UAE Lists Document Mistakes That Could Get Foreigners Arrested at Entry Points

• The UAE's Identity and Citizenship Authority can detain any arriving passenger whose passport shows signs of physical tampering
• Article 5 of the UAE's law on the forgery of official documents sets out the specific defects that can trigger an arrest at immigration
• Travellers heading to the UAE for tourism, business, or employment are urged to inspect their passports carefully before departure

Foreign travellers heading to the United Arab Emirates have been put on notice: arriving with a damaged or physically altered passport could result in immediate detention at the border.

The UAE's Identity and Citizenship Authority (ICA) has the legal power to arrest any incoming passenger whose travel document shows visible signs of tampering.

This authority is grounded in Article 5 of the country's law on the forgery of official documents, which grants border officials wide-ranging powers to act on suspicion alone.

What counts as a tampered passport

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The UAE regulation identifies several specific conditions that can raise red flags at immigration.

These include scraping on the document's surface, distorted text or images, crossed-out information, and forged seals or visa stamps.

Notably, confirmation of tampering by either UAE entry and residency authorities or by the country's diplomatic missions in the traveller's home nation is sufficient to justify detention.

This means a passenger does not need to be proven guilty of deliberate fraud for border officials to hold them.

Verification of document alteration alone provides the legal grounds needed to make an arrest.

Who does the UAE rule apply to

The regulation covers all foreign nationals without exception, regardless of their nationality or the purpose of their visit.

Whether travelling for tourism, business, or to take up employment, all international visitors fall under the same rules.

Travellers are advised to examine their passports thoroughly before leaving home. Even innocent wear and tear that visually resembles tampering, such as smudged ink near a visa stamp, frayed inner pages, or a damaged entry seal, could prompt immigration officers to pull a passenger aside for questioning.

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The warning serves as a reminder that passport condition is not merely an administrative concern. In the UAE, it carries serious legal consequences.

UAE announces new rules for deported foreigners

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the UAE government had outlined the legal conditions under which deported individuals could apply to return to the country.

Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022 barred deportees from re-entering the UAE without explicit approval from the Chairman.

The UAE also imposed daily financial penalties on foreign nationals who overstayed the period permitted by their visas.

Source: YEN.com.gh