Bar de Alterne en United Arab Emirates

Prostitution is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi: the federal Crimes and Penalties Law (Decree-Law 31/2021, in force since 2 January 2022) applies to any crime on the State's territory. Habitual prostitution carries temporary imprisonment (three to fifteen years by default). Running or facilitating a brothel carries temporary imprisonment and at least AED 100,000; inciting or assisting prostitution at least two years and a fine since December 2025; exploiting another's prostitution up to five years. Inciting prostitution online carries temporary imprisonment and AED 250,000 to 1,000,000 (Decree-Law 34/2021). No offence targets clients: sex between unmarried adults is still an offence (Art. 409), but since the 2020 and 2021 reforms it can be prosecuted only on a complaint by a spouse or guardian. Source: Prostitution Laws (prostitutionlaws.org), https://prostitutionlaws.org/countries/united-arab-emirates/, reviewed 2026-11-04, CC BY 4.0.