Prostitution in the United Arab Emirates is recorded in this encyclopedia from the source named below.
Overview
Prostitution in the United Arab Emirates is illegal. Punishments for engaging in prostitution include heavy fines and imprisonment, with foreign prostitutes typically being deported from the UAE. In 2006 the UAE deported 4,300 foreign prostitutes. Despite its illegality, prostitution is widespread, especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The authorities generally turn a blind eye provided it is kept out of the public eye. UAE nationals are permitted a number of residence visas. These are mainly used for domestic staff, but any surplus are often sold through middlemen to prostitutes to enter and remain in the country for two years. Residence visas may change hands at upwards of £5,000. And, "agents arrange for prostitutes to enter the country on a 30-day tourist visa. Although there is street prostitution, notably Hamdan Street in Abu Dhabi, most prostitution takes place in the bars and nightclubs of hotels.
Source and reuse
The descriptive text above is drawn from the English-language encyclopedia article Prostitution in the United Arab Emirates, reused under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence and attributed in the sources block on this page. Figures in the infobox come from Wikidata and carry that project's own provenance; they should be checked against the cited source before being relied on.
Editorial note
This record is a sourced summary, not original research. Where the underlying material is silent on a point, this article is silent too. Last reviewed 2026-09-23.