# Tourists and alcohol licences



## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

Lost passport leads to alcohol conviction - The National

Yet another example of confusing and inconsistently applied laws in Dubai.

Just the boost that the tourism industry needs..


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## DubaiATC (Jun 26, 2010)

That's awesome. Gotta love it!! Thanks for posting.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Nice.... that is so AWESOME!!!! LOL...


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

I have to wonder though as to why on earth someone would walk into a police station reeking of booze!! That is surely asking for trouble! You might as well carry a big sign that reads 'I've been consuming alcohol - arrest me!'


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## sandypool (Sep 12, 2009)

Okay I confess to not quite understanding what is so awesome about it - surely it is more along the lines of ridiculous....

Also Maz i think the problem is that tbh I wouldn't have known he was commiting a crime anyway, until the other ridiculous article in The National recently.

I doubt many tourists would be aware either, as even most leaflets you see refer to "residents" requiring liquor licences. When you book into your over priced Dubai hotel for a few weeks of sun sea and shed loads of sand, and pop down to the restaurant (where you are presented with a wine list) there is an assumption that it must be legal, after all if this law were applied fiercely it would effectively make the UAE a dry holiday destination which hardly fits in with the Champagne lifestyle it tries to promote.

Moreover it seems the police and Judicial system see it as a waste of their time too.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

There has been so many bad press about British tourists falling foul of the law; add that to the recent campaign by the British Consulate to educate tourists about the laws of the UAE and you have to wonder as to why people are still saying that 'I did not know that it was illegal!'.

C'mon peeps, you live in a Muslim country and considering that almost every month The Sun is publishing some story or another about a Brit getting busted for consuming alcohol, it's no wonder that this old line no longer flies with the police here! I'm pretty sure that even in the UK you would think twice about walking into a police station smelling of alcohol!! I'm even more confused through as to why his friend who supposedly is a resident even allowed him to leave the house smelling of booze! 

I make it a point of researching any country that I plan to visit for a holiday! An hour on the net could avoid a lot of these problems for everyone wishing to visit the UAE! Yes, the law can be ambiguous here at times but better to be safe than sorry - if you're not sure about something, it is best to avoid it - beats spending time with the old bill!


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Why do people assume that since this is a Muslim country that consumption of alcohol is forbidden or that you will be arrested in a Muslim country for drinking, owning or whatever else you do with booze? Jordan is a Muslim country but nothing to this extent would happen there, even in Iraq pre-2003 this would not have happened!

It has more to do with the stupidity of the law and the inability of the government to find a decent workaround. They can't formally tell you that the consumption of alcohol is not forbidden but can't actively enforce their laws either.

Kudos to the idiot for taking his passport everywhere with him though, why did he do this again?


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## samfurah (Jan 7, 2011)

this is bad! tourist should not be treated like this.....i m not aware of club/ bar rules as i never go there.. but just wondering why dont they (bars) ask for alchohol license to people ( assuming license may look like driving license) before they offer drink? ....sorry if this is silly questions but just a thought!.....


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

Maybe he should learn to shower in the mornings.


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

samfurah said:


> this is bad! tourist should not be treated like this.....i m not aware of club/ bar rules as i never go there.. but just wondering why dont they (bars) ask for alchohol license to people ( assuming license may look like driving license) before they offer drink? ....sorry if this is silly questions but just a thought!.....


Because Tourists cannot get an Alcohol Licence.


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

Its fine to say that people should research their holiday destination and find out what is and what is not allowed before they arrive. So, how many of us residents appreciated that when our friends and families visit from overseas, and we take them to a bar or a restaurant and they drink alcohol, we were encouraging them to break the law? Not many I expect.

Maz, if those of us who have been living here for some years did not appreciate the law is it really fair to expect tourists, visiting for perhaps a week or two, to undertake the level of research necessary to find out about this law for themselves? I hardly think so.

The UAE needs to come clean with tourists and tell them that they are not allowed to drink alcohol whilst they are here. If tourists then ignore that warning and get arrested then they deserve what they get. They had the warning and ignored it.

But more realistically doesn't the government just need to get on with changing this law to avoid destroying much of the tourist industry overnight?


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

I'd hazard a guess that the Government is in no hurry to kill off the tourism industry. In fairness to this place, of late, they have been very vocal about the dos and don'ts of this place and a lot of embassies have taken to educating their citizen about the UAE culture.

I've been here since 2008 and I've heard these stories so many times that I no longer even bother with them! Surely with all the bad press that this place gets, tourists will be a little more aware of the culture and the rules. No one should assume that the Middle East is like the West, hence the more reason to do a bit of research.

The reality is that the police are no longer interested in the numerous excuses that we all come up with - they've heard it all before and yes, if I was ever unfortunate to find myself in the same situation, I would also claim not to know the law (which would obviously be a downright lie!). My view still remains that we should all do our research and if we fail to do this (research being the easy option), then unfortunately, we have to face the consequences. No, it's not pleasant for anyone to be arrested but that's just the reality of this place!

Any why on earth would someone walk around with a passport and then decide to walk into a police station smelling like a brewery to report it missing!! Surely, he could have had a bath and use some aftershave/ deodorant, etc! I think that was just asking for trouble regardless of which country in the world you are in - we are quite liberal at home but I would not dream of walking into a police station smelling of alcohol!


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## Jumeirah Jim (Jan 24, 2011)

I've been here about the same time as you Maz and have heard all the stories about, usually Brits, getting into trouble after drinking. What I haven't heard before is that drinking is illegal for tourists. If that truly is the law then its about time Dubai was honest about it. There are already far too many laws here that people casually break as they consider that they are never enforced, only to find out that they are enforced very harshly, if very inconsistently.

My view is that the law should either be changed or it should be made very clear that drinking by tourists is not permitted. Why not make all hotels include a warning notice that anyone on a tourist visa mustn't drink, insist that bars and restaurants check alcohol licences before serving and get Dubai customs to confiscate any duty free alcohol tourists are trying to smuggle in? Maybe Emirates could even include an announcement, like the one's they make about drugs and prohibited food imports, when coming into land at DXB? 

Yes, obviously its because places like Dubai Duty Free, Madinat and most of the hotel bars and restaurants would be forced to shut very quickly.

It seems like another case of the government trying to have it both ways. Officially not allowing tourists to enjoy their vice of drinking but most of the time turning a blind eye for the sake of AED for Jumeirah/DDF etc


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

In that respect, yes, you do have a point.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Yet another example of making things up as they go along.


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## sandypool (Sep 12, 2009)

I've lived in the UAE a little over 2 years and was for the most part never aware that non residents were not permitted to drink alcohol. Everything in the society the rulers have nurtured points in the other direction.

I did see the recent drive by the British consulate to educate the British populous here in DXB, personally I think they should have been using their time preventing a 16 year old British boy being flogged for trying alcohol.

Muslim country yes, but quite frankly I find none of these laws or behaviour in keeping with the peaceful nature of modern Islam that is found today, they are archaic and need to be changed, but then that is nothing to do with me. As someone else pointed out, look at countries like Jordan a Muslim country where alcohol consumption is not an issue, but ask your average Joe Bloggs in the UK whether Amman or Dubai is the most likely place for being arrested for a couple of beers and I doubt DXB will be the top answer.

When the UAE is promoted as a Holiday destination overseas they fail to mention these laws I'm afraid, and most people coming away for a two week holiday are unlikely to research UAE law. Quite honestly the published information is contradictory at best misleading at worst anyway.

Also I don't read the Sun or the Mail, so am spared the UAE bashing.

That said, yes stinking of booze in a police station is a bit silly (but I doubt it would get you arrested anywhere else). Also, I like the UAE a lot, I find the people friendly, the lifestyle is great, and for the most part I can live my life as I wish in a very safe country.

There are, however, just 2 things that get on my tits as it were. Etisalat  and Outdated/Inconsistent law making.


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