{
  "_license": "CC BY 4.0 — attribute SKETCH.WORLD (https://sketch.world) and link back if you use this data.",
  "_source": "https://sketch.world/united-arab-emirates",
  "iso2": "AE",
  "name": "United Arab Emirates",
  "slug": "united-arab-emirates",
  "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T18:52:20.757Z",
  "score": 73,
  "verdict": "go-attention",
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    "policeTrust": 59.936896,
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  "advisories": {
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    "us": {
      "level": 3,
      "label": "Level 3: Reconsider Travel",
      "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/united-arab-emirates-travel-advisory.html"
    },
    "uk": {
      "level": 1,
      "summary": "See FCDO advice.",
      "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates"
    },
    "ca": {
      "level": 2,
      "label": "Exercise a high degree of caution",
      "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-arab-emirates"
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  "generated": true,
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  "health": {
    "notices": [
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        "title": "Global Measles",
        "level": 1
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    "vaccines": {
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      "recommended": []
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    "tapWater": "unknown"
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  "entry": {
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    "passportValidityMonths": 0,
    "sources": []
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  "laws": [
    {
      "title": "Strict drug and medication laws",
      "body": "Possession of drugs, including microscopic traces on clothing, carries a minimum four-year prison sentence. Certain painkillers like codeine are illegal without a prescription, and blood tests can lead to jail for substances ingested abroad.",
      "sources": [
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      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Public conduct and morality laws",
      "body": "Homosexuality, sex outside marriage, public displays of affection, and public nudity are illegal and punishable by fines or jail. Homosexuality specifically carries a penalty of death or life in prison.",
      "sources": [
        "wikivoyage"
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Cyber-crime and defamation",
      "body": "Defamatory statements made about someone in the UAE on social media can result in jail time or fines, even if the statement was made years ago in another country.",
      "sources": [
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  "streetWisdom": {
    "summary": "",
    "quotes": [],
    "generatedAt": "2026-07-12"
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  "localKnowledge": {
    "staySafe": [
      {
        "text": "The UAE is one of the safest countries in the world with regard to crime."
      },
      {
        "text": "Homosexuality is illegal in the UAE, and it may carry the penalty of death or life in prison, so gay and lesbian tourists should be discreet and avoid any public displays of affection."
      },
      {
        "text": "Sex outside marriage is illegal, but the penalty is not enforced unless it results in pregnancy."
      },
      {
        "text": "The UAE has extremely strict laws on drug usage; the punishment for possession is typically 4 years in prison, and tourists have been arrested and sentenced under this law for having microsc…"
      },
      {
        "text": "Some common painkillers, like codeine, are illegal narcotics in the UAE."
      },
      {
        "text": "Under cyber-crime laws, if a person makes or has made a defamatory statement about someone in the UAE on social media, even if a number of years ago in another country, they can be jailed or…"
      }
    ],
    "stayHealthy": [
      {
        "text": "General medical care in the Emirates is quite good, with clinics for general and specialized care widely available, including some which are now open 24 hours."
      },
      {
        "text": "The main government hospital in Abu Dhabi is quite good; as is the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, now managed by Cleveland Clinic."
      },
      {
        "text": "In Dubai, the government hospitals are Rashid hospital, which has a new Trauma Centre and Dubai Hospital which are very good."
      },
      {
        "text": "Al Ain is served by modern hospitals and care centers: Tawam Hospital, now managed by Johns Hopkins, and host to the UAE University Faculty of Medicine and Health Science; Al Ain Hospital (a…"
      },
      {
        "text": "The water is safe to drink in the UAE, although most people prefer bottled water for its taste.…"
      }
    ],
    "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates"
  },
  "recentHeadlines": [],
  "whatChanged": "The UAE Sketch Score rose to 73 today, and with government advisories ranging from level 1 to 3, you are on your own to weigh the risk. Global measles notices remain active.",
  "practical": {
    "plug": [
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    "voltage": 230,
    "drivingSide": "right",
    "emergency": {
      "police": "999",
      "ambulance": "998",
      "fire": "997"
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    "simAdvice": "",
    "cashVsCard": "",
    "tipping": ""
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  "lgbtqLegal": {
    "status": "illegal_death_penalty",
    "summary": "Illegal Penalty: Maximum: Capital punishment Minimum: Lashings, imprisonment and fines",
    "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory"
  },
  "receipts": [
    {
      "sourceId": "us-state",
      "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/united-arab-emirates-travel-advisory.html",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "uk-fcdo",
      "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "ca-gac",
      "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-arab-emirates",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "worldbank-political",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_PV.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "worldbank-policeTrust",
      "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_RL.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "cdc-health",
      "url": "https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "wikivoyage",
      "url": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "unodc",
      "url": "https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "acled-hdx",
      "url": "https://data.humdata.org/organization/acled",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "lgbtq-legal-wikipedia",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory",
      "observedAt": "2026-07-12"
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  ]
}