Alcohol and Licensing in Dubai

Source: Expat Echo - Alcohol and Licensing in Dubai

Know your rights: 5 criminal laws every Dubai expat should know.

With the aim to provide updated legal advice in a clear and readable way for expats living in Dubai and the Middle East, here we set out your rights when it comes to alcohol and licensing. It is important to note that the penalties for breaching any of the following licensing laws is a jail term and can be combined with deportation in some cases.

1. If you are a Muslim expatriate, drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden in any circumstance.
    
2. If you are non-Muslim, you may only consume alcohol if you personally hold an alcohol license. You should keep this license with you at all times. The license is granted by the police licensing authorities in the Emirate in which you live. The alcohol license will allow you to purchase alcohol up to a percentage of your monthly salary.
    
3. Even if you hold an alcohol license, you should only drink alcohol in your own home or a licensed restaurant or bar. It is against the law to consume alcohol or have alcohol in your system if you are not in your own home or in a licensed venue. Whilst this law is usually only enforced in conjunction with another crime, expatriates should be still be careful, considerate and courteous whilst traveling from venue to venue on an evening out.
    
4. Alcohol should only be purchased in the Emirate in which the expatriate holds an alcohol license. It is therefore against the law for an expatriate residing in Dubai to purchase alcohol from liquor suppliers in Ras Al Khaimah.
    
5. There is zero tolerance laws for expatriates drink driving in the UAE. This means that you may have no alcohol in your system whilst driving. Alcohol can take up to 48 hours to leave your system. Take this in to account when driving the day after a night out.

New update:

With the recent changes made by the issuance of Federal Decree Law No. (15) of 2020 (issued on 27 September 2020) amending certain Provisions of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 (UAE Penal Code ), the consumption of alcohol has been legalized in the UAE, subject to the restrictions imposed by each emirate.

For the emirate of Dubai, the following rules apply:

• The consumption of alcohol is no longer a criminal offence;
• There is no requirement to hold a valid alcohol license, as was the case prior to the new changes;
• The legal age for consumption of alcohol is determined to be twenty-one (21);
• Alcohol cannot be consumed in public places that are not licensed to sell alcohol, however, it can be consumed in private place as well as licenses restaurants and bars.

It is also critical to understand that the new changes in the right context, especially, that each emirate has its own rules, and if there is a local law of a given emirate that prohibits the consumption of alcohol then, the said local laws would apply instead of the Federal laws in such instances. For instance, the emirate of Sharjah, has local laws in place that have been in effect for decades which specifically criminalizes the consumption of alcohol in the said emirate and have not been revoked yet.

Reference : Federal Decree Law No. (15) of 2020 amending certain Provisions of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 (UAE Penal Code).

Issuance Date : 27 September 2020

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