Explained: What travellers to Dubai can and cannot carry

Certain items travellers bring with them to Dubai are exempted from customs duty. These include personal gifts with a value of Dh3,000; a maximum of 400 cigarettes; 50 cigars; and 500 grammes of tobacco. Anything above these is subject to customs duty.

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According to Dubai Customs, all incoming and outgoing passengers (18 years and above) should declare the money they possess. These include cash, cheques, or precious jewellery if they are worth more than Dh60,000. Any cash possessed by passengers who are less than 18 years old will be added to what their guardians carry.

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>> Gifts: In order to be exempted from customs duties, “gifts should be for personal and not commercial purposes”.

>> Prior approval needed for: Pets; seedlings; movie and event cameras and equipment; prints and other forms of media; make-up products; foodstuff, including chicken and frozen birds; wireless devices and drones.

>> Medicines: Passengers can carry medications prescribed for more than three months. They should have a prescription from a hospital or a doctor that clearly mentions the medication and the health status of the passenger. Medications should be kept in their original containers, and production and expiry dates should be clear.

>> Naswar and paan narcotic substances are prohibited.

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Special app

Ibrahim Kamali, director of Passenger Operations Department, said the iDeclare app helps incoming passengers declare their belongings in advance. This reduces their waiting time to less than four minutes.

“We advise all passengers coming to the country to declare their belongings, and not to carry any luggage on behalf of other people to avoid any legal accountability," Kamali added.

• Dubai