Employers and individuals are subject to severe penalties in the UAE for academic degree forgeries. Federal Law No. 9 of 2021 on the Prohibition of the Use of Academic Degrees Issued by Non-Licensed Entities which prohibits the use of any academic degree issued by a non-licensed entity in the UAE for employment purposes.
The conditions for the use of academic certificates for employment are outlined in Article 4 of Federal Law No. 9/2021. These conditions include the accuracy of the data and the requirement that the entity be legally established and licensed. Any certificate issued by an entity without a license is deemed invalid, and its use for any purpose within the UAE is prohibited. Also, it is prohibited for any employer, whether governmental or non-governmental, to recruit anyone who holds forged academic certificates or benefits from his service in any position.
Article 6 of the same law provides punishments for individuals found guilty of using forged degrees. A person who has unintentionally submitted forged degrees is subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, a fine not exceeding AED 30,000, or both. However, the intentional submission of forged degrees or involvement in their issuance is punishable by imprisonment for a maximum of one year, fines of up to AED 500,000, or both. In addition to this, individuals knowingly benefiting from forged degrees may face imprisonment for up to 2 years and fines ranging from AED 100,000 to AED 1,000,000.
Employers also take the responsibility in ensuring the legality of academic credentials presented by prospective employees. If the employer fails to verify the authenticity of degrees may result in legal consequences, including financial penalties and damage to reputation. Therefore, it is mandatory for employers to exercise due diligence in verifying the credentials of their employees to avoid involvement in forgery-related offenses.
Apart from legal punishments, the law requires that all the benefits accrued as a result of using forged degrees be nullified. This is to prevent people from seeking to gain unfair benefits using forged documents. Moreover, employers who have unintentionally given benefits due to forged degrees have a legal right to demand recovery of such benefits from the employee.
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