Things you shouldn’t travel with to and from the Dubai Airport

Security at airports in Dubai is thorough, even when it comes to your bags and the things you carry in them. Possession of banned items in Dubai Airport can land you in trouble, which is why it is important to follow the rules. So, whether you’re travelling to or from Dubai, make sure you adhere to the below-mentioned list of Dubai Airport banned items to the T. 

To simplify the information for better understanding, this post is divided into two major parts: items not to carry when travelling from Dubai and things to avoid when travelling to Dubai. 

Items You Shouldn’t Carry When Travelling From Dubai

Follow this guide to pack when you’re travelling somewhere from Dubai. 

Things Prohibited in Dubai Airports for Hand Luggage 

While it is advised that you pack all your personal use items in your hand luggage, make sure it doesn’t carry anything from the list below. 

Dubai Airports have a list of 18 prohibited items for hand luggage. These include:

1. Hammers (all types)
2. Nails and drills (all types)
3. Any sharp tools including screwdrivers
4. Scissors (all types) or blades (bigger than 6cm)
5. Personal grooming kit items longer than 6cm
6. Any sharp objects or swords
7. Laser guns (all types)
8. Flare guns, ammunition and firearms (all types including replicas)
9. Handcuffs
10. More than one lighters
11. Bats (all types)
12. Martial art weapons (all types)
13. Ropes (all types)
14. Walkie-talkie
15. Packing tape
16. Electrical cables (excluding personal use cables)
17. Packing tape
18. Measuring tape (all types)

Choosing Your Bag

Before you pack your luggage, be mindful of Dubai Airport baggage requirements. Your bags need to be in accordance with these requirements to avoid rejection. 

• All bags should at least have one (1) flat surface
• There should be no long straps attached to your bags

Any bags/parcels that do not comply with these requirements will be rejected at check-in. It is advisable to stick to a flat-bottomed handbag, rectangular suitcase or a properly sealed box. 

• You are allowed a maximum of two (2) pieces of luggage for international travel
• The combined weight for your luggage should not exceed 32kgs (might vary according to fare type and airline)
• Your check-in baggage should not be bigger than 90cm long, 60cm wide and 75cm high
• Your hand luggage should not exceed 56cm in length, 45cm in width and 25cm in depth (including wheels, handles and side pockets)

Check-in baggage not complying with size requirements will be checked in as oversized baggage with additional charges applicable.

Carrying Liquids

Frequent travellers might already be aware of the universal restriction on carrying liquids in the luggage. The rules, however, vary from one country to another. For those of you travelling from Dubai, the following rules are applicable. While this is not mandatory, we recommend that all liquids are packed in resealable, clear plastic bags.

• An item cannot be more than 100 ml in quantity
• The total quantity of all your liquid items should not exceed one (1) litre

These rules are not applicable if the liquid in question is a

• Medication
• Special dietary requirement
• Baby milk

In the Checked Bag

There is no limit to packing liquids into check-in bags as long as they are tightly secured with no chances of spillages. 

Items You Shouldn’t Carry When Travelling To Dubai 

No matter where in the world you’re travelling to Dubai from, make sure you do not possess any of the below-mentioned items banned in Dubai Airport.

Banned Items in Dubai Airport

1. Narcotic drugs (all kinds including poppy seeds, cocaine, hashish, heroin, hallucination pills, etc.)
2. Goods from boycotted countries brought with the intention to sell
3. Israeli goods or goods bearing Israeli logos and/or trademarks
4. Gambling machinery and tools
5. Inlaid, used and reconditioned tires
6. Rhinoceros horns or crude ivory
7. Live swine
8. Paan and betel leaves
9. Electronic hookah and e-cigarettes
10. Nuclear or radiation-contaminated substances
11. Three-layer fishing nets
12. Items contradicting Islamic faith and teachings (including sculptures, paintings, publications, photographs and more)
13. Original lithographs, statues, sculptures, engravings or prints in any form
14. Home-made and/or cooked food
15. Duplicate and forged currency
16. Any other items prohibited by UAE law or UAE Customs regulations

This list can be updated periodically to add or remove items based on local and international stipulations. Take a look at the official Dubai Customs website for up to date information. 

Medicines

Certain medicines are also included in the list of banned items in Dubai Airport. The UAE government advises visitors, tourists and new expats to be extra vigilant when bringing medicines into the country. Some medicines from your home country may inadvertently contain substances banned in the UAE. This may lead to an escalation of matters and possible arrests for you. 

Some of the most popular medicines banned in the UAE comprise 

• Morphine
• Codeine
• Ketamine
• Tramadol
• Opium
• Cannabis
• Bromazepam
• Oxycodone
• Codoxime
• Methadone

The list of medicines banned in the UAE is regularly updated by customs authorities in the country. Make it a habit to always check the website for your medicine. Better safe than sorry. 

It is understandable that sometimes you may need medication with banned contents to cure your health conditions. In such situations, where you do not have an option but to carry the banned medication with you, here’s what you should do:

• Carry a valid prescription from the doctor
• Get an attestation certificate for your prescription
• Make sure you do not have medication more than required normal usage of your scheduled stay in Dubai
• If you’re bringing (permitted) medicines with you, limit the quantity to no more than three months’ supply
• Make sure you go through the complete guidelines on bringing medicines to the UAE

Customs-Exempted Items Allowed on Dubai Airport

We’ve already talked about the banned items for Dubai Airport. Let’s now look at permitted customs-exempt items travellers can carry certain when landing on airports in Dubai.

Gifts

• Should be valued less than AED 3k
• Should be personal gifts, not excessive in quantity

Cash

• Less than AED 100k in total, including banknotes, travellers cheques and currencies. 

Cigarettes and Tobacco

• Keep the quantities less than 400 for cigarettes, 50 for cigars and 500 grams for tobacco
• The tobacco can be pressed or minced for smoking or pipes
• The stipulation covers both regular and mild-tasting tobacco

Alcoholic Beverages

• To carry alcoholic beverages custom-free into Dubai the total quantity should not exceed 4 litres. 
• No more than 2 beer cartons are allowed with 24 cans each or 355ml per can or equivalent. 

To carry cigarettes, tobacco and alcoholic beverages, the passenger and those accompanying them should be above the age of 18. The custom-exemptions are only applicable when you are not a frequent traveller to Dubai or a member of the conveyance crew.  

General Tips for Travelling to and from Dubai

When travelling to or from airports in Dubai, the following tips can help you cut down on a considerable amount of hassle. 

• It is always better to get travel insurance
• Make sure you pack all your personal belongings in the hand luggage
• Keep the laptops accessible. They need to be placed on a separate security tray for scanning
• Cardboard boxes are manually processed and hence take longer for security clearance. Avoid them
• Remove all previous baggage tags to avoid system rejection on your baggage
• Never accept anything from other passengers.

That’s all we have for now. The next time you’re headed to Dubai airport from your home country or to travel somewhere from the UAE, make sure your luggage is void of the banned items. 

For those of you who find themselves with too much time to kill between a transit/layover, there are a bunch of things to do at Dubai International Airport. Just in case you find yourself in a pickle over an unexpected night stay in Dubai owing to flight delays, keep this list of hotels near Dubai International Airport handy. If you’re a Dubai resident who’s a frequent traveller, it may be more convenient to live near the airport, such as the villas for rent in Mirdif. You can also consider renting a flat in the beautiful waterfront neighbourhood of Al Jaddaf.

For more useful information on Dubai and the UAE, keep following MyBayut.