Basics
United Arab Emirates
Dubai is a city in United Arab Emirates.
Official language is Arabic. United Arab Emirates uses metric system (kilograms, centimeters, °C). Time zone is UTC+04:00.
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Weather
Dubai has an average temperature of 29.1°C. Warmest month is August with 38°C and coldest January with 20°C.
Money
Currency
United Arab Emirates uses the United Arab Emirates dirham (symbol: د.إ), code AED.
Banknotes come in denominations of 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 dirhams. Dirham is subdivided into 100 filses. Coins come in denominations of 1 dirham and 50 and 25 filses.
ATMs
Automatic teller machines (local name: الصراف الآلي) are very common in United Arab Emirates. You can find them in both large & small cities, tourist areas etc.
You do not need a chip & PIN card to use an ATM — your standard magnetic card will work fine.
Communications
Internet
Internet speed in United Arab Emirates is on average 6.9 Mbps.
WiFi coverage in United Arab Emirates is moderate. It's relatively easy to find one when needed.
Mobile phone
United Arab Emirates uses GSM mobile networks GSM 900 and GSM 1800.
If you don't want to buy SIM card in United Arab Emirates upon arrival, make sure to check the roaming charges with your telecom provider before your departure so there are no surprises when you return home.
Dial code
To call United Arab Emirates, dial +, then 971 (the country code for United Arab Emirates), then the area code (without the initial 0) and the local number.
For local calls within United Arab Emirates, start with the area code (with the initial 0). In the case above area code is 2 .
Health & safety
LGBTIQ+
While male homosexuality is illegal, female homosexuality is still uncertain.
Same-sex marriage is illegal.
Vaccinations
The following vaccinations listed for this country are recommended for your protection and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
These apply only to select travelers or persons on work assignments.
Travel advisories
Alerts are issued for short-term events we think you should know about when planning travel to a country.
Driving
Public transportation
There are metro, bus, tram, train & boat lines available in Dubai which are provided by RTA (Roads and Transport Authority) & Palm Monorail.
Single ticket costs 5.00 AED while 30-day pass costs 200.00 AED.
Transit routes are available via Moovit & Google Transit (Maps).
Road rules
In United Arab Emirates you drive on the right side. Most cars have manual transmission (stick).
Unless otherwise posted, the speed limits for cars and motorcycles are as follows: 100-120 km/h (62-74 mph) on undivided highways, 100-140 km/h (62-86 mph) on motorways, 100-140 km/h (62-86 mph) on expressways and 50-60 km/h (31-37 mph) in all built-up areas.
Right turn on red lights is strictly forbidden unless an additional green semaphore arrow allows it.
It is illegal to drive with blood alcohol content higher than 0.00%.