USEFUL INFO ON UAE

Mila_777 · 2010-06-22 14:29:44

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"Abu Dhabi

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. You can dance at official clubs – anything else is not acceptable.

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 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.

When it comes to sunbathing you can wear beach attire, but you cannot sunbathe topless, nor is any form of nudity acceptable. 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, so, 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.

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[at]moh.gov.ae
Or write to:
Ministry of Health 
Drug Control Department 
Abu Dhabi – UAE

Do NOT take a risk.

Public Displays of Affection - Kissing in public 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 - 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 - yer, there are many expatriate couples in Dubai who live together even if they are not married, but it is forbidden by the law in UAE. So, do not take a 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, or 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.

Rohitroy2010 · 2010-06-24 11:31:34

Excellant writeup!!

barsha2000 · 2010-09-02 17:37:17

very usefull information thanx ^_^

aussie99 · 2010-09-08 04:22:57

Thanks for writing, this is really useful for someone like me who really has no clue...when you say dressing 'modestly', is that just common sense, i.e. no sleeveless spaghetti straps, no cleavage, no short skirts...or is it stricter than that?

I've just gotten a jot as a music teacher to small children, so I'm going to be moving around a lot and probably on the floor pretending to be frogs and elephants and all sorts of things...are trousers for foreign women allowed? Also, as a size 16 Australian (12 in American sizes) am I going to be able to find clothes? Because I spent some time in Japan and it was absolutely impossible. My ex-boyfriend, who was 5'4 and weighed 54 kilos on the other hand, had a ball buying clothes!

I assume I can find all the big name brand shops in Dubai?

And ANOTHER question-do you think the public transport is reliable in Dubai? Or is it compulsory to have a car/use a taxi everywhere?

Thanks, smile

Steph

FeeAcer · 2010-09-08 05:03:38

Hi Steph,
Welcome to expat blog and Dubai smile
You will notice once you come to Dubai that you can dress as you like (although through my several stays in UAE, I have always taken in account that I'm living in a muslim country - I would never have walked around with my belly denuded as some do actually sad !).
During Ramadan period, however it is appreciated to be more modest but otherwise you may wear straps, trousers, leggings etc...
Here you will find mega shopping malls with everything you can dream as brands and there are large size clothes shops, don't worry. There are discounts all over the eyar sometimes going upto 75%...
Haven't had the occasion yet to use public transport but there is a brandnew metro (not all stations are open yet) and plenty of airconditioned buses. Here is the portal to the public transport company so that you can have a look. All depends where your school is located.
If you have more questions, feel free to contact me!
Cheers
Arlette

*EDIT* : However, Sharjah being more conservative it is advised to cover the arms and not to wear décolletés.

Mila_777 · 2010-09-10 23:47:25

Hi Steph, and welcome to the forum.
As Arlette pointed out, in Dubai you can dress in a way you dress in your home country, but in a bit modest way (no shorts, no too much short skirt, not anything see-through).
Sharjah has more conservative laws, serving alcohol and smoking shisha are forbidden, but in recent years it has became more flexible as for dress code, so it;s not compulsory for western women who live in Shajah to cover their arms.
And yes, you can find all brands in Dubai and UAE.

If you live in Dubai, you definitely need a car. There's a new metro, but not all stations are opened, and you can't rely on public buses.

farsight13 · 2010-09-20 16:48:38

wow, i thought i knew all the protocols around Dubai. This was really really refreshing and i think some veteran expats should take a look and refresh their knowledge about the "laws" of Dubai. And i agree, Sharjah is way more harsher when it comes to enforcing the laws vs Dubai.
Great tips Mila_777

JMo · 2010-09-20 21:03:56

Good one!

redsaraya · 2010-12-09 05:17:55

Hi Mila smile wonderful summary, i hope it will give a clearer idea to all those out there smile

could you please including the various internet restrictions ?

thanks wink

viagero · 2010-12-10 21:20:06

Thx for the share

piroman14 · 2011-03-09 15:03:06

Thxx

don moe · 2011-08-17 12:19:40

thanks so much for sharing this amzing useful informations smile

Irina_D · 2012-01-17 14:57:20

Nice guide for newcomers. Thanks!

singledaily · 2012-01-20 07:53:11

thank u so much.....
i was surprised when i was told i couldn't wear shorts in Sharjah.

asulya · 2012-02-29 14:57:21

i m here since 2007, and i totally agree with above ))) was nice to re-fresh and pay attn to some small details ) tks!

dilip pinto · 2012-03-03 05:29:47

Hi,

thanks for the write. I am an asthmatic and use Inhalers that have a certain of steroids in them as per prescription. Now I am moving to dubai on march 22nd. Will it be ok if I carry my inhalers.

smartypants90 · 2012-03-05 09:39:24

Got a question here about the Labor Card. I recently got accepted into a job and eager to start work. I'm under Dad's sponsorship so joining a new job is a breeze. However, I have got a few questions regarding my freedom once I joined a company and they provide me with a labor card. Am I required to complete 2 years with the company before I can leave? What if I don't like the environment and wish to leave? Will the labor card tie me to the company for a certain period of time or can I go whenever I want? Being under my Dad's sponsorship, I always thought I am a free bird. Am i wrong?

Sandman6 · 2012-03-05 19:52:32

smartypants90 wrote:
Got a question here about the Labor Card.

- You can leave whenever you like, whether it's after 2 days or 20 years. Slave labour may exist in the UAE, but it doesn't apply to you.

- Unless you have a senior position (and this generally means making over 10k dead camels a month), you'll need a letter of no objection from the employer you're leaving. Makes sense, eh?

Respect UAE · 2012-03-06 14:42:23

Good on ..

nraj1312 · 2012-03-07 19:47:34

yes these are good laws but why discrepancies

holynn · 2012-03-26 20:30:46

gud stuff

jasani_amit · 2012-03-27 23:33:59

Nice guide for newcomers who really wants to work or visit in UAE. Thanks!

Respect UAE · 2012-04-02 16:20:56

Nice""

Charlesmooredmh · 2012-07-24 18:49:59

Just to add to what Mila_777 informed upon

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.....

One can only get a license to drink if he is above the age of 21 and has to show an income proof that he is earning more than AED $3,000 in a month.

james.hamad · 2012-07-24 20:03:11

Charlesmooredmh wrote:
Just to add to what Mila_777 informed upon

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.....
One can only get a license to drink if he is above the age of 21 and has to show an income proof that he is earning more than AED $3,000 in a month.

Thanks for the info smile

naderr · 2012-07-25 23:55:32

Thank you ;-)

ice_lemon_tea80 · 2012-08-02 13:13:57

good read, thank you

ice_lemon_tea80 · 2012-08-02 13:20:00

also,i understand that see-through clothing, cleavage-revealing tops and shorts are not allowed. what about body hugging cloths? or tight jeans (slim cut)? or knee length skirts? can we wear leggings and a long top?

Globetrotter_dxb · 2012-08-15 01:04:43

Hey Mila_777

Excellent work.....

simon_55 · 2012-09-16 17:56:55

Thanks

aspiring job · 2012-10-11 19:44:37

hey Mila smile thnx a ton!!!...excellent write up and really helpful ...gr8 work smile smile smile

Quietstorm_57 · 2012-10-18 03:22:51

Great Info Mila_777. I guess we have to remember the old saying when in Rome do as the Romans do?? Right be respectful of others beliefs and culture you chose to come and you are not in your own country so leave you at home!

ghanshyampdave · 2012-10-21 13:12:10

Thank you for the excellent post. I didn't know that live-in relationship is not acceptable in the UAE.

vince-raval · 2012-12-06 04:25:42

thank you for that advise

Hamad.UAE · 2012-12-13 11:32:43

Cool stuff cool

handsomeOM · 2013-01-08 18:11:21

very good info

alexios · 2013-02-15 14:11:49

thx, usefull

maddyk · 2013-02-16 19:34:56

this information was very helpful. Thanks aton

bohemianrose06 · 2013-03-02 08:12:25

great sticky! this is very helpful especially for newcomers! big_smile

flimbric2 · 2013-03-30 17:56:42

Hi ice_lemon_tea....what of the UAE do you live in? I am curious to know about hair care facilities?

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USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#1 2010-06-22 14:29:44

USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#2 2010-06-24 11:31:34

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#3 2010-09-02 17:37:17

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#4 2010-09-08 04:22:57

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#5 2010-09-08 05:03:38

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#6 2010-09-10 23:47:25

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#7 2010-09-20 16:48:38

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#8 2010-09-20 21:03:56

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#9 2010-12-09 05:17:55

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#10 2010-12-10 21:20:06

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#11 2011-03-09 15:03:06

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#12 2011-08-17 12:19:40

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#13 2012-01-17 14:57:20

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#14 2012-01-20 07:53:11

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#15 2012-02-29 14:57:21

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#16 2012-03-03 05:29:47

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#17 2012-03-05 09:39:24

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#18 2012-03-05 19:52:32

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

smartypants90 wrote:

#19 2012-03-06 14:42:23

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#20 2012-03-07 19:47:34

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#21 2012-03-26 20:30:46

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#22 2012-03-27 23:33:59

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#23 2012-04-02 16:20:56

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#24 2012-07-24 18:49:59

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#25 2012-07-24 20:03:11

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

Charlesmooredmh wrote:

#26 2012-07-25 23:55:32

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#27 2012-08-02 13:13:57

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#28 2012-08-02 13:20:00

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#29 2012-08-15 01:04:43

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#30 2012-09-16 17:56:55

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#31 2012-10-11 19:44:37

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#32 2012-10-18 03:22:51

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#33 2012-10-21 13:12:10

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#34 2012-12-06 04:25:42

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#35 2012-12-13 11:32:43

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#36 2013-01-08 18:11:21

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#37 2013-02-15 14:11:49

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#38 2013-02-16 19:34:56

Re: USEFUL INFO ON UAE

#39 2013-03-02 08:12:25