United Arab Emirates Travel Safety Guide

The short version

There is no territorial travel advisory for the United Arab Emirates. The British government does not advise against travel to any part of it, and there is no regional risks page for it at all.

What does need attention is the law, and the single most important thing to understand is that the UAE is seven emirates and they do not all have the same rules.

Alcohol, and the border nobody tells you about

Drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is thirty kilometres north of Dubai and has no visible frontier. That is the trap. A visitor who has read that the UAE is relaxed about alcohol, and who drives north for an afternoon, has broken the law without knowing a line existed. Elsewhere, alcohol is served in licensed venues, overwhelmingly hotels and their restaurants and bars.

Drugs, and the medication in your bag

There is zero tolerance for drugs offences and the penalties are severe. Possession of illegal drugs including cannabis can bring a minimum three month prison term or a fine of between 20,000 and 100,000 dirham, and residual amounts count.

Separately and just as important: there are strict rules on what medication you may bring in. You need approval from the UAE authorities for anything the UAE classes as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled, and that list is broader than most visitors expect. Check before you fly. See the packing list.

Dress and conduct

Swimming attire should be worn only on beaches and at pools. Some venues and buildings set their own dress codes. Cross-dressing is illegal. These are laws rather than customs, which is why they are on this page rather than the etiquette one.

Relationships and the law

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in the UAE. We state that as the law it is rather than as advice about who should travel where. The safety advice also records that the burden of proof in sexual assault cases rests heavily on the victim, particularly where alcohol was consumed, which is something to know before rather than after.

Health

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists routine vaccines for the United Arab Emirates along with hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies. Discuss all of them with a travel clinic in good time.

Driving

If your car is impounded you will be charged 50,000 dirham plus a traffic violation fine to release it. That figure is not a misprint and it is the reason we use drivers.

Verify Before You Travel

Read the FCDO safety and security page for the UAE before you book. Next: visa and entry requirements and culture and etiquette.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: United Arab Emirates travel advice: the FCDO issues no advisory against travel to any part of the UAE. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE safety and security: the Sharjah alcohol ban, the zero-tolerance drugs position, dress codes and the law on same-sex relations. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE entry requirements: the visitor visa issued free of charge on arrival, six months of passport validity, the medication approval rules and the penalties for working on a visit visa. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE health: vaccination advice for travellers. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers’ Health, United Arab Emirates: routine vaccines, hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies. Accessed 15 September 2026.