How to Check if You Have a Police Case or Travel Ban in the UAE
To check whether you have a police case, criminal complaint or travel ban in the UAE, use the official services of the authorities that hold those records: Dubai Police’s ‘Circulars and travel bans’ service and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s Estafsr inquiry check by identity, while the Dubai and federal Public Prosecution case inquiries follow a case or report whose number you already have.
If a check has already shown a travel ban, the UAE travel ban check page helps you identify its type and the guide to removing a UAE travel ban covers lifting it; if you know a complaint has been filed against you, see what a police complaint against you means; for release from custody, see how bail and provisional release work in the UAE.
The UAE Government portal says that you may have a travel ban if you have a pending legal case in the UAE, and it tells travellers to check for a travel ban or any claim that prohibits them from travelling before they plan a trip. It points to several official routes rather than one: Dubai Police’s online service, also available through the Dubai Police app and Smart Police Stations; the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s Estafser inquiry; and the UAE Public Prosecution’s case inquiry. The legal framework is Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022, the Criminal Procedures Law: complaints go to the Public Prosecution or a judicial police officer (Article 12), police reports are sent to the Public Prosecution (Article 37), the Public Prosecution alone institutes criminal actions (Article 9), and a prosecutor may order a travel ban during an investigation (Article 99). Civil and execution travel bans follow the Civil Procedure Code instead. This guide explains each official channel in the words of its own service page — what it covers, what it asks for and what it costs — and how to read the answer. It is general information, not legal advice.
LAST REVIEWED 1 OCTOBER 2026
Researched and maintained by the LEXNOVA Content & Research Team · Editorial policy
Reviewed for legal accuracy by LEXNOVA's team of lawyers. General information only — not legal advice. LEXNOVA is not a law firm.
WHO THIS GUIDE IS FOR
Anyone in the UAE, or planning to leave or return to it, who wants to confirm through official channels whether a police complaint, a Public Prosecution file, a criminal case or a travel ban is recorded against them: for example after hearing that someone has filed a complaint, after a dispute over money or a cheque, before a flight, or before applying for a job, visa or licence that needs a clearance certificate. It is also for relatives who hold a case or police report number and want to follow its status. It covers how to find out, from the authorities themselves, what exists. It does not explain how to defend a case, and it does not cover lifting a ban beyond the Abu Dhabi court rules on when a debt ban lapses or can be objected to; for removing a ban, see the guide linked above.
Where Does the UAE Government Portal Tell You to Check?
The UAE Government portal’s pre-travel guidance says, in terms, that you may have a travel ban if you have a pending legal case in the UAE, and it tells travellers to check whether they have a travel ban or any claim that prohibits them from travelling. The same page links the official routes: Dubai Police’s online check for travel bans, with the Dubai Police app and Smart Police Stations named as alternatives; the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s Estafser inquiry for a claim that prohibits travel; and an inquiry about cases through the UAE’s Public Prosecution.
The portal’s advice on what to do with the answer is just as direct. Before planning travel, it is advisable to check and, where needed, solve any issue that might stop you at the immigration counters; if necessary, you may seek the assistance of a lawyer or contact the nearest immigration office or police station. The portal’s separate page on criminal cases adds two more official links: the Dubai Public Prosecution’s case inquiry and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s page for inquiring about a criminal case.
Each of these services is run by a different authority and asks for different details. Which one fits depends on what you are trying to find out — a travel ban or a financial circular, a criminal case whose number you do not know, or the progress of a case or police report whose number you already have — and on the emirate the matter belongs to. The sections below take each channel in turn and describe it only as its own service page does.
What Is the Difference Between a Police Complaint, a Prosecution Investigation and a Court Case?
The Criminal Procedures Law sets out three stages, and knowing which one a matter has reached tells you which record to look for. A complaint is filed with the Public Prosecution or with a judicial police officer; if the offender is caught in the act, it may be filed directly with the public-authority personnel who are present (Article 12). Judicial police officers include members of the Public Prosecution and the officers and personnel of the police force (Article 34). They must admit the reports and complaints submitted to them and take the precautionary measures needed to preserve evidence (Article 36), record their actions in signed reports, and submit those reports to the Public Prosecution with the documents and items seized (Article 37).
The second stage belongs to the Public Prosecution. It is part of the judicial authority and conducts the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences (Article 5); it has exclusive jurisdiction to institute and prosecute the criminal action, which another body may institute only where the law says so (Article 9); and it conducts the investigation into felonies and misdemeanours itself where deemed necessary (Article 65). Where someone is arrested, the law sets two short clocks: the judicial police officer must inform the accused of the charge and of the right to remain silent and, unless the accused furnishes evidence of innocence, send the accused to the competent Public Prosecution within 48 hours; the Public Prosecution must then question the accused within 24 hours and order either remand in custody or release (Article 48).
The third stage starts only if the Public Prosecution decides the case should be tried. After its investigation it may dismiss the case (Articles 118 and 119); where it is convinced the act is a misdemeanour or petty offence and the evidence is sufficient, it transfers the case to the competent misdemeanour court (Article 121); and where the act is a felony and the evidence sufficient, the chief prosecutor or his deputy takes the case to the criminal court (Article 122). The decision taking a case to court must be served on the parties within three days of its issue, except for the one-day crimes designated by the Attorney General (Article 124). A single matter can therefore carry a police report number, then a Public Prosecution case number and later a court case number, and the inquiry services described below are organised around those numbers.
How Does the Dubai Police ‘Circulars and Travel Bans’ Service Work?
Dubai Police runs an online service called ‘Circulars and travel bans’. Its service card describes it in one sentence: the service enables users to inquire about circulars related to financial cases and travel bans issued against them by the competent security authorities. The same card lists the fee as free of charge, the duration as instant, the beneficiaries as individuals and the business sector, and the service channels as the Dubai Police app, the Dubai Police website, Smart Police Stations and police stations, with the digital channels available 24/7.
Online access is through UAE Pass. When the service is opened on the Dubai Police website, a sign-in panel asks you to sign in with UAE Pass before you continue, and offers to create a UAE Pass account if you do not have one. This is the page the UAE Government portal links when it tells you to check whether you have a travel ban, and the card lists the Dubai Police call centre, 901, and the email address mail@dubaipolice.gov.ae for questions.
Read the result for what it is. The card speaks of circulars related to financial cases and of travel bans issued by the competent security authorities; it does not say that the service lists every complaint, investigation or court case recorded anywhere in the UAE. A clear answer here is therefore not a clearance certificate, and it does not replace the Abu Dhabi and Public Prosecution inquiries described below.
How Can You Check for a Criminal Case in Abu Dhabi?
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) runs two inquiries that matter here: Estafsr and Criminal Case Inquiry. The Estafsr service card names the service ‘Inquire about the existence of criminal cases with the unified number’ and describes it this way: through the service you can inquire about the existence of active criminal cases through the unified number, according to the available information. Its procedure has two steps — enter the unified number or the UAE ID number, then obtain the result of the inquiry and access the available information — and it lists no required documents, no fees and one condition: accuracy of data entry by the authorised person. The inquiry page itself is the one the UAE Government portal links for checking any claim that prohibits you from travelling.
If you already have a case number, the Criminal Case Inquiry card says you can inquire about the status of a criminal case through its number and data, and learn the dates of the sessions, the judgments issued and whether there is an appeal, according to the available information. It asks for the case data, lists no documents and no fee, and states that the spatial jurisdiction of the prosecution and the accuracy of the data entered must be observed.
ADJD’s answers to frequently asked questions explain what happens when a complaint is filed against you with the Public Prosecution. The complaint is examined in form and substance, including the required information and documents and the standing of the parties; jurisdiction is then determined, so that the complaint is either passed to the competent authority if it is outside the Public Prosecution’s jurisdiction or investigated by the Public Prosecution if it falls within it; the complainant is contacted when needed; and the status of the complaint can be followed through the ADJD website, the ADJD smart application, a text message or email to the address linked to the request, or the Judicial Department’s call centre, 600 599 799.
How Do the Public Prosecution Case Inquiries Work in Dubai and at Federal Level?
The Dubai Public Prosecution’s website, which the UAE Government portal links from its page on criminal cases, has a public Case Inquiry. It asks for the type of case — the English version lists Criminal Case, Appeal, Cassation, Traffic, Emigration, Traffic Objection, Provide Opinion, Rehabilitation, Extradite, Recovery, Rogatory, Stolen cars and Money laundering — together with the year and the number. The same site has a Police Report Inquiry, which looks up a report by the Dubai police station or police department where it was registered, the year and the report number, and a Request Inquiry that looks up an application by year and number. The English version warns that some text is available only in Arabic.
Neither form asks for a name or an Emirates ID. Because both search by number, they help you follow a matter whose number you already have, such as a police report number or a case number in a summons or message, rather than find a complaint you have not been told about. If you have no number, the identity-based checks described above are narrower in scope: Dubai Police’s covers financial-case circulars and travel bans, and ADJD’s Estafsr covers active criminal cases.
At federal level, the UAE Government portal says you can also enquire about cases through the UAE’s Public Prosecution and links its Cases Inquiry. That form asks for the case number, the city, the year and the prosecution office; the cities offered on the form are Abu Dhabi city, Fujairah city, Masafi, Ajman city, Umm Al Quwain city and Dibba Al Fujairah. The federal Public Prosecution lists its call centre as 80099999 and its help desk as helpdesk@pp.gov.ae, and it has published an undated notice that its digital services will be temporarily unavailable for maintenance and development, so the inquiry may not always open; if it does not, the call centre listed on its website is another way to ask.
Can a Police Clearance Certificate Show Whether There Is a Case Against You?
A clearance certificate answers a different question — what your criminal record shows — but its terms explain why an application can stop if you are wanted by any authority or have a criminal record. Dubai Police’s Police Clearance Certificate is described as a certificate that proves the applicant’s good conduct in the UAE from a security and a criminal perspective, to be presented to official authorities that require it for work, study, immigration, a licence or other uses. Its terms state that the applicant must not be wanted by any authority or have a criminal record, which would prevent them from obtaining the certificate.
The card also sets out who can apply and what it costs. Citizens, residents, visitors and applicants outside the UAE can apply, using a valid or expired Emirates ID number; applicants without an Emirates ID must attend one of four named police stations in person (Al Qusais, Ports, Al Rashidiya or Jebel Ali) to have their fingerprints taken; an applicant abroad must have entered the UAE before and, without a ten-print fingerprint record, must send a ten-print fingerprint copy certified by the UAE Embassy. The fees are AED 100 for citizens, AED 200 for residents and AED 300 (or USD 88) from outside the country, plus AED 20 in Knowledge and Innovation fees and an additional AED 100 for applying in person at a service centre, and they are non-refundable. The certificate is valid for three months from issue, the stated processing time is five working days, and the channels include the Dubai Police app and website, the 901 call centre, Dubai Now, Smart Police Stations and police stations.
The Ministry of Interior issues a federal Criminal Clearance Certificate. Its service page describes an official certified document detailing the applicant’s criminal record and compliance with the law, or any involvement in cases or actions that compromise honour and integrity, during the applicant’s time in the UAE. Citizens and residents need a UAE-issued ID card, and visitors and GCC nationals a registered valid passport and fingerprinting; the application is made after logging in with UAE PASS on the Ministry’s app or website; and the certificate is issued in Arabic and English, covers the period of residence or visit, is valid for 30 days and must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for use abroad. The federal fees listed are AED 50 for use within the country, AED 100 for use outside it, AED 50 for fingerprinting visitors and GCC citizens and AED 300 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, and the page gives the regulating instrument as Ministerial Decision No. 600 of 2024. The Ministry’s answers to frequently asked questions add that if an application returns the response ‘Review the relevant authority’, the applicant should visit the Criminal Evidence Department in person at the police general headquarters of the relevant emirate.
How Can a Travel Ban Arise in a Criminal Matter?
The Criminal Procedures Law starts from the principle that no person may be prevented from travelling abroad except in the circumstances and on the conditions set out in the law (Article 2). During an investigation, the prosecutor may, according to the circumstances, issue a notice to appear or an arrest warrant against the accused, or order that the accused be banned from travel, and the travel ban order is circulated to all ports of the State (Article 99). Warrants issued by the prosecutor are enforceable across all parts of the State (Article 101).
A travel ban can also be a condition of release. Where provisional release is not mandatory, the accused may be released on a personal guarantee, on a bail bond or with a travel ban, and the Public Prosecution or the judge fixes the amount of bail (Article 109). The Public Prosecution may order provisional release at any time unless the accused has been sent to court for trial, after which release is for that court (Articles 108 and 113); a person held for a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment may be released only with the approval of the Attorney General or his deputy (Article 108).
After a judgment, the Public Prosecution may enforce a fine, refund, compensation or other financial penalty with the same powers as an enforcement judge, including issuing an arrest warrant and a travel ban order against the convicted person, and those measures can be challenged under the Civil Procedure Law (Article 308). A criminal travel ban can therefore date from the investigation, from a release decision or from the enforcement of a financial penalty, and the record to look for is the Public Prosecution or court file it belongs to.
How Are Civil and Execution Travel Bans Different?
Not every travel ban comes from a criminal file. The UAE Government portal states that civil procedures are regulated by Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 Promulgating the Civil Procedure Code, while Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 applies to the procedures relating to offences; the Criminal Procedures Law itself applies the Civil Procedure Law to all matters it does not specifically regulate (Article 1). A ban ordered by a civil court or an execution judge is a separate category, requested by a party to a civil dispute rather than ordered by a prosecutor.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s answers to frequently asked questions describe how this works in the Abu Dhabi courts. Either party to a case can ask the court for an urgent interim order, and the listed court fee for registering one for a travel ban is AED 400; the judge issues an urgent order by the next business day after the request. An order subject to immediate enforcement, such as a travel ban, is enforced by the competent authority on a copy of the decision; an interim order must be implemented within 15 days of its issue or it lapses; and the party aggrieved may object to the competent court, usually within seven days of being notified. For a travel ban over a debt, the ban lapses automatically, without any request from the debtor, if the creditor does not give the judge evidence, within eight days of the ban order, that the substantive claim has been filed, or does not start enforcement within 30 days after the judgment becomes final. After a judgment, a travel ban can also be requested inside the enforcement file, alongside attachment of bank accounts or property and salary deductions.
These are ADJD’s descriptions of practice in the Abu Dhabi courts, not a statement of the rules in every emirate. In Dubai, the courts offer a public ‘Inquire the Case Details’ service organised by case category — Settlements, Claims, Temporary and Summary judicial orders, Contestation of judgements, Execution and Judicial Committees — or by case number, where a known civil or execution file can be looked up.
What Details Should You Have Ready Before You Check?
Each service asks for something different. For Dubai Police’s ‘Circulars and travel bans’ online, you need a UAE Pass account. For the ADJD Estafsr inquiry, you need your unified number or UAE ID number; for the ADJD Criminal Case Inquiry, the data of a case you already know about. For the Dubai Public Prosecution, you need the case type, year and number, or the police station or department, year and number of a police report. For the federal Public Prosecution, you need the case number, city, year and prosecution office.
For a Dubai Police clearance certificate, you need a valid or expired Emirates ID number, or you attend in person for fingerprints; an applicant outside the UAE provides a personal photo, a passport copy and a copy of the previous residence visa, and a certified ten-print fingerprint copy if there is no ten-print record. For the Ministry of Interior certificate, you log in with UAE PASS and, as a citizen or resident, hold a UAE-issued ID card; as a visitor or GCC national, you need a registered valid passport and fingerprinting.
Keep a note of any number you are given — a police report number, a Public Prosecution case number or a court case number — together with the year and the police station or prosecution office involved. Those are the details the number-based inquiries ask for, and they are also what a lawyer will need to look at the file.
- Dubai Police — Circulars and travel bans ↗
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department — Estafsr: inquire about the existence of criminal cases with the unified number ↗
- Dubai Public Prosecution — Case Inquiry and Police Report Inquiry ↗
- Dubai Police — Police Clearance Certificate ↗
- Ministry of Interior — Issuance of Criminal Clearance Certificate ↗
What Can You Do if a Check Shows a Case or a Travel Ban?
Start with the official advice: before planning travel, check and, where needed, solve any issue that might stop you at the immigration counters, and if necessary seek the assistance of a lawyer or contact the nearest immigration office or police station. If a Ministry of Interior certificate application returns ‘Review the relevant authority’, the Ministry’s own guidance is to visit the Criminal Evidence Department in person at the police general headquarters of the relevant emirate.
If the matter is with the Public Prosecution, two rules of the Criminal Procedures Law shape what you can learn. The investigation procedures and their results are confidential, and those who take part in or attend the investigation by virtue of their office may not disclose them (Article 67). But the accused’s attorney is permitted to attend the investigation with the accused and to review the investigation papers, unless the prosecutor decides otherwise in the interest of the investigation (Article 98). When the accused appears for investigation for the first time, the prosecutor records the accused’s identity details and informs the accused of the charge (Article 97).
Which lawyer can help depends on the kind of record: a prosecution travel ban or an open criminal file sits with the Public Prosecution and the criminal courts, while a civil or execution ban sits with the civil court or execution judge that ordered it. LEXNOVA is a lawyer-matching service, not a law firm: it cannot see official records, check a case or lift a ban, and the services described here are run by the authorities themselves. What it can do is connect you with an independent lawyer who handles the relevant kind of matter once you know what you are dealing with.
Sources & legal basis
- Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 Promulgating the Criminal Procedures Law (UAE Legislation) ↗
- u.ae — Preliminary checks: check if you have a travel ban ↗
- Dubai Police — Circulars and travel bans ↗
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department — Estafsr: inquire about the existence of criminal cases with the unified number ↗
- Ministry of Interior — Issuance of Criminal Clearance Certificate ↗
- u.ae — Criminal cases (litigation procedures) ↗
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department — Criminal Case Inquiry ↗
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department — Estafser inquiry page ↗
- Abu Dhabi Judicial Department — Frequently asked questions ↗
- Dubai Public Prosecution — Case Inquiry and Police Report Inquiry ↗
- UAE Public Prosecution — Cases Inquiry ↗
- UAE Public Prosecution — Digital services maintenance notice ↗
- Dubai Police — Police Clearance Certificate ↗
- u.ae — General provisions (litigation procedures) ↗
- Dubai Courts — Inquire the Case Details ↗
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