d still highly recommend refraining from holding hands, kissing, and hugging in public. In Dubai, you’ll basically violate the law. In some cases, such behavior may even result in imprisonment, and in this case, there are no exceptions for foreign citizens.
• Ensure you’re not bringing forbidden items. You can’t carry certain things to Dubai. That includes goods from boycotted countries, including Israel, gambling tools, and even magazines with adult content or just photos that contradict Islamic law (that often applies even to fashion magazines).
• Show respect. Dubai society treats any offenses seriously. Criticizing the royal family, laws, religion, and cultural peculiarities also fall under this category, so we’d recommend avoiding discussing any of these things in public with a negative attitude or connotation. Those who do it are usually penalized severely. Getting enjailed for showing disrespect to any symbols of the state is a real thing.
• Don’t book one hotel room if you aren’t married. Pre-marital cohabitation definitely isn’t encouraged in Dubai, so there’s nothing unusual about hotel staff asking you about your marriage certificate. Again, that’s one of the essential rules, and its violation may result in problems.
• Don’t dance in public. Yes, it’s a true fact. Public dancing may be considered an offensive behavior in Dubai. Of course, no one can stop you from dancing at multiple nightclubs, restaurants, hotel rooms, etc., but the place must be appropriate.

Yes, Dubai is part of the Islamic world, and that must be taken into consideration. Though some rules may seem completely new to a foreigner, if you know and follow them all, Dubai is an incredibly welcoming and fascinating city overall. Moreover, if you respect local culture and always remember its unique peculiarities, you won’t face any problems in this truly magnificent city.

Also, we’d recommend driving super responsibly. Dubai road laws and rules are also strict. Again, local government doesn’t require anything extraordinary. However, not following the common safe driving requirements will definitely result in even larger fines.