United Arab Emirates · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in United Arab Emirates, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The 1971 Constitution
- Allocates competence; Sharia is a principal source of legislation.
- Federal decree-laws and laws
- Including the Civil Transactions Law, Commercial Transactions Law, Companies Law and Penal Code.
- Sharia
- Governs personal status; applied in family and succession matters, with separate rules for non-Muslims since 2022.
- Emirate-level legislation
- Dubai and Abu Dhabi in particular legislate extensively in their own right.
- DIFC and ADGM law
- Free-zone civil and commercial law displacing federal law within the zones; ADGM incorporates English common law directly.
The legislative process
Draft federal legislation is prepared by the Council of Ministers, reviewed by the Federal National Council, approved by the Supreme Council of Rulers and ratified by the President before publication in the Official Gazette. The Federal National Council may propose amendments but the Supreme Council may enact legislation over its objection. Much regulation now issues as federal decree-laws. Free-zone legislation is enacted by the DIFC and ADGM authorities under their own procedures.
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