President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has signed Federal Decree-Law No. 73 of 2025, tightening narcotics penalties and making deportation automatic for any non-citizen convicted of drug offences. Effective 12 December, the law raises minimum jail terms to five years and introduces fines of at least Dh 50,000, granting judges only narrow humanitarian discretion to suspend expulsion.
For multinational employers operating in free zones such as DIFC and JAFZA, the change raises the compliance bar. Random workplace drug tests—already common—are expected to increase, and insurers are re-evaluating detention and repatriation coverage. Emirates IDs and residence visas of suspects will now be electronically flagged, preventing overseas travel until cases conclude. Deportees face long-term re-entry bans, effectively ending future Gulf assignments.
![New anti-drug decree makes deportation mandatory for foreign offenders]()
Companies and individual travelers navigating these stricter rules can tap VisaHQ’s expertise for fast, up-to-date guidance on UAE documentation requirements. The platform’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) consolidates visa options, compliance alerts and application tools, helping HR teams and assignees avoid costly oversights as enforcement intensifies.
Immigration lawyers say companies must update employee handbooks immediately, spell out zero-tolerance policies in assignment letters and remind staff that possession of trace amounts—even in transit—constitutes an offence. Travel-risk teams are also advising relocating families to review prescription medications and carry doctors’ letters.
While the decree reinforces the UAE’s reputation as a secure investment hub, mobility planners must factor the harsher stance into relocation packages, medical-benefit design and crisis-management protocols. Failure to act could see projects disrupted by sudden detentions and forced repatriations.
For multinational employers operating in free zones such as DIFC and JAFZA, the change raises the compliance bar. Random workplace drug tests—already common—are expected to increase, and insurers are re-evaluating detention and repatriation coverage. Emirates IDs and residence visas of suspects will now be electronically flagged, preventing overseas travel until cases conclude. Deportees face long-term re-entry bans, effectively ending future Gulf assignments.
Companies and individual travelers navigating these stricter rules can tap VisaHQ’s expertise for fast, up-to-date guidance on UAE documentation requirements. The platform’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) consolidates visa options, compliance alerts and application tools, helping HR teams and assignees avoid costly oversights as enforcement intensifies.
Immigration lawyers say companies must update employee handbooks immediately, spell out zero-tolerance policies in assignment letters and remind staff that possession of trace amounts—even in transit—constitutes an offence. Travel-risk teams are also advising relocating families to review prescription medications and carry doctors’ letters.
While the decree reinforces the UAE’s reputation as a secure investment hub, mobility planners must factor the harsher stance into relocation packages, medical-benefit design and crisis-management protocols. Failure to act could see projects disrupted by sudden detentions and forced repatriations.
