Right to Contact Embassy or Consulate

Source: Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), Article 36; UAE Criminal Procedure Code, customary practice

Written in plain language for general understanding. This is educational content, not legal advice. Based on UAE federal decrees, laws, and ministerial decisions.

UAE Federal Law

What is this right?

If you are a foreign national arrested or detained in the UAE, you have the right to contact your country's embassy or consulate:

  • You have the right to notify your embassy or consulate of your arrest without delay.
  • Your embassy can arrange for a consular visit to check on your welfare and conditions of detention.
  • The embassy can help you find a local lawyer who speaks your language.
  • The embassy can contact your family back home on your behalf.
  • This right comes from the Vienna Convention, which the UAE has signed. Police must inform you of this right.

When does it apply?

  • You are a foreign national (not a UAE citizen) who has been arrested, detained, or imprisoned in the UAE.
  • This applies regardless of the type or severity of the alleged crime.
  • The right applies from the moment of arrest.

What should you do?

  • Tell the police immediately that you are a foreign national and want to contact your embassy.
  • Provide the police with your nationality and passport information.
  • If the police do not contact the embassy, ask your lawyer or family members to do so on your behalf.
  • Keep your embassy's local contact number saved in your phone or written down.

What should you NOT do?

  • Do not assume the police will automatically contact your embassy — you may need to request it explicitly.
  • Do not refuse consular assistance — even if you think you can handle the situation alone, an embassy visit can provide crucial support.
  • Do not share sensitive legal details with embassy staff that you have not discussed with your lawyer first — embassy communications may not have the same legal privilege as lawyer communications.

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