When you start living in a new country, you’d better get to know the local law even about simple things such as the way you use Internet including visiting websites with adult content, buy and sell cryptocurrencies and many other online activities that in western world is very normal.
UAE is governed by Islamic laws and most of the things that Islam has prohibited are also prohibited in UAE. When you are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and especially in the United Arab Emirates you should be extra cautious about the rules and local laws.
In a modern city like Dubai, you shouldn’t be seduced by its appearance as it looks like New York or Chicago, since Islamic rules are always governing the laws in these cities.
As a result, it is imperative that you keep up-to-date with Dubai’s laws when living there.
What are the Internet restrictions in UAE?
First let us show you a list of some online activities that may result in a fine or even imprisonment if you take part in them in United Arab Emirates.
- Create an publishing Pornography website and content
- Child Pornography and online children abuse
- Publishing contents that is offensive to any religion or prophet
- Publishing any offensive content about the Ruler of Dubai, Abu Dhabi or other authorities
- Selling drugs and illegal substances online
Most of these rules are similar to those in western countries too, as you can see. If you’re in UAE, you should avoid engaging in any of these illegal activities, otherwise you’ll be charged or jailed.
Due to this, all the websites that contain the above material have been censored and banned by major UAE Internet providers Du and Etisalat.
In addition to the above contents, UAE authorities have decided to restrict some other normal apps and services including :
- All VoIP service and apps including WhatsApp call, Skype, FaceTime, IMO and etc.
- Games like Roblox, Pubg,..
- Cryptocurrency Exchanges
They have started to make this restrictions over these websites and apps from 2013 till now.
Wonder How to unblock WhatsApp call in UAE or How to unblock IMO in UAE or if you an iOS user and you want to know how to unblock FaceTime in UAE , here are some helpful links.
Why Whatsapp calls blocked in UAE?
How to Unblock WhatsApp Calling in UAE with a VPN?
How to make call from UAE to USA for Free!
How to circumvent the Internet limitations in UAE?
To bypass the internet limitations you need to change your Internet Protocol or IP from UAE to another location.
You can make it possible only and only by making a Virtual Private Network or in short VPN from your device to a server which is a PC in another country.
This way your Internet address will be changed and If the protocol isn’t restricted you will connect to the free internet in the destination country.
If you start to surf the App Store or Google Play Store you can find dozens of free and Paid VPN in UAE apps but not every VPN can help you to bypass limitations in UAE. Why VPN doesn’t work in UAE? there are plenty of reasons. but there’s only one VPN that works in UAE.
And that is MenaVPN.
Below are the links for getting the best UAE VPN.
There’s some good articles which you can read about VPNs in UAE.
Why would you need a VPN in UAE?
What is the best VPN for VoIP in UAE?
Is using a VPN legal in UAE?
This is the most frequent question ever asked from us. to be honest we are not legal advisors and as VPN sellers our answer might be biased to encourage you to buy VPN from us. but we strongly recommend you to do your own research before purchasing or installing any VPN on your device.
The following is our understanding of UAE law.
In UAE, there is a regulatory organization called Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA), which defines what type of online activities are illegal and website or services regarding to them should be blocked.
According to what this organization has announced so far about using a VPN in United Arab Emirates:
“VPN usage is only and only illegal when you use it to commit a crime.”
As a result, if you use a VPN to facilitate or hide any criminal activity, you will be fined or even face imprisonment.
In contrast, if you use a VPN to communicate with a parent or friend via WhatsApp or FaceTime, you haven’t committed a crime, so you’re safe and there won’t be any charges filed.
Consequently, Using a VPN itself would not constitute a crime if it is used for legitimate purposes.
You can also read the below article in this case.
Is it illegal to use VPN in UAE?
How much is the fine for using a VPN?
The use of a VPN to commit a crime or to hide your IP address to commit a crime or prevent authorities from discovering you shall result in the punishment of a fine of not less than AED 500,000 and not more than AED 2,000,000.
It is important to note that if you use a VPN for regular activities, such as using WhatsApp or Facetime to make voice calls, watching Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar or Hulu, you will not face fines.
In addition, if you use VPN for banking or internal communication within your company or university, you won’t commit any crime, so there’s no need to worry about fines.
There is a dedicated article about VPN fine in UAE which you can read to make better decision.
What is a legal VPN in UAE?
By the time we write this blog post there are not any certified VPN in the United Arab Emirates.
For making free calls over IP (VOIP) there are some government based apps like Botim which we don’t advise you to use it.(because of privacy issues and security problems it may provide to you.)
It is a good idea to choose VPN services that have their headquarters in the European Union for UAE residents.
It’s because EU regulations require all Internet companies in there, including VPN providers, to follow strict privacy policies. Therefore, we strongly recommend using a VPN from an EU country.
Is MenaVPN legal in UAE?
Use MenaVPN and don’t worry about getting any fine!
MenaVPN is a Dutch company, and 100% aligned with EU user privacy policy. Based on users rating on the Appstore, MenaVPN is the best VPN app for iOS in UAE by achieving a rating of 4.7 out of 5.
You can simply download MenaVPN below for your preferred device.
PS: This is our perception of the law of UAE, but you’d better consult with a lawyer if you think this act might have consequences for you.
How to buy VPN in Dubai
You need to consider some important points before purchasing from a website or app. We have written an article on How to buy VPN in UAE. so you can read it in less than 4 minutes and make a wiser decision.
If you have decided to go with MenaVPN, we have the best pricing in UAE and support among all VPN services out there.
If you have any questions or face any problem using MenaVPN, you know how to contact us.