Other costs are more fluid. Eating is very much a question of what you want to spend: you can eat well in the budget curry houses or shwarma cafés of Bur Dubai and Karama for as little as 15dh (£2.50/US$4) per head, although a meal (with drinks) in a more upmarket establishment is likely to set you back around 250dh (£47/US$70) per head, and the sky is the limit in the top restaurants. Tourist attractions are also likely to put a big dent in your wallet, especially if you’re travelling with children: the admission cost for a family of four to the Aquaventure water park, for example, is the best part of 1000dh (£100/US$280). On the plus side, transport costs are relatively modest, given the city’s inexpensive taxis and metro system.
Taxes and tipping
Room rates at most of the city’s more expensive hotels are subject to a ten percent service charge and an additional ten percent government tax; these taxes are sometimes included in quoted prices, and sometimes not. Check beforehand, or you may find your bill has suddenly inflated by twenty percent. You’ll also have to pay a further modest tourist tax (the “Tourism Dirham” as it’s officially known) on all overnight stays, ranging from 7dh to 20dh per night depending on the star-rating of your accommodation. The prices in most restaurants automatically include all relevant taxes and a ten percent service charge (though this isn’t necessarily passed on to the waiters themselves); whether you wish to leave an additional tip is entirely your decision.
Crime, safety and the law
Dubai is an exceptionally safe city – although a surprising number of tourists and expats manage to get themselves arrested for various breaches of local law (see Culture and etiquette) . Violent crime is virtually unknown, and even instances of petty theft, pickpocketing and the like are relatively uncommon. The only time you’re ever likely to be at risk is while driving or crossing the road. If you need to call the police in an emergency, dial t999. You can also contact the police’s Tourist Security Department toll-free 24hr on t800 423 if you have an enquiry or complaint which you think the police could help you with. For the latest information about safety issues it’s also worth having a look at the international government websites.
Illegal substances and prescription drugs
You should not on any account attempt to enter (or even transit through) Dubai while in possession of any form of illegal substance. The death penalty is imposed for drug trafficking, and there’s a mandatory four-year sentence for anyone caught in possession of drugs or other proscribed substances. It’s vital to note that this doesn’t just mean carrying drugs in a conventional sense, but also includes having an illegal substance in your bloodstream or urine, or being found in possession of even microscopic amounts of a banned substance, even if invisible to the naked eye. Previous visitors have been convicted on the basis of minute traces of cannabis and other substances found in the fluff of a pocket or suitcase lining, or even in chewing gum stuck to the sole of a shoe. Note that poppy seeds (even in bakery products) are also banned, since the authorities believe they can be used to grow narcotics.
Even more contentiously, Dubai’s hardline anti-drugs regime also extends to certain prescription drugs, including codeine and melatonin, which are also treated as illegal substances. If you’re on any form of prescription medicine you’re supposed to bring a doctor’s letter and the original prescription from home, and to bring no more than three months’ supply into the UAE. It’s also a good idea to keep any medicines in their original packaging and to carry them in your hand luggage. Lists of proscribed medicines are sometimes posted on various government and embassy websites – try searching online for "controlled medicines UAE".
As a general rule, the more respectably dressed and boring you look, the less likely you are to get stopped at customs. Wait to make your fashion statement until you’re safely inside the country.
Electricity
UK-style sockets with three square pins are the norm (although you might occasionally encounter Indian-style round-pin sockets in budget hotels in Bur Dubai and Deira). The city’s current runs at 220–240 volts AC, meaning that UK appliances will work directly off the mains supply, although US appliances will probably require a transformer.
Entry requirements
Nationals of the UK, Ireland and most other Western European countries, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are issued a free thirty-day visa on arrival. Always check visa requirements direct with your UAE embassy or consulate as this information is subject to change. You’ll need a passport that will be valid for at least six months after the date of entry. Having an Israeli stamp in your passport shouldn’t be a problem. This visa can be extended for a further thirty days at a cost of 620dh by visiting the Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (DNRD), next to Bur Dubai Police Station, close to Al Jafiliya metro station (Sun–Wed 7.30am–7.30pm; t04 313 9999 or t800 5111, wdnrd.ae).
Customs regulations allow visitors to bring in up to four hundred cigarettes (or fifty cigars or 500g of tobacco), four litres of alcohol (or two 24-can cases of beer), and cash and travellers’ cheques up to a value of 40,000dh. Prohibited items include drugs, pornographic material, material offensive to Islamic teachings, non-Islamic religious propaganda and evangelical literature and goods of Israeli origin or bearing Israeli trademarks or logos.
Foreign embassies are mainly located in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, although many countries also maintain consulates in Dubai.
