Safety in United Arab Emirates

The general picture: The Emirates is one of the safest countries anywhere. Cameras cover almost every street and the police work quietly but effectively, so walking around at night with your wallet on you is not a concern.

What is forbidden: Do not photograph government buildings, military sites or local people without permission, and be especially careful about photographing women. Breaking this can mean a heavy fine or deportation.

Metro rules: Eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned in the carriages, and inspectors issue a 100-dirham fine for it. Do not wander into the gold-class or women-only carriages without the right ticket either.

Alcohol and the law: Drinking in the street or being visibly drunk in public is a criminal matter, not a telling-off. Even after a few drinks in a hotel bar, take a taxi back rather than walking.

Gestures and swearing: Offensive gestures or foul language aimed at another person can land you in a cell. Keep your temper even in a roadside argument, because local law protects personal dignity very seriously.

Dress code: Cover shoulders and knees in mosques and government offices. Dubai is relaxed about tourists, but in Sharjah revealing clothing can earn you a warning or even a police call-out.

Street fraud is essentially absent in the UAE — the penalties are too severe for anyone to risk it over a tourist's wallet. On Numbeo's crime index the country ranks last in the world, meaning best, at 14.0. The problems lie elsewhere.

Car rental. The most common story. The rental company charges your card for fines you never knew about: cameras catch speeding everywhere, and the company's "administrative fee" for processing each fine adds up to 100 dirhams on top. Salik road tolls are also billed retroactively. Demand an itemised statement.

Gold and the "special price for you". In the Deira gold souk the price is weight plus a making charge. Weight is checked free on certified scales; the making charge is negotiable. Without haggling you pay roughly double.

Taxis. Official beige taxis run strictly on the meter. The private driver outside the mall offering "cheaper" will cost more.

This is where tourists get into trouble, and almost always through ignorance.

Medicines. The UAE maintains one of the strictest controlled-substance lists in the world. Codeine, tramadol, diazepam, anything CBD- or poppy-based is banned or requires Ministry of Health approval obtained in advance. People have been jailed over painkillers bought over the counter at home. Check your specific medication on the UAE Ministry of Health site before you fly — it takes ten minutes.

Drugs. Trace amounts in your blood are legally equivalent to possession. Use in another country days before arrival is grounds for a case. The detection threshold is zero.

Alcohol. Drinking is fine in licensed bars, restaurants and hotels. Being drunk in public means arrest, regardless of where you drank.

Behaviour. Public kissing, swearing, or an offensive gesture at another driver bring cases with a real record of deportation. Photographing people, women especially, without permission is prohibited.

Money. An unpaid debt or a bounced cheque is a criminal matter, not a civil dispute — including a missed car rental payment.

Vaccinations. None required. A yellow fever certificate is requested only from arrivals out of endemic countries in Africa and South America.

Water. Tap water is desalinated and meets standards, but because of rooftop tanks and the taste almost nobody drinks it; bottled is the norm.

Heat. The country's main medical risk. From June to September daytime temperatures reach 45°C, and coastal humidity makes it worse. Dehydration arrives before thirst does. There is nothing to do outdoors between noon and four.

Healthcare. Hospitals are among the best in the region and priced to match: a specialist consultation from 300 dirhams, emergency admission in the thousands. Health insurance is mandatory for residents and strongly advised for visitors — without it an appendectomy bill compares to the price of a car.

Ramadan. Do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours. The rule has been formally relaxed for tourists, but venues operate differently and a reprimand is easy to earn.

The UAE ranks 21st of 180 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, level with Austria and Belgium. Police do not take bribes, and offering money is a separate offence.

The law is applied literally. This is the thing to understand. Officers are polite, professional and entirely disinclined to look the other way. "I didn't know" carries no weight; a foreigner's ignorance of the law is not a mitigating factor here.

A complaint against you. A local resident's statement is enough to open a case against a tourist and impose a travel ban until it concludes. Such cases run for weeks. This is precisely why disputes on the road and in queues here end in silence rather than argument.

If you are detained. Ask immediately for your consulate and an interpreter, and sign nothing in Arabic. A statement signed without translation counts as a confession.

Police 999, ambulance 998. Dubai Police run an English-language app that also accepts reports online.