Media centre
Accreditation, permits, and who issues them.
Permits in this country are local: each emirate issues filming permissions on its own ground, and a drone is always a separate authorisation. This page says which office, and opens the request.
Filming permit
Issued per emirate by its media office, with a separate consent from the site itself when it is a museum, a reserve or a mosque.
Drone
Registration and prior authorisation, always separate from the filming permit. A venue's consent is not that authorisation.
The library
Cleared assets with a territory and an expiry stated on each — requested with the accreditation.
Accreditation
Request accreditation
Fill in what actually decides the permits: the outlet, the assignment, the emirates and specifically what you need. The request goes to the media office of each emirate you select.
The authorities
Who to ask in each emirate
| Emirate | Authority | Areas covered |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain, The Corniche, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Sir Bani Yas, Delma Island, Al Dhafra |
| Dubai | Department of Economy and Tourism – Dubai | Dubai city, Al Fahidi, Deira, Downtown Dubai, Al Quoz, Palm Jumeirah, Hatta |
| Sharjah | Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority | Sharjah city, Khor Fakkan, Heart of Sharjah, Mleiha |
| Ajman | Ajman Department of Tourism Development | Ajman city |
| Umm Al Quwain | Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology | Umm Al Quwain city, Al Sinniyah Island |
| Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority | Ras Al Khaimah city, Jazirat Al Hamra, Al Marjan Island, The Hajar Mountains |
| Fujairah | Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority | Fujairah city, The east coast |
Imagery & film
What the library allows
Rights are stated on every asset
Each image and film carries a named owner, a usage territory and an expiry date written on it; nothing is supplied without them.
Territory means territory
A licence for one market or one outlet does not extend to another by default — ask before republishing.
Expiry means expiry
An expired asset is withdrawn from the library and must not be used past its date, even if you hold a copy.
People in photographs
No image of identifiable people is supplied without their consent, and that applies to guests, staff and passers-by alike.
Fact sheet
Facts that hold year to year
No visitor-number statistics on this page and no press releases: a figure that changes every season has no place on a fact sheet, and a press release is issued by its ministry rather than by a platform.
| The federation | Founded on 2 December 1971 by six emirates; Ras Al Khaimah joined on 10 February 1972. |
|---|---|
| Capital and emirates | Abu Dhabi is the capital and the largest emirate by area; Dubai is the largest by population; Ajman is the smallest by area. |
| Highest point | Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah — 1,934 m. |
| World Heritage | The cultural sites of Al Ain, inscribed by UNESCO in 2011 — the country's only inscription. |
| Currency | The dirham has been pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 since 1997. |
| Tax | VAT is 5%, applied since 1 January 2018; tourism and municipality fees are set by each emirate. |
| Working week | The federal weekend has been Saturday and Sunday since 1 January 2022, with Friday a half day. |
| Airports | Four international airports carry most inbound traffic: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. |
| Two seas | The western coast faces the Arabian Gulf; the east coast — Fujairah and Sharjah's exclaves — faces the Gulf of Oman. |