As of May 29, 2025, a comprehensive fresh media law that covers all of the United Arab Emirates has actually become effective. The UAE Media Council announced the law, which targets repeat offenses on both traditional and digital systems and can result in fines of up to Dh1 million and also Dh2 million. With updated registration regulations, rigorous information standards, and clarified consequences for misconceptions, religious or moral violations, and threats to national security, the UAE’s rely on transparency, admiration, and professionalism in the media grows. Big Offenses and Related PenaltiesThe rules categorizes violations according to severity and recurrence, with each penalty clearly defined.
1. Religious and moral repression
- Up to Dh1,000,000,000,000 for demeaning spiritual values or the divine being.
- Up to Dh100, 000 for violating common values or propagating harmful ideas
- Content promoting substance abuse, rape, or crime: Up to Dh150, 000
2. Defamations of the state and national surveillance
- Disrespecting state corporations, the system of government, or federal characters: Dh50, 000 to Dh500, 000
- Offending domestic or foreign plan: Dh50, 000 to Dh500, 000
- Defaming international relations or cultural cohesiveness: Up to Dh250, 000
3. Defamation of the law
- Operating without a license:
- First crime: Dh10, 000
- Repeated crime: Dh40, 000
- Failing to renew a license within 30 time: Dh150 per day, away to Dh3,000.
- Transferring a license or making illegal shifts: up to Dh20, 000
- Posting without a valid license:
- First crime: Dh10, 000
- Repeated crime: Dh20, 000, doubled for each frequency.
4. Misinformation and printing are crimes.
- spreading false information
- First crime: Dh5, 000
- Repeated crime: Dh10, 000
- Without a permit, organizing or obstructing a book fair: Dh40, 000 ( doubles with recurrence ).
- Without a license, print or publish media materials: Dh20, 000 ( doubles with recurrence ).
5. Foreign Journalists
- Unregistered activities: Up to three written instructions
- Repeated crime: Dh10, 000
The law permits temporary closure for up to six months, continuous shutdown, or renewal of licenses or permits in critical or repeated instances.
20 enforceable standards for advertising material
The UAE Media Council set 20 required information specifications for all advertising outlets and professionals to ensure quality and regularity. Federal Media Law No. 94/2004 is the foundation for these laws that are intended to safeguard national interests, societal beliefs, and personal rights. 155 of the professional orders of 2023. The 20 Requirements are as follows:
- No offence is tolerated without regard for the heavenly, Muslim doctrine, another Abrahamic religions, and all other faiths.
- Appreciation for the UAE’s system of government, its regional images, institutions, and its state’s top priorities.
- Respect for the UAE’s domestic and international guidelines.
- no material that threatens UAE-related international connections.
- Conserve national identity and cultural identity.
- No information that threatens social cohesion or national cohesion.
- No advertising of violence, hate speech, or terrorism, and no prohibition of religious, cultural, or local incitement.
- Respect for common interest and societal moral standards.
- No material that discredits the security, legitimate, financial, or administrative systems.
- Respect for specific privacy and personal life.
- Is strictly prohibited from encouraging or promoting legal acts, including drug use, murder, and death.
- No unpleasant graphics, images, or speech that offends the law or hurts young people.
- Ban on bogus information or forged papers that are attributed to citizens or organizations.
- No material that devalues the government’s money or undermines its reputation in the world economy.
- No spreading of rumors or false information.
- prohibited from promoting or glorifying angry social, cultural, philosophical, or interpersonal groups.
- Media programs must carefully choose guests and participants in order to preserve public policy and professionalism.
- Marketing must adhere to the UAE’s values, tradition, and identity.
- Respect for the media council’s recommendations for time classifications.
- Complete compliance with national rules governing minors and child safety rules.
recommendations for the media and advertising programs
The Council emphasized that the UAE’s federal values, cultural sensibilities, and strict adherence to age-based classifications are required for advertising material. Promoters and media producers must ensure that no hazardous messages are sent to younger audiences while protecting child rights. Failure to adhere to these software and advertising standards may lead to:
- Official cautions
- Sanctions exceeding Dh1 million
- Increased fines for repeated offenses committed within a month (up to Dh2 million )
- Temporary cutbacks (up to six weeks )
- Depending on the severity, there are continuous closures and license expulsions.
Law’s wider goal
The UAE’s continuous effort to correlate local media laws with international standards includes the new media law. It aims to provide a secure, courteous, and dependable multimedia environment for experts, influencers, and the general public by putting an end to it as well as protecting it. It represents a significant step in the direction of professionalizing the media industry, upholding common values, and maintaining accuracy, respect, and coherence among all stakeholders in the UAE.
