Tobacco — United Arab Emirates
What travelers need to know about tobacco in United Arab Emirates. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Tobacco in United Arab Emirates: restricted — there are real limits travelers must follow.
Bring no more than 200 cigarettes (or 50 cigars, or 500 g of loose or shisha tobacco) duty-free, and you must be 18 or over. Going over is not a fine and not a seizure - you pay customs duty on the excess, charged at 100% for cigarettes, plus VAT. Dubai Customs' website still shows a higher 400-cigarette figure, so pack to the lower 200 to be safe.
No fine or seizure is stated for exceeding the tobacco allowance. The consequence is a TAX consequence, not a penalty: "Customs duties will be imposed on excess quantities", at 100% on cigarettes plus VAT. Note carefully that the confiscation language on the same page attaches to excess ALCOHOL ("the excess quantity will be confiscated"), not to tobacco, and must not be carried across. Separately, passengers under 18 get no tobacco allowance at all.
§ Dubai Customs - "Passenger Customs Guide", Version No. 6 - 2025. Corroborated by u.ae (UAE Government official portal), "Clearing the customs and paying customs duty", updated 06 May 2026: https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/finance-and-investment/clearing-the-customs-and-paying-customs-duty . Conflicting 400-cigarette figure at Dubai Customs "Permitted Luggage & Items", v1.1 updated 28/08/2026.