Local Time The UAE is 4 hours ahead of UCT (Universal Co-ordinated
Time - formerly known as GMT). There is no summer time saving when clocks are
altered.
Language The official language of the country is Arabic,
although English, Urdu and Hindi are spoken and understood. Arabic is the
official business language, but English is widely used and most road and shop
signs, restaurant menus, etc. are in both languages.
Visas Visas are required by all except citizens of the
AGCC (Arab Gulf Cooperation Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia).
Your tour operator or hotel can arrange this. UK citizens are allowed to stay in
the Emirates for 60 days and AGCC residents of certain nationalities and
professions are eligible for on-the-spot visas at point of entry, but current
regulations should be checked before traveling. European, American, South
African and Australian citizens may obtain visit visas from UAE embassies in
their respective countries before departure. Alternatively, a visa may be
arranged through the sponsorship of a local UAE entity. This is commonly done by
a local company or by a local resident or a business, who will vouch for the
conduct of a visitor during their stay. The visa must be applied for before the
visitor enters the country.
Climate Temperatures range from a low of 10 deg.C / 75.2
deg.F in January, rising to 48 deg.C / 105.8 deg.F in July.
Clothing With its liberal attitude, there isn't much that a
visitors in the UAE can't wear, however as in all countries, a healthy amount of
respect for the local customs and sensibilities doesn't go amiss. Short or tight
clothing may be worn, but it will attract attention - most of it unwelcome. Like
anywhere in the world, the rural areas are more conservative than the cities in
their attitude. Lightweight summer clothing is suitable for most of the year,
but something slightly warmer may be needed in the evening for the winter months
(November - March). In the summer (July to September), be sure to take some sort
of jacket or sweater when visiting hotels or cinemas, as the air conditioning
can be pretty fierce. In the evenings the restaurants and clubs usually have a
mixture of styles - Arabic, Asian, or western - anything goes! During the day,
as in any place with loads of sun, good quality sunglasses, hat and buckets of
sun cream are needed to avoid the lobster look.
Local Currency The monetary unit is the "Dirham" (Dhs.)
which is divided into 100 "fils". The currency is also referred to as
AED (Arab Emirate Dirham). Notes come in denominations of Dhs. 5, Dhs. 10, Dhs.
20, Dhs. 50, Dhs. 100, Dhs 200, Dhs. 500 and Dhs. 1000. Coin denominations are
Dhs. 50 fils, and 25 fils, but be warned, there are two versions of each coin
and they can look very similar. Because 5 and 10 fils are rarely available, you
will often not receive the exact correct change.
The Dirham has been tied to the US
Dollar since the end of 1980, at a mid-rate of approximately US$ 1 - Dhs. 3.65.
The exchange rates of all major currencies are published daily in the
newspapers.
Customs There are no restrictions and no customs duty is
levied on personal effects entering Dubai. It is forbidden to import drugs and
pornographic items. After collecting your bags in the arrival hall, they are
x-rayed before you enter the country. Videos, books and magazines are sometimes
checked and suspected items, usually videos, maybe temporarily confiscated for
the material to be approved. Unless it is offensive, it can be collected at a
later date. Visitors may also bring the following free of duty: Cigarettes -
2000; cigars - 400; tobacco 2 kg; Alcohol (non-Muslim adults only) 2 liters
spirits and 2 liters wine; a reasonable quantity of perfume.
Health Requirements No health certificates are required for entry to
the Emirates, except for visitors who have been in a yellow cholera or yellow
fever infected areas in the previous 14 days. However. It's always wise to check
health requirements before departure as restrictions may vary depending upon the
situation at the time.
Malarial mosquitoes are rarely a
problem in the cities, although they do exist, mainly around the wadis and pools
in the mountains where it is wet. Long time residents don't usually take malaria
tablets, but short-term visitors who plan to visit the countryside may be
advised to take them. Check requirement before leaving your home country.
Credit Cards American Express, Diners Club, Visa MasterCard are
generally accepted in the main hotels and the larger shops. Smaller retailers
are sometime less keen to accept credit cards and you may have to pay an extra
5% for processing (it's no use telling them that it's a contravention of the
card company rules - you have to take it or leave it!)
Tipping Practices are similar to most parts of the world.
Some restaurants do include a service charge: otherwise 10 % is adequate.
Bargaining Bargaining is expected in the Souks and is quite
usual everywhere. Vendors will usually drop their prices and often quite
substantially, particularly for a cash sale. It can be a fun way to do business;
vendors will settle in "to do battle", courteously offering their
customers a cup of coffee or mint tea, and in return customers should bargain
hard!
Business Hours Traditionally, there's no concept of the weekend,
although Friday has always been the Holy day. In the modern UAE, the weekend has
established itself on different days, generally according to your company. Until
recently, government offices had Thursday afternoon and Friday off, however, a
1998 ruling established a 5 day week for government offices and schools, which
are now closed all day of Thursday and Friday, along with some private
companies. Other companies still take half day Thursday and Friday while some
companies take Friday and Saturday as their weekend. Understandably, these
difference cause difficulties, since companies may now be out of touch with
international business for up to 4 days, plus families do not necessarily share
weekends.
Government offices are open from
07:30 - 13:30. In private sector, office hours vary between split-shift days
which art generally 08:00 - 13:00, re-opening at either 15:00 or 16:00. And
closing at 18:00 or 19:00 or straight shifts, usually 09:00 - 18:00, with an
hour for lunch.
Shop's opening times are usually
at 10:00 and based on split-shift hours, although outlets in many of the big
shopping malls now remain open all day. Closing times are usually at 22:00 or
24:00, while some food shops are open 24 hours a day. On Fridays, many places
are open all day apart from Prayer Time (11:30 - 13:30), while larger shops in
the shopping malls only open in the afternoon at 14:00, 16:00 or 17:00.
Embassies and consulates are open
from 08:45 - 13:30. They care closed on Fridays and in most cases on Saturdays,
but generally leave an emergency contact number on their answering machine.
Local Time