Arrested or in prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
This guide provides information about being arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and what conditions are like in prison there.
Contacting the British embassy or consulate
The British embassies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can offer help but will not be able to get you out of prison or get you special treatment because you’re British. Find out what help the embassy can offer.
- British Embassy Abu Dhabi
Al Hisn Street, Al Markaziyah West
PO Box 248
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Telephone: +971 2 610 1100
- British Embassy Dubai
Al Seef Road
Bur Dubai
Near to Dubai Creekside
PO Box 65
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Telephone: +971 4 309 4444
Finding a lawyer and translator
Find a lawyer in the UAE
You should carefully consider getting a local Emirati lawyer. Discuss all costs with them in advance.
Prisoners Abroad has information on appointing a lawyer and legal aid (not specific to the UAE).
Private lawyers
Check the list of local English-speaking lawyers if you want to appoint your own private lawyer. Ask the British embassy or consulate if you need a paper copy.
Lawyers will normally ask for a payment upfront. Make sure you understand what this fee includes. In cases involving money the lawyer may ask for a percentage of the final settlement if the case is successful.
Legal aid
In most cases there’s no legal aid in the UAE and if you cannot afford a lawyer, you’ll have to represent yourself.
Court-appointed lawyers
If you cannot afford a lawyer you’ll only be appointed one by the court if:
- the charges you’re facing could lead to the death penalty or life imprisonment
- the case is referred to the Federal Court in Abu Dhabi for serious national security issues or possession or trafficking of drugs with the intent to supply
You do not have a choice in who your court-appointed lawyer is.
Find a translator or interpreter in the UAE
Official translators are provided in court for when the judge wants to speak directly to the defendant. They’re not responsible for translating all court proceedings.
You might need an interpreter to help you speak to your lawyer or to understand what’s happening at your trial. You may also need a translator to help you read Arabic documents about your case.
Do not sign any documents unless you understand them.
Search for an English-speaking translator or interpreter in UAE.
What happens when you’re arrested in the UAE
If you’re arrested you should be taken to a local police station.The police should tell you:
- why you’ve been arrested
- your rights
They can also ask you questions to get more information and you’ll be given an initial charge or charges.
Your personal items including your mobile phone will be taken and put in a safe place. You’ll stay in the clothes you were arrested in.
You’ll then be put in the holding cells (men and women have separate areas) before appearing in front of the public prosecutor, normally by video link. This should normally be within 48 hours.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a sworn legal Arabic translator
- appoint a defence lawyer of your choice
- ask for bail
- make phone calls (international calls may not be possible)
- request a visit from family, friends or consular staff
Road traffic accidents
If somebody driving a car is involved in a road accident where another person is killed or injured, the traffic police will detain the driver. They’ll have to give a blood and urine sample. The driver will stay detained until it’s known that the injured person is out of danger.
The driver may also sometimes be detained if there was damage to property because of the accident.
If you have a medical condition
Tell the police and ask to see the nurse if you have a medical condition or are on medication. The nurse should be available every day and a doctor should visit UAE police stations at least once a week.
Appearing before the public prosecutor
You should appear before the public prosecutor, normally by video link, within 48 hours of being arrested. There can be exceptions to this, for example if the accused is still under the influence of alcohol or drugs, is medically unfit or there’s a public holiday.
The public prosecutor will decide if you’ll be released, receive bail or be detained on remand while you wait for your trial. They may keep or change the charges initially given by the police.
Being put on remand
If you’re detained on remand you’ll usually be held in the police station while you wait for the criminal investigation and trial to finish.
How long you can be on remand for
The public prosecutor normally has 21 days to investigate your case and take it to the Court of First Instance for your trial to start.
This time can be extended by up to 30 days if important evidence like a forensic report has not been produced yet, or more detail is needed. This extension is known as ‘tamdeed’. There’s no limit on how many times an investigation can be extended and you’ll not always be present when this is decided. The prosecutor does not have to explain to you or the British embassy why they have asked for a tamdeed extension.
It’s not unusual for cases to take up to 3 months to come to trial. More complicated cases normally take longer.
Remand and sentenced prisoners are normally kept separately. If you’ve not been granted bail you’ll usually be held at the police station where you were first taken when you were arrested.
Bail
You or your lawyer can ask for you to be released on bail.
For minor offences, for example drinking alcohol illegally, the police can grant bail. However, this is only before the case is sent to the public prosecutor. Once this happens it’s normally only the public prosecutor that can grant bail.
For serious offences bail may not be granted and can only be approved by a public prosecutor or by a judge during your trial. You or your lawyer can ask for bail when you meet the public prosecutor or judge or ask in writing at any stage.
The UAE decides bail conditions. The British embassy has no say in them. Bail conditions can include:
- giving your passport to the authorities
- giving the passport of your bail guarantor or someone else to the authorities
- paying an amount to the courts (a financial bond)
The right to bail can be taken away from you as the investigation continues.
Bail guarantors can be of any nationality but should usually have a valid UAE residency. If you do not report to the authorities when needed to when on bail your guarantor will have to pay any fine you’re given or even be put in jail.
The embassy or consulate cannot transfer bail funds for you.
Arriving at prison
Every Emirate has a central prison where sentenced prisoners are held.
Remand prisoners are also sometimes transferred from the local police station to the central prison when their investigation or trial will take a long time.
When you’re transported anywhere you’ll be handcuffed behind your back and sometimes chained at the legs. Speak to the prison doctor if you have a medical condition that would be affected by this.
When you arrive at prison you’ll have an intimate body search. Male prisoners will have their heads shaved. Tell the prison if there’s a religious reason for you not to have your head shaved. If you contact the British embassy immediately it can also try to highlight this to the prison.
All of your possessions will be taken away and stored securely. You can arrange for someone to collect them for you later if you want.
You may be given a uniform. This may have different markings on it depending on the sentence you’ve received.
Your prison cell
How prison cells are organised depends on the prison you’re in.
Abu Dhabi
There are 3 prisons in Abu Dhabi:
- Abu Dhabi Central Prison – also called Al Wathba Prison
- Abu Dhabi Federal Prison – also called Al Sadr Prison
- Abu Dhabi Al Ain Prison
In Al Wathba Prison you’ll be assigned to a cell in one of the cell blocks. Most cells contain 8 beds but sometimes have to hold up to 30 prisoners. Cells in different blocks in Al Sadr and Al Ain prisons can also have different numbers of prisoners.
In Abu Dhabi, you have to buy or provide your own pillow. A mattress and blanket will be provided but there could be a delay in getting them if the prison is crowded. These can also be bought at the prison shop. Your friends or relatives cannot bring them for you.
Cells are not locked in the day and prisoners can walk around the block. Cells do not have their own bathrooms and each block has a shared toilet and shower area.
Each block should have a television, tuned to a channel chosen by the prison. There are separate smoking and non-smoking blocks and you can request a move between them.
Each block has air conditioning. Blocks can become cold in the winter months.
Dubai
There are 4 main blocks in Dubai Central Prison, 1 each for:
- male prisoners sentenced for less than 6 months
- male prisoners sentenced for more than 6 months
- female prisoners
- juvenile prisoners
There are different buildings within these called ‘ambers’. There’s also a separate building which houses remand prisoners from police stations.
The number of people being held depends on the building.
You should be given sleeping materials like a mattress, blanket and pillow but it could take some time to receive them. Contact the British embassy if you’re having difficulty getting them.
Each block should have a television. There should be separate smoking and non-smoking blocks and you should be able to request a move between them.
Each block should have air conditioning. Blocks can become cold in the winter months.
Northern Emirates
Exact conditions in prison cells varies but should be similar in Sharjah and the other northern Emirates. Contact the British embassy if you have any issues with your prison cell there.
Contacting the British embassy or consulate
Tell the prison if you want the British embassy to know you’re in prison.
Medical check-up
You’ll be seen by the doctor but will not get a full medical check-up. When you arrive a blood sample will be taken to test you for infectious diseases like HIV, AIDS and TB. You may be held in quarantine until the test results come back. There’s a separate wing for prisoners who test positive. It can be difficult for family and friends or the British embassy to make contact with you while you’re in quarantine.
Contact the British embassy if you need help getting any medical notes from the UK to show to the doctor.
Visits from family or friends
You’re allowed visits from close family. They need to be approved by the authorities first. Video calls can also sometimes be arranged depending on where you’re detained.
How many visits you’re allowed
Visiting times, frequency and days depend on where you’re detained and the time of year. Visiting times may be restricted during Ramadan, for example. There will also be separate days and times for male and female visitors.
Ask the prison or police station for visiting times and rules.
Arranging visits
Remand prisoners
All visitors to remand prisoners need permission from the public prosecution for the visit. They can do this by visiting the public prosecutor the week before the intended visit.
Sentenced prisoners
Close family members are automatically allowed to visit inmates in prison once they’re sentenced. How visits are arranged depends on the Emirate you’re held and the authorities can change the procedures at any time.
Non-family members have to apply to the public prosecutor who can give them permission to visit. Ask the prison or your lawyer for exact visiting rules.
Abu Dhabi
For Al Wathba and Al Ain prisons ‘virtual’ visits by video call are available. They must be booked through the TAMM app. They need to go to a police station for the appointment where the video call takes place.
Visitors should be able to go directly to Al Sadr prison for a visit any week day, usually from 9am to noon. Contact the British embassy if you need help with visits to Al Sadr.
Dubai
Visits to most prisoners in Dubai can be booked on the Dubai Police app. Visitors to prisoners on drugs charges need to visit the police station or Central Jail in person to arrange a visit. This can only be with close relatives and on Wednesdays.
Sharjah and Northern Emirates
How to arrange visits to police stations and prisons in the other Emirates varies - speak to your lawyer or the police station or prison for more details.
Visitors from outside the UAE
The British embassy can help arrange a visit to you from family members from outside the UAE. The visit needs to be agreed with the prison.
Family and friends should tell the British embassy about their visit at least a week in advance so there’s enough time to arrange it.
During the visit
Visits normally take place behind glass. Visitors may be searched before they’re allowed to start the visit and will need to bring ID. A guard is normally nearby during the visit.
How long the meeting is can depend on what day the visit is on. Visits can be cancelled at the last minute or cut short without warning.
What visitors can take with them
There are strict rules on what can and cannot be brought for prisoners. The rules for police stations and prisons are different.
At police stations, there are certain days for visitors to bring clothes for detainees and they can also bring money.
At prisons, visitors may normally only bring cash. This can be deposited at the prison storage centre (‘amanat’). Some other items like books may be allowed but permission is needed first. They should then be deposited at the prison amanat.
Visitors to both prisons and police stations are not allowed to bring toiletries.
Money
Money transfers from family or friends
Friends or family of prisoners in police stations in the UAE can drop funds off there. Money can also be dropped off at Dubai Central Prison and Abu Dhabi Central Prison (Al Wathba).
They can take up to 500 AED per family member per week up to a maximum of 1,000 AED a week in total. Check with the prison or police station which day money can be dropped off.
Abu Dhabi Federal Prison (Al Sadr) does not accept cash and you should use the UAE Ministry of Interior (MOI) app to transfer money to prisoners. Contact the British embassy about transferring money to a prisoner in one of the Northern Emirates.
Money transfers through the British embassy
Money can also be sent through the British embassy - read guidance on how to arrange money transfers to prisons abroad.
Prison accounts
All prisoners will get a canteen or shop account called the ‘amanat’ when they arrive at prison. Any money they have on arrival or is sent to them will be put in this account.
How to make a complaint about mistreatment
The British embassy can help if you have been mistreated or abused - it will take all complaints seriously. Tell it first if you decide to make a complaint. It will ask your permission before taking any action.
Also speak to your lawyer if you have one and try to see a doctor and get a medical report. Take photos of your injuries if possible. If you’re not allowed medical treatment after being mistreated, consular staff can also raise this with the authorities.
Complaining to the public prosecutor
If you would like the mistreatment to be investigated and taken further, you should report it to the public prosecutor.
You can speak to consular staff who will gather as much information from you as possible so they can write to the local authorities about your complaint and ask for an impartial investigation to take place. You should also speak to your lawyer if you have one.
You can complain to the public prosecutor at any time, but the authorities might say it’s harder for them to investigate allegations of mistreatment if some time has passed.
Your investigation and trial in the UAE
The UAE justice system is not the same as the UK’s. It’s based on Sharia law and is not jury-based.
Judges are responsible for carrying out a wide range of enquiries, including considering police reports, public prosecutor’s presentations, forensic reports and defence lawyer’s statements.
The trial is the final part of the investigation.
Arabic is the official language in court, although some officials may speak English. Official translators are provided for when the judge wants to speak directly to the defendant. Court translators are not responsible for translating all court proceedings.
Transcripts of court proceedings are available after each hearing. Your lawyer can request it for you. You should consider getting an Arabic interpreter.
The embassy or consulate cannot interfere with the UAE justice system. It cannot ask for your case to be judged more quickly just because you’re British, or ask the authorities to waive any penalties.
Choice of court
There are 3 types of court in the UAE:
- Court of First Instance - most cases are heard here
- Court of Appeal - where you or the prosecution can appeal the outcome of the case on factual or legal grounds
- Court of Cassation - the highest court where judgments are final and not subject to appeal. The Court of Cassation will only hear disputes on matters of the law
There are two types of offences: major and minor offences. Major offences can have harsher sentences. Both are normally dealt with in the Court of First Instance. All cases that affect national security, or involve the possession or trafficking of drugs with intent to supply are heard in the Federal Court in Abu Dhabi, no matter where in the UAE the offence happened.
Completion of investigations
A public prosecutor will investigate the alleged offences while you’re on remand. They may interview you and any witnesses and collect any relevant evidence. This might take some time. For example, statements from financial institutions can take months to be prepared, and forensic analysis of blood or urine samples can take several weeks.
There’s no time limit to how long an investigation could take. In cases where you’re on bail, progress on the case can be slower if you or your lawyer do not regularly contact the public prosecutor to ask about it.
During the investigation the public prosecutor can keep the same charge, increase the charges or reduce them. The charges decided by the public prosecutor will be the ones heard at court for your trial.
Prisoners can call the public prosecution on +971 4 334 6666 to find out the status of their case. You can also check the status of a case in Dubai on the public prosecution website.
The indictment
When there’s enough evidence to open a prosecution, the investigation stage is formally closed and the trial stage is opened.
The public prosecutor must produce an indictment, showing:
- the accused
- the crime they’re accused of
- when and where the alleged crime took place
- the criminal laws that apply to the case
A date for the first hearing will be set once the judge receives the indictment. You or your lawyer can apply to get a copy of the case file at this point.
Start of your trial
At your trial the case will be heard by a judge not a jury. The judge may hear evidence from witnesses, the defence and the accused. This could be at separate hearings.
The judge will ask most of the questions during the trial. However, the judge may not want to question you, and you may not be asked any questions at all.
The judge can refer the case back to the public prosecutor if they want more investigation or evidence gathered. They can also adjourn the case to call additional witnesses.
If this happens, a new date will be set for the next hearing. Adjournments could happen several times during the trial and delay the case.
Sentences
The sentence given will depend on the type of crime, and could be one or more of:
- a prison sentence
- a fine
- deportation
- the death penalty, in certain rare cases
The length of prison sentences also depend on the type of crime.
The death penalty
Although the death penalty is the maximum penalty for several crimes in the UAE, it’s rarely carried out. The British government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances.
Crimes carrying a maximum penalty of death in the UAE are:
- crimes affecting the security and interests of the UAE
- perjury if this false testimony results in a death penalty
- crimes upon persons like premediated murder
- drug trafficking
- arson resulting in death
- rape and sodomy
- kidnapping resulting in death
If you’re facing death penalty charges, the British embassy can speak to the UAE authorities against it at any time and level that is appropriate. If you do receive a death sentence, the British embassy will try and ensure it’s not carried out.
The organisation Reprieve can also work with you and give advice if you’re facing the death penalty.
Making an appeal
You and the prosecution can appeal a judgement.
Appeals must be made to the Appeal Court within 15 days of sentencing. They can be submitted by you, through the prison authorities or by your lawyer.
If the appeal is not successful you can appeal to the Court of Cassation within 30 days of the appeal court decision. This can only be on a point of law.
Speak to your lawyer for more information about making an appeal.
Prison conditions in the UAE
Letters and packages
Prisoners cannot receive letters or parcels through the post. Friends or family in the UAE or consular staff might be able to give letters or parcels to you on a visit. Sometimes the prison will not let you keep a letter or parcel brought on a visit and you’ll have to be shown it instead.
Friends or family in the UAE can give the letter or parcel to the prison directly. Letters or parcels given to a prison may take time to reach you or not at all. You need to put in a request to the prison to receive a letter or parcel delivered directly to it. All letters and parcels are checked by the guards.
For prisoners held at police stations, the rules can be different depending on the location. Police stations generally let you receive letters without having to make a request for them first.
Stationery and stamps
Prisoners can buy stationery and stamps in the prison shop.
Checks on your mail
All letters and parcels are checked by the prison and might be censored. Magazines, books and newspapers are normally allowed, but because parts may be censored it can take a few weeks before anything given to the prison gets to you. Photos are not normally allowed, but if they are, any women in them must be modestly dressed. Pornography and nudity are strictly forbidden.
Telephone calls
Prisoners in the UAE can make telephone calls. There will be rules about when, where to and how long the calls are for. Phone cards are used, which you can buy from the prison shop.
There can be a long wait for the phone and you may not be able to make a call if it’s too busy, so it’s a good idea to give family and friends a range of times when you might call.
Telephones might not always be working and the line might be poor. The British embassy can help pass on messages to your friends or family if you cannot make international calls.
Rules on phone calls depend on the prison. In Abu Dhabi each cell block has its own day when you can make telephone calls. In Dubai call times usually need to be cleared with the prison first.
You’ll be given a prison phone account and will have a certain amount of registered numbers you can add to it. This will depend on the type of your case. You have to ask the prison to add to or change the numbers on your account.
The right to telephone calls may be removed from a whole block for punishment for the bad behaviour of some prisoners there.
Medical and dental treatment
While you’re detained, the UAE is responsible for ensuring your basic medical needs are met.
Some, but not all, prisons in the UAE have their own clinics. Police stations do not normally have their own doctor.
Treatment for a new illness or condition
If you need medical or dental treatment you should make an appointment to see the prison doctor or request a hospital or dentist visit. Contact the British embassy if you do not get to see a doctor after you have asked to.
Prison doctors are often the equivalent of a UK GP, so you may need to be referred to a hospital doctor even if the prison has a clinic.
Existing conditions
The British embassy can try to make sure the prison knows about any medical or dental issues you have if you want it to. It can also talk to your UK GP to help get your medical records sent to the prison.
Not all medicines prescribed in the UK are allowed in the UAE so a substitute may be given instead.
Mental health care
Prisons in the UAE do not have mental health specialists but you can speak to the general prison doctor about this or contact the British embassy.
Emergency trips outside prison
Emergency trips outside prison are not normally approved unless you have an urgent medical issue yourself.
Food and diet
Prisoners get 3 meals a day. Rice is the main food type. Tap water is available but it’s generally not advised to drink it. Bottled water can be bought from the prison canteen or shop. You can also buy food, chocolate and soft drinks there.
Special diets
You must ask to see the doctor for them to approve a special diet for medical reasons. If you ask for a special diet, for example vegetarian or vegan, this might be provided but is not an automatic right.
Prison shop
Prisoners can buy items like food and drink, stamps, phone cards, toiletries, newspapers and some clothes from the canteen and shop using their ‘amanat’ prison account.
Any money you have on arrival will be put in this account.
Showers and hygiene
Prisoners have good access to shared toilet and shower areas. You’ll need to buy toiletries and towels from the prison shop.
Work and study
Long-term prisoners may be able to work. There are educational opportunities but these are only currently available to UAE nationals.
You may be able to study, if you have books available, but books must be approved by the authorities first which can take some time.
Books, languages and activities
Prison libraries are open every day and some have good selections of books in English.
Prisoners Abroad might be able to send some reading material, language textbooks and dictionaries.
Each prison block should have a television but most prisoners are not allowed access to computers or the internet.
Exercise
In some prisons in the UAE you have the option to go into the open air once or twice a week, and may be allowed to exercise or play football or basketball. There may be limited gym facilities. These options can all be restricted for safety reasons.
Clothing
You wear your own clothes if you’re detained at a police station. In prison you’ll be given a basic uniform which you must wear for visits, but can usually wear your own clothes at other times. Clothes like t-shirts, flip flops and jumpers for winter can be bought from the prison shop.
Friends and families may sometimes be allowed to leave clothes for you - they’ll need to check arrangements at the police station or prison where you’re held.
Religion
You should be able to practice your own religion. There are regular visits from religious ministers for Christians and Muslims. There should be access to resources for this, like the holy books of your faith.
Mobile phones
You’re not generally allowed access to your mobile phones while detained in the UAE.
Transferring to another prison
Transfers between the prisons within the UAE is not possible. You’ll normally spend your time in detention in the Emirate where the case was first recorded.
Transfer to a prison in the UK
You may be able to apply to transfer to a prison in the UK. Speak to the British embassy or your lawyer for more details.
Early release
Time spent in detention on remand while waiting for trial will be taken off your sentence. For example, if you were detained waiting for trial for 12 months, and were then given a 13-month sentence, you would only have to serve 1 month more before release.
Reduction of sentence (remission)
You might have your sentence reduced for good behaviour. If this happens 1 month of a prison sentence will be counted as 23 days. Your lawyer or the British embassy do not have any say in this. This reduction does not apply in alcohol, rape or murder cases.
Clemency
Clemency can be granted by the President of the UAE or the ruler of the emirate where your case was heard.
You can apply for clemency at any time after a first verdict is reached, but most do so after they have been sentenced and any appeals have been made.
The British embassy can forward clemency applications from you or from someone applying on your behalf if they have your consent.
To ask for clemency, you should send a letter to the Director of the Ruler’s Court in the emirate where your case was heard. It can also be addressed to a specific sheikh depending on the type of conviction. It must:
- be no longer than 1 page of A4
- be translated into Arabic
- give reasons why you should be granted clemency
Speak to your lawyer about the exact contents of the letter.
The British embassy can arrange for the letter to be delivered to the UAE authorities. More than one letter can be sent, for example from you and one or more people applying on your behalf, but they must all be submitted together.
The British embassy cannot follow up the progress of a clemency application, you or your lawyer will need to do this. If the embassy has submitted a clemency request for you they might not get a response, and the decision is entirely up to the Ruler’s Court.
Amnesties
Amnesties (official pardons) are declared from time to time. To qualify for an amnesty you usually need to have completed half your sentence and be a ‘model’ prisoner with no disciplinary reports on your prison file. Recent amnesties have also included prisoners who have been sentenced for possessing small amounts of drugs even where they have not completed half of their sentence, but there’s no guarantee this will always be the case.
When there’s an amnesty the prison nominates prisoners to be considered. They then have to be approved by a selection committee and finally must be approved by the Ruler’s Court. The British embassy cannot nominate anyone to be put on the list and are not told about who is on the list until it has been officially published. If you’re nominated by the prison for an amnesty you’ll normally be the first to know about it.
Financial settlements
In some financial cases, if the detainee reaches a settlement with the complainant and the complainant gives the court a release letter, the detainee could be released before serving the rest of the sentence. The final decision on this is made by the judge. Speak to your lawyer to find out more.
Release and deportation
You can contact the British embassy if you need help when you’re released.
Financial penalties
If a fine was part of your sentence, this should be paid before release. Otherwise you’ll have to serve extra days (AED 100 for each day) until the fine is paid off. If you have been released because of an amnesty you may not have to pay any outstanding fine. Time spent in detention on remand waiting for your trial can also be used to pay off a fine.
If the fine is a debt to a third party you cannot serve extra days to cover it. You’ll not be released until the debt is paid - speak to your lawyer for more information .
Deportation
You’ll be deported to the UK at the end of your sentence if you received a sentence of imprisonment followed by deportation. This is called ‘judicial deportation’.
In some cases you may still be deported at the end of your sentence even if was not part of your original sentence. This is called ‘administrative deportation’.
You can appeal the deportation (there will be a time limit for this - ask your lawyer). You can also send a clemency request to the Ruler’s Court to ask that the deportation is removed or that a travel ban against you is lifted. It can take many months to receive a response.
Flights to the UK
You’ll need to pay for the air fare or have someone buy a flight for you. You’ll stay in prison until this happens. If nobody can pay for the flight, you’ll remain in prison until the UAE authorities arrange and pay for a deportation itself. This may take a very long time.
If you’re going to be deported you should arrange for your flight ticket to be given to the prison at least a couple of working days before you’re released. On your release day you’ll be taken from your cell and given your valuables and passport.
You’ll be handcuffed behind your back and possibly chained at the legs (or shackled) and taken to the airport police. You should be set free at the airport once you have cleared immigration controls.
Getting a passport
Make sure your British passport is still in date. Contact the British embassy before you’re released if you need an emergency passport for your journey home.
Useful Arabic words and phrases
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Amnesty / Pardon | Afou |
| Appeal | Istinaf |
| Application form | Talab |
| Bathroom | Hammaam |
| Blanket | Battaniya |
| Blood test | Fahs dam |
| Book | Kitab |
| Case | Kadiya |
| Case number | Rakam al Kadiya |
| Central Prison | Al Sejin Al Markazi |
| Clinic | Eyada |
| Complaint | Shakwa |
| Court | Mahkama |
| Deportation | Ibaad |
| Deposit | Amanat |
| Doctor | Tabeeb |
| Embassy | Safara |
| Federal Supreme court | Al Mahkama Al Itihadiya |
| Food | Taam |
| Guilty | Mouznib |
| Hearing session | Jalsat Istimaa |
| Indictment | Al Touhma |
| Innocent | Barei |
| Interpreter | Moutarjem |
| Jail | Sejin |
| Judgement | Mouhakama |
| Lawyer | Mouhami |
| Library | Maktaba |
| Money | Feloos |
| No Problem | Ma fi Moushkila |
| Notary | Kateb Adel |
| Plaintiff | Al Moudaii |
| Police | Shurta |
| Power of attorney | Wakala |
| Prison Director | Mudir Al Sejin |
| Prison rules | Kanoun Al Sejin |
| Problem | Mushkila |
| Prosecutor | Niyaba |
| Release | Efraj |
| Security | Amn |
| Sentence | Oukouba |
| Sentence | Al Hokom |
| Sharia’a Court | Al Mahkama Al Shariaa |
| Sick | Mareed |
| Soap | Saboon |
| Telephone call | Moukalamat telephone |
| The Accused | Al Mutaham |
| To buy | Ashtary |
| Tomorrow | Boukra |
| Visit | Zieyara |
| Ward number | Rakam Al Anbar |
| Water | Maa |
| Witness | Shahed |