Domestic violence in the UAE is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024, which repealed the 2019 decree-law that most published guidance still cites. Under the current text, the Public Prosecution can issue a restraining order for up to 30 days, extendable twice, a court can then extend it to six months, and reporting an incident is not optional: Article 5(2) of the decree-law obliges any person who becomes aware of domestic violence to report it, with a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000 for failing to do so.
If you are in immediate danger, call the police on 999. To report abuse confidentially, the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children answers on 800111 and the Ministry of Interior’s Child Protection Centre on 116111. This guide explains what the law now says, who can obtain a restraining order and how, what that order can require, which reconciliation routes exist, and where the practical limits lie for residents whose visa depends on the other party. It is written for expatriate residents, who are covered by the same federal law as citizens.
The Law That Applies Now, and the One Most Sources Still Quote
Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 on the Protection Against Domestic Violence was issued on 10 September 2024 and entered into force on the date of its publication. Article 28 expressly repeals Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2019, along with any conflicting provision.
This matters because the 2019 decree-law is still presented as the operative text in a great deal of published material. The UAE Government’s own Family Protection Policy page, last updated 18 July 2025, still links readers to “Federal Decree No. 10 of 2019 Regarding Domestic Violence” as the governing law. If you are reading a summary that quotes 2019 article numbers, the numbering and several of the substantive rules have moved.
The 2024 decree-law is administered by the Ministry of Community Development, which the text names throughout, together with the local authority responsible for community affairs in each emirate and social support centres located within the Ministry of Interior and federal and local police headquarters. Note that the federal ministry responsible for this portfolio has been renamed more than once in recent years, so the entity you deal with may not carry the name printed in the decree-law.
What Counts as Domestic Violence, and Who Counts as Family
Article 4 defines domestic violence as any act, omission, statement or threat of one, neglect, or sexual or economic exploitation committed by one or more family members against another, exceeding the guardianship, authority or responsibility held by the perpetrator, and resulting in or aiming to cause physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm.
Two elements of that definition are commonly missed. The first is that an omission and a threat both qualify, so the conduct does not have to be physical or completed. The second is economic harm, which brings financial control within the definition rather than leaving it as a family-court matter.
Article 3 then defines “family” much more broadly than a household:
- Husband, wife and children.
- The spouse of the mother, or the spouse or spouses of the father.
- Children of one spouse from another marriage.
- Relatives by blood or marriage up to the fourth degree.
- Those linked by guardianship, custody or legal authority.
- A child in the custody of a foster family under applicable legislation.
Step-parents, step-siblings and relatives to the fourth degree are therefore inside the law. So is anyone holding legal authority over another family member, which is the limb that reaches guardians and custodians rather than only spouses and parents.
Reporting Is Mandatory, Not Discretionary
Article 5(1) gives the victim the right to report. Article 5(2) goes further and imposes a duty: any person who becomes aware of an incident, whether a family member, a provider of health, education, social, psychological or sports services acting in the course of their work, or any other member of the community, must promptly report it.
That duty is backed by a criminal penalty. Article 22 imposes a fine of not less than AED 5,000 and not more than AED 10,000 on anyone who fails to report an incident immediately on becoming aware of it. The same band applies to anyone who submits a false or malicious report, which is the counterweight the drafters attached to a duty this broad.
Two protections sit alongside the duty. Article 5(7) provides that the identity of a person who reports may not be disclosed unless judicial procedures require it, and any such disclosure must be made by the Public Prosecutor or a delegate. Article 25 makes it an offense to use force or threats against a victim in order to compel them to withdraw a report, punishable by imprisonment and a fine of AED 10,000 to AED 50,000, or one of those penalties.
Where the report goes depends on the conduct. Article 5(3) routes reports to the Ministry, the competent local authority or a social support centre. Article 5(4) adds that where the act constitutes physical or sexual violence, the police station must be notified and must take the necessary legal action.
Official Reporting Channels by Emirate
The federal portal publishes the following channels for reporting abuse of women and children. These are the numbers to use when the situation is not an immediate emergency; for immediate danger, the police emergency number is 999.
| Body | Coverage | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Interior, Child Protection Centre | Federal, child abuse | 116111, or the Hemayati app |
| Dubai Foundation for Women and Children | Dubai, women and children | 800111 |
| Community Development Authority | Dubai | 800988 |
| EWAA Shelter for Women and Children | Abu Dhabi | 8007283 |
| Child Protection Centre, Sharjah | Sharjah | 800 700 |
| Hemaya Foundation for Children and Women | Ajman | 800himaya (800446292) |
| Aman Centre for Women and Children, RAK Police | Ras Al Khaimah | 07 235 6666 |
The abuse of a child with a disability in Abu Dhabi is additionally reportable to the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, by email to [email protected] or on its hotline and WhatsApp number 054 200 3366. Our guide to disability support and the People of Determination framework covers the wider protections that apply.
The Restraining Order: Who Issues It and For How Long
A restraining order can come from two places. The Public Prosecution can issue one under Article 8, on its own initiative, at the request of the social support centre that received the report, at the request of the Ministry or competent authority, or at the request of the victim. The competent court can issue one under Article 10 while hearing any criminal case in which it finds evidence of domestic violence.
The durations are set out separately and stack:
| Stage | Maximum duration | Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Public Prosecution order | 30 days, extendable for two similar periods | Article 9(1) |
| Court extension after those periods expire | 6 months, or until the judgment becomes final | Article 9(2) |
| Court order made during a criminal case | 6 months, or until the judgment becomes final | Article 10 |
| Extension after a final judgment | 12 months | Article 10 |
Article 10 also states that the request for a restraining order is exempt from court fees. That is a small provision with a large practical effect, because cost is one of the first reasons a person in this situation gives for not going to court. Our guide to hiring a lawyer in the UAE covers representation and fees for the wider case, but the protection application itself carries no court fee.
Article 12 gives any stakeholder seven days from becoming aware of the order to appeal to the competent court to have it revoked or modified. That window runs against both sides, so a victim whose order was made narrower than the situation requires has the same seven days.
What the Order Can Actually Require
Article 11(1) lists the measures the Public Prosecution or the court may include in a restraining order. The list is not limited to keeping the parties apart.
- Prohibiting contact with the victim by any means.
- Prohibiting the offender from approaching designated protection locations or any other place named in the order, expressly including the victim’s residence and workplace, at a distance and for a time the Prosecution or court specifies.
- Referring the victim, with their consent, to a shelter, a relative’s home or another safe place.
- Obliging the offender to provide the necessary financial support for the victim and to pay medical expenses arising from the violence.
- Preventing harm to the victim’s interests, including property and personal belongings.
- Obliging the offender to attend social or psychological counselling.
- Any other measure considered necessary to protect the victim, witnesses or any family member at risk because of their relationship with the victim.
The financial-support limb is the one that changes the calculation for a dependent spouse, because it can be attached to a protection order rather than waiting on a separate maintenance claim. How maintenance is decided in the longer term is covered in our guide to divorce in the UAE, custody and maintenance.
Article 11(3) puts the Ministry or competent authority under a duty to follow up on implementation and to report any breach immediately to the body that issued the order. Article 23 then makes breach a criminal offense: imprisonment and a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000, or one of those penalties, rising to imprisonment of not less than six months and a fine of AED 10,000 to AED 100,000 where the breach involves violence or coercion.
Reconciliation: Two Different Routes, One Hard Limit
Article 13 requires the Ministry, competent authority or social support centre to offer family reconciliation within 14 days of the report, provided both parties or their legal representatives agree. Article 13(3) sets the limit that matters: family reconciliation may not be offered at all if the act constitutes a felony.
Where family reconciliation is offered and accepted, a social worker must attend, and a child protection specialist as well where the victim is a child. The outcome is recorded in an official record signed by the parties, who are then bound by its terms, and the file goes to the Public Prosecution for approval. If one party declines to complete it, the report goes to the Prosecution anyway.
Article 14 covers a separate mechanism, penal reconciliation, which operates within the Criminal Procedure Law and can extinguish the criminal case or stay the judgment. Here too a child protection specialist attends where the victim is a child, and may give a reasoned opinion for or against, which the Prosecution may accept or disregard.
Decision point. Agreeing to family reconciliation produces a signed, binding record and closes the immediate process, but it does not create a restraining order. If the concern is repetition rather than the single incident, the protective measure and the reconciliation are separate things and one does not substitute for the other. Article 21 treats a repeat offense within one year as an aggravating circumstance, which is the provision a documented earlier report supports.
Emergency Shelter and the 24-Hour Rule
Article 17 allows the Ministry, competent authority or social support centre to refer a person to a shelter immediately, before any order, in three situations: arrest in the act of committing a domestic violence crime, a proven breach of a restraining order, or where the case simply requires urgent shelter.
The referral decision must be put to the Public Prosecution immediately on issue, and the Prosecution must decide within 24 hours whether to continue, cancel or modify it. Article 16 sets out what a shelter must do once a person arrives: record the case, provide care, develop an intervention plan, hold discussions in a private room, offer social and psychological counselling and rehabilitation for victim, offender and family members, and provide legal consultancy and assistance where needed.
Penalties Under the 2024 Decree-Law
| Conduct | Penalty | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Committing domestic violence as defined in Article 4 | Imprisonment and a fine up to AED 50,000, or one of them, plus mandatory anti-violence rehabilitation courses | 21 |
| Failing to report, or filing a false or malicious report | AED 5,000 to AED 10,000 | 22 |
| Breaching a restraining order | Imprisonment and AED 5,000 to AED 10,000, or one of them | 23 |
| Breaching an order using violence or coercion | Imprisonment of not less than 6 months and AED 10,000 to AED 100,000, or one of them | 23 |
| Disclosing case data or revealing a victim’s identity | Imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 20,000, or one of them | 24 |
| Coercing a victim into withdrawing a report | Imprisonment and AED 10,000 to AED 50,000, or one of them | 25 |
Article 21 lists the aggravating circumstances: where the victim is a parent or ascendant of the perpetrator, a person over 60, a pregnant woman, a child, a person with a disability or someone legally incapacitated, or where the perpetrator commits a further domestic violence offense within one year. Article 20 preserves any more severe penalty available under another law, which is how assault, threat and related offenses under the Penal Code continue to apply on top. Article 26 allows the court to substitute community service.
The Practical Position for Residents on a Family Sponsorship
The decree-law is silent on immigration status, and that silence is the honest answer to the question most expatriate readers are actually asking. Nothing in Federal Decree-Law 13/2024 suspends, transfers or protects a residence visa sponsored by the other party, and no provision requires an authority to do so.
What the law does provide is the financial-support measure in Article 11(1)(d), shelter under Articles 16 and 17, and a fee-free protection application. What it does not provide is an independent route to residency. If your permit is sponsored by a spouse, the consequences of a cancellation are governed by the ordinary residence rules, which we cover in the grace period after a residence visa is cancelled and in the guide to spouse visa requirements and sponsorship. Raise the status question with the shelter or the social support centre at the first contact rather than after the fact, because it is handled administratively and case by case, not by the decree-law.
Where children are involved, the child protection framework runs in parallel. Article 7 requires the court and the Public Prosecution to engage a child protection specialist in investigations and trials where one of the parties is a child. The specialist’s separate statutory powers, including emergency removal, come from the Wadeema Law and are set out in our guide to child protection and the Wadeema Law.
How the Process Runs, Step by Step
- Report. Call 999 in an emergency. Otherwise report to the Ministry, the local competent authority or a social support centre using the channels in the table above. Where the conduct is physical or sexual violence, the police station must also be notified under Article 5(4).
- Intake. The receiving body records the report in the electronic register under Article 19, takes protective measures including placement in a shelter or with a relative if needed, hears the parties and witnesses privately, refers the victim to a healthcare facility if required, and prepares an incident report with the social worker’s or child protection specialist’s report attached (Article 6).
- Request the order. Ask the social support centre, the Ministry or the Public Prosecution directly for a restraining order. Article 8(3) obliges the Ministry, the competent authority or the Prosecution to inform the victim of the available legal measures and of the possibility of obtaining one.
- Order issued and served. The Prosecution notifies both the offender and the victim of the order and the measures it contains (Article 11(2)).
- Extension or appeal. Extensions run through the Prosecution and then the court under Article 9. Any stakeholder has seven days from becoming aware of the order to appeal it (Article 12).
- Report any breach. Breaches go back to the Ministry or competent authority, which must report them immediately to the body that issued the order (Article 11(3)). A breach is a separate criminal offense under Article 23.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which law covers domestic violence in the UAE in 2026?
Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 on the Protection Against Domestic Violence. It was issued on 10 September 2024 and entered into force on publication. Article 28 repealed Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2019, which many summaries and even some government pages still cite as current.
Do I have to report domestic violence if it is not happening to me?
Yes. Article 5(2) requires any person who becomes aware of an incident to report it promptly, whether they are a family member, a professional acting in the course of their work, or any other member of the community. Article 22 sets a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000 for failing to report immediately on becoming aware of it.
How long does a restraining order last in the UAE?
A Public Prosecution order lasts up to 30 days and can be extended for two further periods of the same length. After that, a court can extend it for up to six months or until the judgment becomes final, and can extend it for up to 12 months after a final judgment.
Does it cost anything to apply for a protection order?
Article 10 exempts the request for a restraining order from court fees. Legal representation for the wider case is a separate cost, and the Ministry, the competent authority and shelters are required to provide legal consultancy and assistance where needed.
What can a restraining order require the other person to do?
Under Article 11 it can bar contact by any means, bar approach to named places including the victim’s home and workplace, place the victim in a shelter or with relatives, require the offender to pay financial support and medical expenses, protect the victim’s property, require counselling attendance, and add any other measure needed to protect the victim, witnesses or at-risk family members.
What happens if the abuser ignores the order?
Breach is a separate crime. Article 23 sets imprisonment and a fine of AED 5,000 to AED 10,000, or one of them. Where the breach involves violence or coercion, the penalty is imprisonment of not less than six months and a fine of AED 10,000 to AED 100,000, or one of them. A proven breach is also a ground for immediate referral to a shelter under Article 17.
Are step-parents and in-laws covered by the law?
Yes. Article 3 defines family to include the spouse of the mother or father, children of one spouse from another marriage, relatives by blood or marriage up to the fourth degree, and anyone linked by guardianship, custody or legal authority, as well as a child in a foster family’s custody.
Can the case be settled and dropped?
Sometimes. Article 13 requires family reconciliation to be offered within 14 days where both parties agree, but Article 13(3) prohibits it where the act constitutes a felony. Article 14 separately allows penal reconciliation within the Criminal Procedure Law, which can end the criminal case or stay the judgment. Neither route creates a restraining order.
Will my name become public if I report?
Article 5(7) prohibits disclosing the identity of a person who reports unless judicial procedures require it, and any such disclosure must come from the Public Prosecutor or a delegate. Article 24 makes disclosing case data or revealing a victim’s identity an offense carrying imprisonment and a fine of not less than AED 20,000.
Does reporting affect my residence visa?
The decree-law does not address residence status, so it neither protects nor cancels a sponsored visa. It provides financial support as a protection measure, shelter, and a fee-free application. Raise your visa position with the shelter or social support centre at first contact, because it is handled administratively rather than under this law.
Official Sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 on the Protection Against Domestic Violence, official English text
- UAE Government Portal, Report child abuse: official hotlines and reporting channels
- UAE Government Portal, Family Protection Policy
- Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, 800111 helpline
Information current as of August 2026. Every article number, duration and penalty above was read from the official English text of Federal Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 published on the UAE Legislation portal, retrieved through an archived copy because the portal blocks automated retrieval. Two limitations are worth stating plainly. First, the decree-law leaves several matters to implementing resolutions, including the data recorded in the electronic register under Article 19, and no such resolution was retrievable. Second, the hotline list comes from a federal portal page last updated 8 July 2024 and local bodies change numbers, so confirm the number before relying on it. The federal ministry named in the decree-law has also been renamed since the text was drafted.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for contacting the authorities. If you or someone else is in danger, call 999. Procedures vary between emirates and are applied case by case by the Public Prosecution and the courts. Speak to a UAE-licensed lawyer, a social support centre or a licensed shelter about your own situation.
