Law
No. (11) of 2026
Concerning
Antiquities
and Archaeological Sites in the Emirate of Dubai[1]
ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
We, Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai,
After perusal of:
Federal Law No. (11) of 2017 Concerning Antiquities and its
Implementing Bylaw;
Federal Law by Decree No. (38) of 2021 Concerning Copyright
and Related Rights, and its Implementing Bylaw;
Federal Law by Decree No. (34) of 2021 Concerning Combating
Rumours and Cybercrimes and its amendments;
Federal Decree No. (34) of 2001 Ratifying the Accession of
the UAE to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage;
Federal Decree No. (15) of 2022 Ratifying the Common Customs
Regulation ("Law") of the Gulf Cooperation Council States, and its
Implementing Bylaw;
Law No. (7) of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration in
the Emirate of Dubai and its amendments;
Law No. (6) of 2008 Establishing the Dubai Culture and Arts
Authority;
Law No. (1) of 2016 Concerning the Financial Regulations of
the Government of Dubai, its Implementing Bylaw, and their amendments;
Law No. (5) of 2021 Concerning the Dubai International
Financial Centre;
Law No. (2) of 2022 Concerning Acquisition of Real Property
for the Public Benefit in the Emirate of Dubai;
Law No. (16) of 2023 Concerning Urban Planning in the
Emirate of Dubai and its amendments;
Law No. (26) of 2023 Concerning the Executive Council of the
Emirate of Dubai;
Law No. (17) of 2025 Concerning Disposition of Lost and
Abandoned Property in the Emirate of Dubai;
The Order of 1961 Establishing the Dubai Municipality;
Decree No. (22) of 2009 Concerning Special Development Zones
in the Emirate of Dubai;
Decree No. (38) of 2023 Transferring the Antiquities Section
of the Architectural Heritage and Antiquities Department of the Dubai
Municipality to the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; and
The legislation establishing and regulating Free Zones in
the Emirate of Dubai,
Do
hereby issue this Law.
This Law will be cited as "Law No.
(11) of 2026 Concerning Antiquities and Archaeological Sites in the Emirate of
Dubai".
The following words and expressions,
wherever mentioned in this Law, have the meanings respectively assigned to
them, unless the context implies otherwise:
|
UAE: |
The United Arab Emirates. |
|
Emirate: |
The Emirate of Dubai. |
|
MoC: |
The Ministry of Culture. |
|
Executive
Council: |
The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai. |
|
DM: |
The Dubai Municipality. |
|
DCAA: |
The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. |
|
Chairperson: |
The Chairperson of the DCAA. |
|
Director
General: |
The Director General of the DCAA. |
|
Antiquity: |
Any
movable or immovable object which, after satisfying the criteria prescribed
by this Law and being entered in the Register, is determined by the DCAA to
be an Antiquity. |
|
Immovable
Antiquity: |
An Antiquity that is
attached to and fixed in the ground and cannot be removed from its location
without altering its physical integrity or causing it damage or
deterioration. A Movable Antiquity will be deemed an Immovable Antiquity if
it forms part of, complements, or is attached to that Immovable Antiquity, or
is an ornament or inscription thereon. This includes an Underwater Antiquity.
|
|
Movable
Antiquity: |
An Antiquity that is detached from the ground and can be
relocated without causing damage or destruction to the Antiquity itself, to
any other associated Antiquity, or to the place where it was discovered. This
includes an Underwater Antiquity. |
|
Private
Antiquity: |
A Movable Antiquity or an Immovable Antiquity owned by a
Person, the ownership of which is established through possession or
registration in the Register. |
|
Underwater
Antiquity: |
Any Antiquity discovered in the Waters of the Emirate
which remains partially or wholly submerged, whether periodically or
permanently. This includes, without limitation, archaeological sites,
structures, buildings, archaeological artefacts, ships, and other means of
transport, irrespective of variations in the surrounding archaeological
context. |
|
Waters
of the Emirate: |
The
internal waters of the Emirate, including the coastlines of islands, creeks,
beaches, and lakes. |
|
Foreign
Antiquity: |
A Movable Antiquity that qualifies as an Antiquity in
accordance with this Law but does not originate from and was not discovered within
the Emirate. |
|
Archaeological
Site: |
An area within the Emirate containing Antiquities, the
boundaries of which are determined by a resolution of the Chairperson in
coordination with the competent entities in the Emirate. |
|
Private
Archaeological Site: |
An Archaeological Site owned by a Person, the ownership
of which is established by an official document. |
|
Buffer
Zone: |
The area surrounding an Archaeological Site that
constitutes its natural, environmental, aesthetic, visual, or legal extension
and forms an integral part of that Archaeological Site. The DCAA will
determine the Buffer Zone and delineate it on planning maps in coordination
with the competent entities in the Emirate. |
|
Register:
|
The register established under this Law containing
particulars of the Antiquities and Archaeological Sites in the Emirate,
together with any associated maps, documents, records, and other materials,
in the manner determined by the DCAA in this respect. |
|
National
Register: |
The register maintained by the MoC containing particulars
and information relating to Antiquities throughout the UAE, together with any
associated maps, documents, records, and other materials, in the manner specified
by the applicable federal legislation. |
|
Archaeological
Activities: |
Activities relating to Antiquities, including, without
limitation, the study and classification of Antiquities, archaeological
surveys, and excavation, restoration, and conservation of Antiquities. |
|
Owner: |
|
|
Major
Project: |
A development, construction, or infrastructure project
implemented on a large scale or over an extensive area, whose implementation
has an actual or potential direct impact on an Archaeological Site or any of
its natural or archaeological components. |
|
Person: |
A natural person or a public or private legal person. |
The provisions of this Law apply to
Antiquities and Archaeological Sites discovered before or after this Law comes
into force, in all land, marine, and mountainous areas of the Emirate, whether
on or beneath the surface of the ground or within the Waters of the Emirate,
including in Special Development Zones and Free Zones, such as the Dubai
International Financial Centre.
This
Law aims to:
1.
discover and classify Antiquities in
the Emirate, and record them in the Register, with a view to reviving and
preserving them as being among the most important national assets and resources
of the Emirate;
2.
promote awareness of Antiquities and
Archaeological Sites in the Emirate and highlight their importance and
historical, cultural, and architectural value;
3.
promote awareness and support recognition
of the importance of Private Antiquities and Private Archaeological Sites; and
establish the controls necessary to ensure their protection and optimal use;
and
4.
provide an enabling institutional framework
for the management and regulation of Archaeological Activities in the Emirate.
The DCAA is the competent entity in the
Emirate responsible for supervising Antiquities and Archaeological Sites. For
the purposes of achieving the objectives of this Law, the DCAA will have the
duties and powers to:
1.
manage, protect, and preserve
Antiquities and Archaeological Sites in the Emirate; highlight their artistic
and historical characteristics and distinctive features; develop their Buffer
Zones; prepare them for visitors and encourage visits to them; prevent the
defacement of their monuments; and establish the standards, policies, and
regulatory and protective measures necessary for these purposes, in accordance
with internationally recognised standards in this respect;
2.
compile an inventory of Antiquities
in the Emirate; identify their features; photograph, illustrate, and classify
them; collect relevant scientific documents and information; and conduct the
necessary studies and research;
3.
compile an inventory of
Archaeological Sites in the Emirate; identify their boundaries and features;
and prepare and issue authenticated maps of those sites, in coordination with
the concerned entities in the Emirate and in accordance with the rules and
procedures prescribed by the implementing bylaw of this Law;
4.
inspect and examine objects to
determine whether they qualify as Antiquities and enter them in the Register,
in accordance with the criteria prescribed by this Law and the procedures
prescribed by its implementing bylaw;
5.
conduct Archaeological Activities in
the Emirate and provide the tools, devices, equipment, and laboratories
required for that purpose;
6.
issue the permits required for
conducting Archaeological Activities in the Emirate and monitor compliance by
permit holders with the requirements, controls, and obligations prescribed by
resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council;
7.
issue approvals for the restoration
and conservation of Private Antiquities and Private Archaeological Sites;
access to Archaeological Sites; and the carrying out of construction works
within Archaeological Sites and their Buffer Zones;
8.
establish the controls governing the holding
of events and the conduct of economic activities at Archaeological Sites;
9.
organise exhibitions, auctions, and
events relating to Antiquities in the Emirate; exploit Archaeological Sites; engage in the trade
and circulation
of Antiquities; and reproduce Movable Antiquities and make exact
replicas thereof for commercial purposes, in accordance with the legislation in
force in the Emirate;
10. train
and qualify UAE nationals to conduct Archaeological Activities and enter their
details in the Register;
11. take
the measures necessary to protect Antiquities during emergencies, crises, and
disasters, in coordination with the competent entities in the Emirate;
12. approve
operational guidelines for managing anticipated and unanticipated risks
relating to the protection of Antiquities, in accordance with the scientific
and professional principles observed in this field;
13. take
the measures necessary to protect Antiquities and Archaeological Sites from
environmental and visual pollution, in coordination with the concerned entities
in the Emirate;
14. establish
and manage the storage facilities required for the safekeeping of Antiquities
and equip them with the devices, equipment, systems, personnel, procedures, and
operating manuals appropriate to the type, nature, and size of the Antiquities;
15. insure
Antiquities owned by the Emirate against risks with insurance companies
licensed to operate in the UAE;
16. establish
the standards and requirements to be observed in carrying out conservation
and restoration works on Antiquities and in Archaeological Sites, in accordance
with internationally recognised standards in this respect;
17. inspect,
examine, and document Antiquities seized by the competent entities in the
Emirate; prepare the necessary reports on their history, provenance, and
authenticity; and enter confiscated Antiquities in the Register;
18. establish,
in coordination with the concerned entities in the Emirate, the controls and
restrictions to be observed when carrying out infrastructure development works
within Archaeological Sites or their Buffer Zones;
19. coordinate
with the DM to determine the land uses permitted in areas adjacent to
Archaeological Sites;
20. enter
into agreements and memoranda of understanding with entities specialising in
Antiquities;
21. organise
conferences; hold seminars and workshops; prepare publications and booklets;
and organise programmes and initiatives aimed at raising awareness of
Antiquities;
22. provide
the MoC with data relating to Antiquities for entry in the National Register in
accordance with the legislation in force;
23. establish
the rules governing the ownership of Private Antiquities and Private
Archaeological Sites and monitor compliance with those rules;
24. take
all legal measures necessary to recover Antiquities entered in the Register or which
have been smuggled, stolen, or loaned, whether within or outside the UAE, in
cooperation and coordination with the competent entities;
25. coordinate
and cooperate with concerned entities within and outside the Emirate in all
matters relating to Antiquities, Archaeological Sites, and Archaeological
Activities, with a view to strengthening joint efforts to protect and develop
heritage and Antiquities;
26. participate
in international events and forums relating to Antiquities and, in coordination
with the concerned federal and local entities, represent the Emirate or the UAE
at those events and forums to promote the cultural and archaeological heritage
of the Emirate internationally;
27. accredit
and evaluate experts and technicians working, whether within or outside the
Emirate, in the field of Antiquities in accordance with the standards and
controls adopted by the DCAA, with a view to ensuring competence and
professionalism in the conduct of Archaeological Activities; and
28. exercise
any other duties or powers required for the achievement of the objectives of
this Law, as assigned to it by the Ruler or the Chairman of the Executive
Council.
The DCAA may, in accordance with the
legislation in force, outsource any of its functions under this Law to any
public or private entity pursuant to an agreement concluded with that entity
for this purpose. The agreement will specify the rights and obligations of the
DCAA and the contracting entity, and the conditions, requirements,
specifications, and standards that the contracting entity must observe in
performing the functions outsourced to it by the DCAA.
a.
Antiquities and Archaeological Sites
located in the Emirate are owned by the Emirate, except for Private Antiquities
and Private Archaeological Sites entered in the Register by their Owners.
b.
Ownership of land does not confer on
its owner any right to own or dispose of an Antiquity situated on, attached to,
or buried beneath the land, or any right whatsoever to survey, excavate,
restore, or maintain an Antiquity situated on or beneath the land.
c.
Antiquities owned by the Emirate may
not be gifted except in the most exceptional circumstances and pursuant to a
resolution issued by the Chairperson for this purpose.
d.
Antiquities owned by the Emirate may
be temporarily removed from the Emirate for exhibition, restoration, study, or
any other purpose pursuant to a resolution issued by the Chairperson for this
purpose.
e.
Antiquities owned by the Emirate may
be loaned to official entities, scientific institutions, museums, or national
institutes within or outside the UAE pursuant to a resolution issued by the
Director General for this purpose.
f.
The implementing bylaw of this Law
will prescribe the conditions, controls, and safeguards governing the gifting,
temporary removal, or lending of Antiquities owned by the Emirate; and the
conditions and controls governing the removal or lending of Private Antiquities
outside the Emirate.
g.
All intellectual property rights in
photographs, models, periodic and scientific reports, and exact replicas of
Antiquities owned by the Emirate will vest in the Emirate. This includes the
intellectual property rights in photographs, models, and reports prepared by
entities authorised by the DCAA to conduct Archaeological Activities.
a.
Any Person who discovers, or accidentally
finds, an object that satisfies the criteria prescribed by this Law for
designation as an Antiquity must leave it undisturbed and cease any works,
including construction works, that may affect it or any other Antiquities that
may exist in the Buffer Zone. That Person must notify the DCAA or Dubai Police
of the discovery within forty-eight (48) hours of discovering or finding the
object.
b.
Any Person who accidentally finds,
in the Waters of the Emirate, an object that satisfies the criteria prescribed
by this Law for designation as an Antiquity must immediately report the
discovery to the DCAA and deliver the object to the DCAA within seven (7) days
of finding it.
c.
Without prejudice to the rights of
bona fide third parties, an Antiquity discovered by chance is deemed to be
owned by the Emirate if its Owner remains unidentified for five (5) years from
the date of its discovery. The DCAA must, in coordination with the concerned
entities, take the measures necessary to ascertain the identity
of the Owner, preserve the Antiquity, and enter it in the Register in
accordance with this Law.
d.
The DCAA may grant a financial
reward to a Person who discovers or finds an Antiquity, or reports its
discovery, in the circumstances referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
Article, or who reports any act committed in violation of this Law or its
implementing bylaw. The amount of the reward and the mechanism for its payment
will be specified by a resolution issued by the Chairperson for this purpose.
e.
The implementing bylaw of this Law will
prescribe the procedures to be followed by the DCAA in dealing with Antiquities
discovered by chance whose Owners cannot be identified.
a. Pursuant
to this Law, a special register will be maintained by the DCAA in which all Antiquities
and Archaeological Sites, including Private Antiquities and Private
Archaeological Sites, that satisfy the criteria prescribed by this Law for
designation as Antiquities or Archaeological Sites are entered.
b. Antiquities
and Archaeological Sites registered with the DCAA before the date on which this
Law comes into force will be legally deemed to satisfy the criteria prescribed
by this Law for designation as Antiquities or Archaeological Sites and to have
been entered in the Register under this Law. The DCAA will update the
particulars of those Antiquities and Archaeological Sites in accordance with
the requirements prescribed by a resolution issued by the Director General for
this purpose.
c. The
Chairperson may remove from the Register any registered Antiquity or
Archaeological Site and such removal will result in the extinguishment of its
status as an Antiquity or Archaeological Site.
d. The
DCAA must coordinate with the Dubai Land Department to make an entry in the
Real Property Register in respect of each Antiquity and Archaeological Site,
including each Private Antiquity and Private Archaeological Site, stating that
the Antiquity or Archaeological Site is subject to this Law.
e. The
implementing bylaw of this Law will determine the form and classifications of
the Register; the information to be entered therein; the procedures for
entering Antiquities and Archaeological Sites, including Private Antiquities
and Private Archaeological Sites, in the Register; and the controls and procedures
governing their removal from it.
a.
Any
Person who owns a Private Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site that
satisfies the criteria prescribed by this Law for designation as an Antiquity
or Archaeological Site, as applicable, must apply to the DCAA for its
inspection and entry in the Register.
b.
A Private Antiquity or Private
Archaeological Site is deemed to be owned by the Emirate where its Owner fails
to apply to the DCAA for its entry in the Register within the time limit
referred to in Article (27) of this Law. This does not prejudice the Owner’s
right to fair compensation.
c.
Private Antiquities and Private
Archaeological Sites entered in the Register will remain in the possession of
their Owners. An Owner must not dispose of a Private Antiquity or Private
Archaeological Site through any form of legal disposition unless it has first
been offered to the DCAA for purchase or the DCAA has approved the proposed disposition.
This restriction does not apply to transfers between relatives up to the second
degree.
d.
The new Owner of a Private Antiquity
or Private Archaeological Site must comply with all provisions and obligations
prescribed by this Law, its implementing bylaw, and the resolutions issued in
pursuance thereof, including the requirement to enter the Private Antiquity or
Private Archaeological Site in the Register.
a.
An
object will qualify as an Antiquity if it
satisfies the following criteria:
1. it was
produced, built, manufactured, carved, engraved, written, drawn, photographed,
modified, dug, inhabited, or used by humans, or was naturally formed and
subsequently used by humans. This includes buildings; fossils; petrified
remains; and human, animal, and plant remains;
2. it
dates from before 1900 A.D. Any part added to it after that date that does not
alter its essential character will be deemed to form an integral part of the
object and to satisfy this criterion; and
3. it
has rare or distinctive historical, artistic, scientific, literary, religious,
natural, architectural, structural, or other value of significance to humanity,
or is evidence of the civilisational development of the UAE.
b.
Notwithstanding
the provisions of paragraph (a) of this Article, the Chairperson may, by
resolution, deem any object to be an Antiquity without regard to the date
criterion in sub-paragraph (a)(2) of this Article if the object has value in
any of the respects referred to in subparagraph (a)(3) and its preservation is
in the interests of the Emirate.
a.
The DCAA will notify the Dubai Land
Department to create an entry on the registry folio of the land on which an
Antiquity or Archaeological Site is located, specifying the restrictions
imposed by this Law on its ownership and disposition.
b.
The implementing bylaw of this Law
will prescribe the criteria and controls governing any change to the permitted
use of land situated within the boundaries of an Archaeological Site or its
Buffer Zone.
a.
No
Person
may commit any of the following acts:
1.
damaging, demolishing, altering, relocating,
or modifying the features of an Antiquity or otherwise damaging, demolishing,
altering, or modifying the features of an Archaeological Site or a Buffer Zone,
or defacing any of them by writing or engraving;
2.
disposing of any waste, soil, sand,
or animal carcasses in an Archaeological Site or Buffer Zone;
3.
placing any signs or affixing any
advertisements on an Antiquity or within an Archaeological Site or Buffer Zone,
except to the extent necessary for guidance or information purposes;
4.
entering an Archaeological Site
closed by the DCAA without first obtaining its approval;
5.
using an Archaeological Site or
Buffer Zone as a dumping ground, a repository for debris or waste, a storage
facility, a quarry, a cemetery, an animal shelter, or for any other purpose
that may adversely affect or cause damage to the Archaeological Site or Buffer
Zone;
6.
establishing any heavy or hazardous
industry, military installation or vital facilities within an Archaeological
Site or Buffer Zone; or committing any other act that may endanger the
Archaeological Site or Buffer Zone;
7.
removing any soil, stones, debris,
or other materials from an Archaeological Site or Buffer Zone without first
obtaining the approval of the DCAA;
8.
carrying out any construction works,
levelling land, installing any irrigation system, constructing any road or
canal, digging or planting, or felling any trees, within an Archaeological Site
or Buffer Zone; or committing any other act that may alter or cause damage to
the Archaeological Site, without first obtaining the approval of the DCAA;
9.
using an Archaeological Site or
Buffer Zone for any industrial, commercial, agricultural, scientific, or
investment activity without first obtaining the approval of the DCAA and
coordinating with the competent Government Entity, including the Dubai Land
Department or the Department of Economy and Tourism, as applicable;
10. holding
any exhibition, auction, or event relating to Antiquities in the Emirate
without first obtaining the approval of the DCAA;
11. bringing
a Movable Antiquity into the Emirate for acquisition, sale, export, or any
other purpose, whether personally, through another Person, in transit or by any
other means, unless lawful possession of that Movable Antiquity is established
by official documents duly authenticated by the competent entities and in
accordance with the legislation in force;
12. establishing,
managing, or supervising a website, or using the information network or any
means of information technology, for the purpose of trading in Antiquities
without obtaining the necessary approvals from the DCAA and the competent
entities; or
13. permanently
or temporarily removing a Private Antiquity from the Emirate for exhibition,
restoration, examination, or analysis without first obtaining the approval of
the DCAA.
b.
The
implementing bylaw of this Law will specify the requirements and procedures for
issuing the approvals referred to in paragraph (a) of this
Article, as well as the documents required to establish lawful possession of a
Movable Antiquity as referred to in subparagraph (a)(11) of this Article.
Subject to liability, an Owner must:
1.
preserve a Private Antiquity or
Private Archaeological Site in the condition in which it existed when
discovered; maintain and restore it; protect it against damage caused by
natural and human factors; and balance the requirements of modern development
with the need to preserve its historical character;
2.
obtain the approval of the DCAA
before carrying out any restoration or conservation works on a Private
Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site, or any works that may alter it, and
carry out those works in accordance with the approval and under the supervision
of the DCAA;
3.
obtain the approval of the DCAA
before carrying out any construction works within a Private Archaeological Site
or Buffer Zone, in accordance with the conditions and procedures prescribed by
the implementing bylaw of this Law;
4.
insure the Private Antiquity or
Private Archaeological Site against risks with an insurance company operating
in the UAE;
5.
permit the competent employees of
the DCAA to enter and inspect the Private Antiquity or Private Archaeological
Site for the purposes of inspecting it and entering it in the Register, and
provide them with the assistance necessary to perform their duties, including
enabling them to carry out the necessary conservation work on the Private Antiquity
or Private Archaeological Site after it has been entered in the Register in
accordance with this Law;
6.
obtain the prior approval of the
DCAA before disposing of the Private Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site
in the manner prescribed by this Law and its implementing bylaw;
7.
notify the DCAA within forty-eight
(48) hours of any risk of damage or collapse arising in relation to the Private
Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site;
8.
report to the police any loss,
damage, theft, or vandalism affecting the Private Antiquity or Private
Archaeological Site within forty-eight (48) hours of its occurrence. The police
will notify the DCAA of the report and take the necessary action in respect
thereof; and
9.
comply with any other obligations
related to the achievement of the objectives of this Law, as determined
pursuant to the relevant resolutions of the Director General.
a.
Subject
to the
approval of the Chairperson and where required in the public interest, the DCAA
may:
1.
relocate a Private Antiquity to any
other location determined by the DCAA for its preservation;
2.
lease, borrow, or purchase a Private
Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site;
3.
expropriate a Private Antiquity or
Private Archaeological Site for the public benefit, in which case the
expropriation and any compensation payable to the Owner are governed by the
above-mentioned Law No. (2) of 2022 and the resolutions issued in pursuance
thereof;
4.
conduct, or authorise the conduct
of, Archaeological Activities on privately owned land;
5.
create easements over Real Property
adjacent to Antiquities or Archaeological Sites to ensure their protection and
preservation; or
6.
take any other measures specified by
resolution of the Chairperson.
b.
The
implementing bylaw of this Law will prescribe the controls and procedures
governing the exercise by the DCAA of the powers referred to in paragraph (a)
of this Article and the principles for assessing any compensation payable where
the exercise of those powers causes damage to third parties.
a.
Where a Private Antiquity or Private
Archaeological Site in the possession of its Owner is at risk of collapse or
damage and the Owner fails to maintain or restore it, the DCAA may carry out
the necessary maintenance and restoration works and subsequently recover the
costs of those works from the Owner in accordance with the legislation in
force.
b.
The Chairperson may exempt the Owner
from all or part of the costs payable under paragraph (a) of this Article.
c.
Where it is established that a
Private Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site in the possession of its Owner
is damaged or collapses as a result of negligence, misuse, or a wrongful act by
the Owner, the DCAA may bring proceedings before the competent judicial
authority to recover from the Owner an amount equal to the value of that
Private Antiquity or Private Archaeological Site. This does not prejudice any
penalty prescribed under this Law and other legislation in force in the
Emirate.
a.
No
Person
may conduct any Archaeological Activities in the Emirate without first
obtaining a permit from the DCAA.
b.
The
Chairman of the Executive Council will issue a resolution regulating the
conduct of Archaeological Activities; prescribing the conditions and procedures
for issuing permits to conduct them; and determining the rights of entities
authorised to conduct those activities and the requirements to be met by
authorities, institutions, universities, institutes, museums, and other
entities specialising in Antiquities that are authorised by the DCAA to conduct
Archaeological Activities.
a.
A
Foreign Antiquity must not be brought into the Emirate for acquisition, trade,
exhibition, transit, re-export, or any other purpose without first obtaining
the approval of the DCAA. The implementing bylaw of this Law will prescribe the
requirements and procedures for obtaining that approval.
b.
The
Dubai Customs Department must seize any Foreign Antiquity that a Person
attempts to bring into the Emirate without the prior approval of the DCAA and
deliver it to the DCAA to take the necessary action in respect thereof. This is without
prejudice to the application of the provisions and penalties prescribed under
the above-mentioned Federal Decree No. (15) of 2022 in relation to any attempt
to bring a Foreign Antiquity into the Emirate.
c.
The
DCAA will
return a seized Foreign Antiquity that is found to be lawfully possessed to its
Owner and require the Owner to comply with the requirements and complete the
procedures for obtaining the approval referred to in paragraph (a) of this
Article before bringing the Foreign Antiquity into the Emirate.
d.
The
DCAA will coordinate with the MoC in respect of any seized Foreign Antiquity
that is found to be unlawfully possessed, with a view to initiating
the procedures for returning it to its Owner or to the state that owns it.
e.
Ownership
of a Foreign Antiquity will vest in the Emirate if its Owner cannot be
identified or no bilateral agreement exists between the UAE and the state that
owns the Foreign Antiquity, subject to a court judgment ordering its confiscation.
a.
A
Person must obtain a no-objection certificate from
the DCAA before carrying out a Major Project in the Emirate if the project is
to be carried out within an Archaeological Site or an area containing
Antiquities.
b.
The
DCAA will issue the no-objection certificate referred to in paragraph (a) of
this Article upon verifying that the area in which the Major Project is to be
carried out contains no Antiquities or Archaeological Sites.
c.
The
DCAA will coordinate with the competent entities in the Emirate to determine
which Major Projects require a no-objection certificate under this Article.
In return for issuing permits,
approvals, and no-objection certificates, and providing services under this Law
and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof, the DCAA will collect the fees
prescribed by the relevant resolution issued by the Chairman of the Executive
Council.
a.
Without
prejudice
to any stricter penalty stipulated in any other legislation, a Person who commits
any act constituting a violation of the provisions of this Law, its
implementing bylaw, and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof will be
punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dirhams (AED 100) and not more
than one hundred thousand dirhams (AED 100,000).
b.
The
Chairman
of the Executive Council will issue a resolution determining the acts that
constitute violations of this Law, its implementing bylaw, and the resolutions
issued in pursuance thereof; and the relevant fine prescribed for each act.
c.
Upon
repetition
of the same violation within one (1) year from the date of the previous
violation, the amount of the fine imposed on the violator will be doubled. A
fine must not exceed two hundred thousand dirhams (AED 200,000).
d.
In
addition to the penalty of a fine prescribed under this Article, the DCAA may
take one or more of the following measures against a violator:
1.
issuing a warning;
2.
suspending the permit, approval, or
no-objection certificate for a period not exceeding six (6) months;
3.
coordinating with the competent
Government Entities to stop and remove any encroachment upon, or damage caused
to, Antiquities, Archaeological Sites, or a Buffer Zone;
4.
requiring the violator, under the
supervision of the DCAA and within the time frame prescribed by it, to restore
the situation to its original state before the encroachment upon the
Antiquities, Archaeological Sites, or Buffer Zone. Where the violator fails to
do so, the DCAA may, using its own resources or those of any other entity,
restore the situation to its original state and claim from the violator any
relevant costs incurred; or
5.
taking any other measures prescribed
by the relevant resolutions of the Director General or prescribed by the
legislation in force.
The employees of the DCAA, nominated
pursuant to a resolution of the Director General, will have the capacity of law
enforcement officers to record the acts committed in breach of the provisions
of this Law, its implementing bylaw, and the resolutions issued in pursuance
thereof. For this purpose, they may issue the necessary violation reports; and,
where necessary, seek the assistance of police personnel.
The fees and fines collected pursuant
to this Law and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof will be paid to the
Public Treasury of the Government.
Any affected party may submit to the
Director General a written grievance against any decision, procedure, or
measure taken against him in accordance with this Law and the resolutions
issued in pursuance hereof, within thirty (30) days from the date of being
notified of the contested decision, procedure, or measure. The grievance will
be determined, within thirty (30) days of its submission, by a committee formed
by the Director General for this purpose; and the decision issued by the
committee on the grievance will be final.
For the purposes of implementing this
Law, its implementing bylaw, and the resolutions issued in pursuance thereof,
the DCAA may seek assistance from the competent Government Entities, including
police personnel. Upon request, such entities must provide support and
assistance to the DCAA.
a.
The
Chairperson may delegate any of the powers vested in the Chairperson under this
Law and the resolutions issued in pursuance hereof to the Director
General, provided that such delegation is specific and in writing.
b.
The
Director General may delegate any of his powers under this Law and the
resolutions issued in pursuance hereof to any of the DCAA
employees, provided that such delegation is specific and in writing.
All Persons to whom this Law applies
must comply with its provisions within a period not exceeding one (1) year from
the date on which this Law comes into force. The Director General may, where
necessary, extend this period once for the same period.
a.
The
Chairman of the Executive Council will issue the implementing bylaw of this
Law.
b.
With
the exception of the resolutions which the Chairman of
the Executive Council or the Chairperson is authorised to issue under this Law,
the Director General will issue the resolutions required for implementing the
provisions of this Law.
Any provision in any other legislation
is hereby repealed to the extent that it conflicts with the provisions of this
Law.
This Law will be published in the
Official Gazette and will come into force on the day on which it is published.
Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum
Ruler of Dubai
Issued in
Dubai on 11 May 2026
Corresponding to 24 Thu al-Qidah 1447 A.H.
©2026 The Supreme Legislation Committee in the
Emirate of Dubai
[1]Every effort has been made to produce an
accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However, for the
purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made to the
original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text will prevail.