Guide · updated 16.10.2026 · 9 min read · Lucent Legal team

Questioning at the UAE Public Prosecution: what happens and what comes next

Key points

Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 (the Criminal Procedures Law, CPL) governs questioning by the prosecution.
Police must hand a detained person to the prosecution within 48 hours. The prosecution must question them within 24 hours of that referral (Article 48).
Your lawyer can attend the questioning and read the investigation file (Article 98). If you don't speak Arabic, the prosecutor must provide an interpreter (Article 8).
After questioning, the prosecutor can release you, release you on bail or a travel ban, detain you for 7 days, refer the case to court, or dismiss it.
Skip a notice to appear without an acceptable excuse and the prosecutor can issue an arrest warrant (Article 100).
Don't sign an Arabic statement you can't read until someone translates it for you.

A summons from the Public Prosecution means the police have already sent your file to a prosecutor. The prosecutor decides whether the case goes to court, whether you stay in custody, and on what terms you walk out. This guide walks through the questioning under the UAE Criminal Procedures Law and your rights at each step.

How you get called in

There are two routes. If police arrested you, they bring you to the prosecutor themselves, and they have 48 hours from the arrest to do it. Our guide on what to do in the first 48 hours after an arrest covers that stage.

If you're free and someone filed a complaint against you, the prosecution serves a notice to appear.

Article 100 of the CPL lets the prosecutor issue an arrest warrant if you fail to appear without an acceptable excuse. So treat the summons seriously. If you can't make the date, tell the prosecution in advance, ideally through a lawyer.

Not sure a call is genuine? Check for a case yourself. Our guide on how to check if you have a case in the UAE shows how to search by Emirates ID or case number.

What to bring

Passport and Emirates ID.
The case number or police report number, if you have one.
Documents on the dispute: contracts, messages, cheques, bank statements.
Contact details for your lawyer and one family member.

Bring originals and copies, so you can leave copies with the prosecutor.

Your rights during questioning

The CPL sets these rights, and they apply to UAE nationals and foreigners alike.

To know the charge. The prosecutor records your details and tells you what you are accused of (Article 97).
To stay silent. Officers must tell you about the right to silence at arrest, before taking any statement (Article 48).
To a lawyer. Your lawyer can attend the questioning and review the investigation papers (Article 98). If the prosecutor bans contact with third parties, you can still speak to your lawyer in private (Article 106).
To an interpreter. If you don't speak Arabic, the prosecutor appoints an approved or licensed interpreter, or uses approved technical means (Article 8).

The state doesn't pay for a lawyer in ordinary cases. The court appoints one only where the charge carries death or life imprisonment and you have no lawyer of your own (Article 4).

How the questioning runs

The prosecutor asks the questions and a clerk types your answers into the record. Article 97 requires the record to include every answer you give. The record is in Arabic, the language of UAE proceedings.

During the session:

Hear each question through the interpreter in full. Ask for a repeat if you didn't follow.
Keep answers short and factual. Don't guess dates or amounts: "I don't remember exactly" beats a wrong number.
Hand over documents that support your account and ask for them to go on record.
Before you sign, ask for the whole record to be translated. If it doesn't match what you said, say so and ask for a correction.

The UK Foreign Office gives one firm rule for detainees in the UAE: don't sign documents in a language you don't understand. Once signed, the record goes into the file, and challenging it later is harder.

What the prosecutor decides after questioning

There are five outcomes.

Release with no conditions. For misdemeanours and most felonies, the prosecution can release you at any time, on its own or at your request, until the case reaches court (Article 108).
Release on conditions. Article 109 lists three forms: a personal guarantee, a bail bond and a travel ban. The prosecutor sets the amount and terms. See our guide on bail in the UAE.
Detention. The prosecutor's first detention order lasts 7 days and can be renewed once for up to 14 days (Article 107). After that only a judge can extend it, in periods of up to 30 days.
Referral to court. The prosecutor names the court and you receive notice to appear (Article 157). For a felony, or a misdemeanour punishable by more than a fine, you must attend in person (Article 161).
Dismissal. If there are no grounds to prosecute, the prosecution issues a dismissal order (Articles 118 and 119).

Where the charge carries death or life imprisonment, release needs the approval of the Attorney General or his representative (Article 108).

Dismissal, or "archiving"

The law has two kinds of dismissal.

With prejudice, Article 118. The Attorney General can revoke this order within 3 months of its issue.
Without prejudice, Article 119. The prosecution issues it when there is no legal ground to continue.

People often call a dismissal "archiving" the case. If you get one, check that any travel ban is gone too. Bans are lifted separately, and a ban can outlive the case.

Mediation and settlement at the prosecution

If both sides agree, the prosecution can run penal mediation through a mediator. Mediation lasts one month and can be extended once by the same period. Nothing you say in mediation counts as a confession.

The parties can settle at any stage, even after a final judgment. Settlement doesn't close every charge, though. Our guide on how to close a criminal case in the UAE explains which ones it does.

If detention was extended without you

An extension order can be made in your absence. You then have 3 days from learning of it to file a grievance (Article 107). A judge's decision to extend detention can be appealed to the Court of Appeal (Article 133). The deadlines are tight, so a lawyer should draft the filing.

How to find out what the prosecutor decided

Dubai Public Prosecution (dxbpp.gov.ae), case inquiry section: search by the case number the prosecution assigned. The prosecution portal won't find a case by Emirates ID alone.
Dubai Police, the "Criminal Status of Financial Cases" service: search by Emirates ID. It shows Dubai financial cases and flags a travel ban.
Abu Dhabi: Estafser at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

Our guide on checking for a case in the UAE goes through every service step by step.

When you need a lawyer

Whenever the prosecution calls you as a suspect rather than a witness. A lawyer reads the file before the session, sits in on the questioning, and applies for release or bail straight after.

Lucent Legal is a consultancy (LUCENT LEGAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES CO. L.L.C, DET licence No. 1192929). We review your situation, check the case status and prepare the documents. At the prosecution and in court, a UAE-licensed advocate we work with represents you. The prosecutor and the court decide the outcome, so nobody can promise you a result.

For every guide on this topic, see UAE criminal law.

FAQ

I got a Public Prosecution summons in Dubai. Can I ignore it?

No. Under Article 100 of the CPL, failing to appear without an acceptable excuse lets the prosecutor issue an arrest warrant. If you can't attend on the date, tell the prosecution in advance, ideally through a lawyer.

Can my lawyer be present during questioning at the UAE Public Prosecution?

Yes. Article 98 of Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 lets your lawyer attend the questioning and review the investigation papers.

Will I get an interpreter?

Yes, if you don't speak Arabic. Under Article 8 of the CPL, the prosecutor appoints an approved or licensed interpreter or uses approved technical means.

How long can the prosecution keep me in detention?

The first order lasts 7 days, and the prosecutor can renew it once for up to 14 days. After that only a judge can extend detention, in periods of up to 30 days (Article 107).

How do I check my Dubai prosecution case status?

On dxbpp.gov.ae, in the case inquiry section, using the prosecution case number. Without that number, start with the Dubai Police "Criminal Status of Financial Cases" service, which works with your Emirates ID.

What does it mean when the prosecution "archived" my case?

The prosecution issued a dismissal order (Articles 118–119). The Attorney General can revoke a dismissal with prejudice within 3 months. Check separately that any travel ban has been lifted.

Should I sign a statement written in Arabic?

Only after a full translation. The UK Foreign Office advises against signing documents in a language you don't understand, because the signed record goes into the case file.

Sources

Topic: UAE Criminal Law 2026

Get a lawyer's help: Criminal lawyer

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.