UAE Crimes and Penalties Law: Federal Decree-Law 31 of 2021

The UAE Crimes and Penalties Law, formally Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021, is the country’s primary criminal statute. It replaced the 1987 penal code on January 2, 2022, and it defines offenses, sets sentencing ranges, and governs how criminal responsibility works across the federation.¹ It does not stand alone. Separate federal decree-laws cover drug offenses, cybercrimes, domestic violence, and juvenile justice, and those companion statutes often carry the harsher penalties for the conduct they address.

How Offenses Are Classified

Every criminal act in the UAE falls into one of three tiers, and the tier controls both punishment and procedure.

Felonies. The most serious offenses, punishable by death, life imprisonment, or temporary imprisonment of 3 to 15 years unless a specific article says otherwise.¹
Misdemeanors. Mid-range offenses punishable by imprisonment, a fine exceeding 10,000 AED, or blood money (Diya).¹
Infractions. The least serious tier, typically smaller fines or brief detention.

The classification does more than set the sentence. A felony conviction triggers mandatory deportation for a non-citizen and carries a longer limitation period before prosecution expires.

Who the Law Reaches

The law applies to anyone who commits a crime inside UAE borders, including territorial waters and airspace. An offense counts as committed in the country if any part of it took place there, so planning an act domestically and executing it abroad, or the reverse, can still fall within UAE jurisdiction. Crimes committed on UAE-flagged ships or aircraft are covered wherever the vessel is.

Some offenses reach further. Acts committed abroad that threaten the UAE’s internal or external security, or that involve counterfeiting state seals or currency meant for use in the federation, remain prosecutable at home. Crossing a border before or after the act does not, by itself, put a resident or citizen beyond reach.

How Long Prosecutors Have to Act

Criminal cases do not stay open forever. Under the Criminal Procedures Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022), the right to prosecute expires based on the severity of the offense:²

Felonies: 20 years, with no limit on offenses punishable by death or life imprisonment.
Misdemeanors: 5 years.
Infractions: 1 year.

Crimes subject to Qisas (retribution) or Diya (blood money) under Islamic Sharia are also exempt from these time bars. The clock does not pause, but it does reset if investigative or trial steps are taken against the accused, or if formal notice is served.² A dormant case with no action eventually expires; a single active step restarts the full period.

Penalties the Court Can Impose

Sentencing has layers. Principal penalties form the core punishment: death, life imprisonment, and temporary imprisonment of 3 to 15 years unless an article specifies otherwise.¹ Fines run from modest amounts for minor infractions to several million dirhams for serious financial crimes, and courts can impose them alongside or in place of prison time.

Accessory and complementary penalties attach further consequences: confiscation of items used in the crime, closure of businesses involved in illegal activity, and court-ordered police supervision after release. Supervision can require a released person to check in with authorities on a set schedule.

Deportation of Non-Citizens

Deportation is one of the heaviest consequences for the UAE’s expatriate majority. A judge must order deportation for any foreign national convicted of a felony, and it is commonly imposed in misdemeanor cases involving morality or sexual conduct. It takes effect after the primary sentence is served, which in practice means permanent removal.

Crimes Against National Security and Public Order

Articles 151 through 210 cover treason, espionage, and cooperation with foreign entities hostile to the UAE. Disclosing state secrets, undermining sovereign authority, and participating in unauthorized movements aimed at destabilizing the government carry severe penalties, usually at the felony level.

Terrorism-related conduct is treated with particular severity, and funding or logistical support for unauthorized organizations is handled with the same seriousness as direct participation. Acts endangering transportation, communications, or communal harmony fall under the public order provisions, as does inciting hatred or sectarian discord.

Crimes Against Persons

The law draws a sharp line between intentional killing and death caused by negligence. Premeditated murder carries the most severe penalties available. Manslaughter is punished with imprisonment and Diya set at 200,000 AED for the death of any person, male or female. Sharia principles govern Qisas and Diya offenses specifically; other crimes follow the decree’s own penalty provisions.¹

Assault offenses are graded by injury severity. An attack causing permanent disability is punished far more heavily than one causing a temporary injury. Kidnapping and unlawful detention are separate offenses against personal liberty. Threats and harassment, including psychological intimidation, are also criminalized, with prosecutors required to show intent and impact on the victim’s safety.

Domestic Violence

A standalone domestic violence law (Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024) works alongside the general penal code. It defines domestic violence broadly as any act, threat, neglect, or exploitation committed by a family member against another that causes or aims to cause physical, psychological, sexual, or economic harm.³

The baseline penalty is imprisonment and a fine of up to 50,000 AED, or either one alone. Aggravating circumstances raise it: a victim who is a parent or older relative, a person over 60, a pregnant woman, a child, a person with disabilities, or someone legally incapacitated. Repeat offenses within one year also trigger harsher treatment, and courts must order the offender to complete rehabilitation courses at specialized centers.³

Duty to Report Crimes

Silence is not neutral when someone knows about a crime. Under Article 323, anyone who learns of a crime and fails to tell the authorities faces up to one year in prison or a fine.¹ Close family members are exempt: spouses, parents, children, siblings, and in-laws of equivalent degree.

Public servants whose jobs involve detecting or investigating crimes face stricter obligations. Medical professionals who examine a deceased person or treat a seriously injured individual and spot signs suggesting a crime must notify authorities; failure carries a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of at least 20,000 AED.¹

Crimes Against Property and Financial Assets

Theft, robbery, embezzlement, and fraud each have distinct legal definitions and penalty tracks. Theft is the intentional taking of property without consent. Robbery escalates the offense by adding force or threats. Embezzlement applies when someone already holds lawful possession (through employment or a fiduciary relationship) and converts the property to personal use. Fraud involves deception to obtain financial gain, including false identities or forged documents.

Intentional destruction or damage of another person’s property is also criminalized, and each of these offenses requires proof of criminal intent alongside a measurable loss. The decree includes specific provisions on misuse of credit cards and electronic payment systems, giving prosecutors a framework for cases where the stolen asset is a transfer or digital balance rather than a physical object.

Public Morals and Social Conduct

Several areas of personal conduct are regulated in ways that differ from Western systems, and residents unfamiliar with these provisions can run into trouble quickly. Public intoxication remains punishable even though recent reforms loosened restrictions on private consumption by licensed individuals. Drinking in a licensed venue or at home is treated differently from being intoxicated in public.

Consensual sexual relationships outside marriage are addressed, though reforms narrowed the circumstances for prosecution; in some cases, legal action depends on a formal complaint by a guardian or spouse rather than being initiated by authorities. Public indecency is prohibited in both physical and digital settings. Social media content that violates public morals is a distinct offense, and sharing material deemed offensive or indecent through digital platforms can result in fines and imprisonment.

Drug Offenses

Drug crimes fall under a companion statute, Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021, not the general penal code. Penalties vary dramatically between personal use and trafficking.

Personal Use and Possession

For a first offense involving substances in the most common controlled schedules, the penalty is at least three months in prison or a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 AED. A second offense within three years raises the minimum to six months or 30,000 to 100,000 AED. A third offense carries a minimum of two years in prison plus a fine of at least 100,000 AED.⁴

Non-citizens and non-residents entering the country with controlled substances for personal use face a monetary penalty between 5,000 and 1,000,000 AED. That provision effectively allows authorities to impose a fine and deportation rather than imprisonment for visitors caught at the border.⁴

For first-time personal use or addiction cases, the court may replace a prison sentence with placement in a treatment and rehabilitation unit for up to one year. If treatment proves ineffective or the person violates program obligations, the original prison sentence can be reimposed with credit for time already served in the facility.⁴ Repeat offenders cannot access this alternative.

Trafficking and Distribution

Trafficking sits at the opposite end. Importing, manufacturing, or possessing narcotics with intent to traffic or distribute can carry the death penalty for the most serious controlled substances. For other categories, the penalty is death or life imprisonment. A licensed professional (such as a pharmacist) who misuses authorized access to traffic drugs faces life imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 200,000 AED, with the death penalty for repeat offenders.⁴

Anyone who incites or facilitates drug crimes faces at least five years in prison and a fine of at least 50,000 AED. The minimum rises with the consequences of the facilitation: seven years if injury results, ten if serious harm follows, and life imprisonment or death if someone dies.⁴

Cybercrimes and Digital Privacy

A separate statute, Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, governs offenses involving technology. Its penalties are steeper than newcomers often expect.

Hacking and Unauthorized Access

Unauthorized access to a website, information system, or network carries a fine of 100,000 to 300,000 AED and possible imprisonment. If the hacking causes damage, destroys data, or disrupts operations, the minimum rises to six months in prison and a fine of 150,000 to 500,000 AED. When the purpose is stealing data for illegal use, the floor is one year in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 AED.⁵

Hacking government systems is treated far more seriously. Basic unauthorized access to a government information system triggers temporary imprisonment of 3 to 15 years and a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 AED. Damage or a coordinated cyberattack carries at least five years and up to 1,500,000 AED in fines. Stealing government data specifically carries a minimum of seven years.⁵

Privacy Violations

Using technology to breach someone’s privacy, including eavesdropping, recording conversations, or sharing private information without consent, can result in up to six months in prison and a fine of 150,000 to 500,000 AED. Altering or editing photos or recordings to damage or abuse someone raises the minimum to one year and a fine of 250,000 to 500,000 AED. Article 431 of the general penal code separately criminalizes unauthorized photography of individuals, with courts empowered to confiscate the devices used and order deletion of the material.

Spreading False Information

Publishing or sharing false news or misleading information that could cause public concern or harm the public interest carries up to one year in prison and a fine starting at 100,000 AED. During a crisis, disaster, or emergency, the penalty doubles to up to two years and a minimum fine of 200,000 AED. These penalties apply equally to the person who creates the content and the person who shares it without verifying its accuracy.

Defenses and Age Limits

Self-Defense

The law recognizes a right to legitimate self-defense, but the conditions are strict. All four must be met:⁶

The defender faces an immediate danger of a forcible crime against their person, their property, or someone else’s. A genuine but mistaken belief in the danger can suffice if based on reasonable grounds.
There is no time to resort to public authorities.
No other means exist to repel the danger.
The response is proportionate to the attack.

Self-defense does not justify killing an attacker unless the defender reasonably fears death, serious injury, sexual assault, kidnapping, arson, or a nighttime break-in to an occupied home. Resisting a public authority officer acting in official duty is never justified unless that officer’s conduct reasonably appears likely to cause death or serious injury. If someone exceeds the limits of self-defense in good faith, the judge may treat it as a mitigating factor or grant a pardon.⁶

Age of Criminal Responsibility

A juvenile under 12 at the time of the offense cannot be held criminally liable. The Public Prosecution may order administrative measures if needed, but no criminal penalty attaches.⁷ Juveniles aged 12 and older fall under the juvenile justice framework, which emphasizes rehabilitation but still imposes meaningful consequences for serious offenses.

The Role of Sharia

Article 1 of the decree establishes that Islamic Sharia governs crimes punishable by Qisas (retribution) and Diya (blood money); all other offenses follow the penalties set out in the decree and other penal codes.¹ In practice, cases involving homicide or serious bodily injury may be resolved through a combination of criminal sentencing and Diya payments negotiated between the offender’s family and the victim’s family. Acceptance of Diya by the victim’s family can reduce or eliminate the custodial sentence in some cases, which makes it a significant factor in how these matters resolve.

1
UAE Legislation. Federal Law by Decree No. 31 of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law
2
UAE Legislation. Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 Promulgating the Criminal Procedures Law
3
UAE Legislation. Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 on the Protection Against Domestic Violence
4
UAE Legislation. Federal Decree by Law No. 30 of 2021 On Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances
5
UAE Legislation. Federal Decree-Law on Countering Rumors and Cybercrimes
6
UAE Legislation. Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law
7
UAE Legislation. Federal Law No. 6 of 2022 Concerning Juvenile Delinquent and Juvenile at Risk of Delinquency