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

Assault charges in the UAE: penalties and how a settlement closes the case

Key points

The main provision is Article 390 of Law No. 31/2021. If the injured person was ill or unable to carry on daily activities for more than 20 days, the penalty is imprisonment (incarceration) and a fine. For lesser harm: up to 1 year and a fine of up to AED 10,000.
Permanent disability (loss of an organ, a function or a sense, or lasting disfigurement) makes it a felony: up to 7 years if intended (Art. 388), up to 5 years if the disability wasn't intended (Art. 389).
Articles 390 and 394 (causing injury by negligence) appear on the list of offences where criminal settlement is allowed (Art. 349 of Law No. 38/2022). You can settle at any stage, even after the verdict.
In a mutual fight, or a minor assault where the victim drops their claim, the judge may excuse the defendant from punishment: a judicial pardon (Art. 152).
A foreigner sentenced to prison for a misdemeanour may be deported at the court's discretion. For a felony, deportation is mandatory (Art. 126).

A punch in a bar, a shove in a car park or a scuffle with a neighbour becomes a criminal case in the UAE under Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (the Crimes and Penalties Law). The penalty depends on what happened to the injured person: how many days they couldn't carry on with daily life, and whether they suffered a permanent disability. Most fight cases fall under Article 390, and the law lets the parties settle those.

Which articles apply

Articles 387 to 392 of Law No. 31/2021 scale with the harm done, not the number of blows.

Harm to the injured person	Article	Penalty under the law
Minor harm: illness or inability to work for 20 days or less	390, para. 2	Up to 1 year and a fine of up to AED 10,000
Illness or inability to carry on daily activities for more than 20 days	390, para. 1	Imprisonment (1 month to 3 years under Art. 70) and a fine
Permanent disability without intent to cause it	389	Up to 5 years; up to 10 with aggravating circumstances or under the influence
Permanent disability caused on purpose	388	Up to 7 years
Death without intent to kill	387	Up to 10 years
Injury by negligence	394	Up to 1 year and/or a fine of up to AED 10,000

The law treats as permanent the loss of an organ or part of it, full or partial loss of its function, loss of a sense, and grave disfigurement that can't be removed (Art. 388).

Article 392 adds a rule for a pre-planned attack by a group of three or more using a weapon, club or other tool. Each member faces imprisonment and a fine, or a harsher article where their own act fits one.

Medical records settle how many days the injured person couldn't work. If you dispute the report, raise it through your lawyer at the prosecution stage, not after the verdict.

Misdemeanour or felony

This shapes almost everything: whether you can settle, whether deportation follows, how long the case takes.

Misdemeanour: Articles 390 and 394. Imprisonment runs from 1 month to 3 years (Art. 70). Settlement and suspended sentences are available.
Felony: Articles 387 to 389. These carry "imprisonment" in the stricter sense: 3 to 15 years by default, with the article setting the upper limit (Art. 69). The Article 349 settlement procedure doesn't cover them.

Settlement: how a fight case gets closed

Article 349 of Law No. 38/2022 (the Criminal Procedures Law) lists the articles where criminal settlement is allowed, and 390 and 394 are on it. The process:

The victim, or their representative under a special power of attorney, declares the settlement at the prosecution or in court. An attested settlement document also works.
Before the case goes to court, the prosecution can propose criminal mediation itself.
Settlement ends the prosecution. If a verdict has already been passed, the prosecution suspends its enforcement (Art. 357).
The prosecution won't accept a settlement that comes with a condition or a time limit (Art. 350). A statement like "I settle if I get paid" won't work: the parties pay first, then the victim files.
Once the prosecutor approves the settlement, neither side can withdraw it. The settlement report is enforceable like a court writ.

Settlement doesn't resolve the civil side by itself. The victim keeps the right to claim compensation unless the agreement waives or covers it (Art. 358). Write the amount and the waiver of claims into the agreement.

The Penal Code adds a separate rule: for Article 390 cases, the prosecution suspends a prison sentence once the victim waives the claim or settles with the convicted person (Art. 84).

How waiver and sulh work in general: closing a criminal case in the UAE.

Mutual fights and judicial pardon

Article 152 of Law No. 31/2021 lets a judge excuse a misdemeanour defendant from punishment in two situations that matter for fights:

the insult or the assault was mutual;
the assault was minor and the victim waived their private right.

The judge issues a warning that a second pardon won't be granted. Judges can use this power but don't have to, so don't plan around it.

Self-defence

The law clears you if you acted in legitimate self-defence (Art. 58). All four conditions must hold:

you faced an immediate threat of a violent crime against yourself, another person or property, or reasonably believed you did;
you couldn't reach the authorities in time;
you had no other way to stop the threat;
your response was necessary and proportionate to the attack.

Going beyond those limits in good faith counts as a mitigating excuse, and the judge may excuse you from punishment (Art. 61). Self-defence doesn't cover resisting a police officer acting within their duties (Art. 60).

Deportation and your visa

Under Article 126 of Law No. 31/2021, a foreigner sentenced to prison for a felony must be deported. For a misdemeanour, the court may order deportation alongside the prison term or instead of it. The court can't deport the spouse or a first-degree relative of a UAE citizen, except for crimes against state security.

How deportation works and what you can do about it: deportation from the UAE. While the case runs, the prosecutor can ban you from travelling (Art. 99 of Law No. 38/2022): see travel bans in the UAE.

If you're accused of assault

Don't give a statement without an interpreter, and don't sign an Arabic record you can't read.
Keep the evidence: phone videos, witness contacts, and your own medical records if you were hurt too.
If you were injured, see a doctor and file your own report. A counter-case changes the settlement talks.
Don't contact the victim with threats or pressure. Negotiate through a lawyer or the prosecution's mediation.
Check for a travel ban before you head to the airport.

If you or a relative has been arrested, start with arrested in the UAE and a relative detained in the UAE.

When you need a lawyer

The injured person was badly hurt or is in treatment for more than 20 days.
You face Article 388 or 389.
You hold a residence visa and worry about deportation.
The victim will settle but wants compensation, and the agreement has to pass the prosecution.
The fight was mutual and you were hurt too.

Lucent Legal is a management consultancy (DET licence No. 1192929). We review the file, assess whether the case qualifies for settlement and prepare the documents. At the prosecution and in court, a partner advocate licensed in the UAE represents you. No one can promise the outcome, including us. Other charges are in UAE criminal law.

FAQ

What is the article for assault in the UAE?

Usually Article 390 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31/2021. If the harm lasted 20 days or less, the penalty is up to 1 year in prison and a fine of up to AED 10,000. Above 20 days, the court imposes prison and a fine without the 1-year cap.

Can an assault case close if the victim forgives me?

Under Articles 390 and 394, yes, through criminal settlement at the prosecution or in court (Art. 349 of Law No. 38/2022). For permanent disability (Arts. 388 and 389) this procedure doesn't apply.

Will I be deported for a fight?

For a misdemeanour, deportation is up to the court. A prison sentence for a felony means mandatory deportation (Art. 126).

What if the other person hit me first?

It may count as self-defence if your response was immediate, necessary and proportionate (Art. 58). For a mutual fight, the judge may grant a judicial pardon (Art. 152). File your own report and keep your medical records.

Can we settle after the verdict?

Yes. Article 350 of Law No. 38/2022 allows settlement at any stage, even after the judgment becomes final. The prosecution then suspends enforcement.

How much does a settlement cost?

The law sets no amount. The parties agree the compensation themselves and should put it in the agreement alongside the waiver of civil claims.

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.