Guide · updated 26.10.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

A Criminal Case Outside Dubai: Who Handles It in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Other Emirates

Get a lawyer's help: Criminal Lawyer in Dubai

Most of what you read about UAE criminal cases describes Dubai. A case in Abu Dhabi or Sharjah runs through a different prosecution office, a different court and different online services. This guide maps each emirate, with facts checked against official sources on 26 October 2026.

One law, several systems

Every emirate applies the same federal law on criminal procedure, Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022. A case starts with a complaint to the police of the emirate where the incident happened. According to u.ae, police usually refer the file to the prosecution within 48 hours.

The prosecutor decides whether to send the case to court and can impose a travel ban under Article 99 of that law. The ban goes to every UAE border point, so a Sharjah case can stop you at Dubai airport.

Detention limits, questioning and appeal deadlines under Law No. 38/2022 are in our guide to UAE criminal law.

Map: who handles the case in each emirate

On 26 October 2026 the u.ae portal still lists Sharjah as federal, on a page last updated 20 October 2026. That entry is out of date: WAM, Sharjah24 and Gulf News all reported the decrees and Law No. 7/2025 taking effect.

Abu Dhabi: prosecution inside ADJD, and Estafser

Abu Dhabi keeps its own judicial system. ADJD covers both the courts and the prosecution, so your case stays inside one department from the prosecutor to the verdict. Dubai splits the same work between Dubai Public Prosecution and Dubai Courts, with separate websites.

Prosecution. ADJD has three major prosecutions: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. They investigate crimes and serious cases.

Courts. Three levels: Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal, Court of Cassation. According to u.ae, in emirates with a local system the top court is the local Court of Cassation, not the Federal Supreme Court.

How to check a case and a travel ban in Abu Dhabi:

1. Use Estafser ("ask" in Arabic) on adjd.gov.ae or in the ADJD app. It tells you whether the prosecution wants you, whether a travel ban exists, and whether a money claim is open. It runs 24/7 in Arabic, English and Urdu.
2. Enter your unified number (UID), the number on the visa in your passport. ADJD sign-in works with UAE PASS or an ADJD account.
3. The answer lands in your online profile, with an SMS, email or app alert. Dubai Police answers on the spot; Estafser routes your question to staff. In Q1 2025 ADJD received 6,292 Estafser inquiries and answered 97% within one working day and 99% within three.
4. The AD Judicial app from ADJD shows the status of civil and criminal cases in court and at the prosecution, plus hearing dates.

How Abu Dhabi differs from Dubai in practice. In Dubai you start with Dubai Police, enter your Emirates ID and get an instant answer. In Abu Dhabi you start with the judicial department, and the key is your UID. We found no public Abu Dhabi Police service for checking criminal case status online. If your complaint has not left the police yet, ask at the station or through a lawyer.

Estafser covers Abu Dhabi cases only. A Dubai or Sharjah case will not appear there.

Sharjah: its own judiciary since 2025

Until 2024 Sharjah's courts belonged to the federal system under the MOJ. That has changed:

• 23 October 2024. The Ruler of Sharjah issued decrees creating the emirate's Judicial Department and Public Prosecution. Federal judges and staff, plus the MOJ systems and records for Sharjah, move to the new department. Until a local law arrived, courts kept working under MOJ rules.
• From 1 June 2025. Sharjah applies Law No. 7 of 2025 on the judicial authority. The law lets the prosecution lead investigations, bring and pursue criminal cases, and appeal rulings. The Sharjah Court of Cassation is the top court.
• 11 January 2026. The Sharjah Judicial Council launched the sjd.ae platform. It covers civil, commercial, labour, family and enforcement cases, notary services, and Public Prosecution services for criminal cases.

How to check a case in Sharjah. Use sjd.ae and sign in at eservice.sjd.ae. We could not confirm from public pages which fields the criminal case check asks for, or whether it shows travel bans: the service catalogue opens only after sign-in. While your complaint is still with Sharjah Police, check with the police.

Older advice to "check Sharjah cases on moj.gov.ae" predates the transfer. For a new Sharjah case, start with sjd.ae.

Ras Al Khaimah: courts and prosecution apart

Ras Al Khaimah issued its judiciary law in 2002. The emirate has its own Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal and higher courts. Law No. 2 of 2012 separated the RAK Public Prosecution from the RAK Courts Department.

How to check a case in RAK:

1. RAK Courts e-services run on rakdigital.rak.ae, linked from the official courts.rak.ae site.
2. According to Gulf News, the path is RAK Courts → General Inquiry → Case Inquiry. You need the case number.
3. No case number? Gulf News suggests asking the CID section at a RAK police station.
4. RAK Courts publishes judgments on grpportal.rak.ae.

We found no separate RAK online travel ban service.

Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain: the federal system

Federal courts hear cases from these three emirates, and the federal prosecution handles them. Each emirate keeps its own police force.

• Ajman. Ajman Police offers Report Status Inquiry (Criminal, Traffic). You need a valid Emirates ID and a UAE PASS login on the Ajman Police website or app. You get a Report Status Certificate.
• Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. We found no public police service for checking criminal case status online. Visit the station, call the police or use a lawyer.
• Court. The MOJ runs a Case Status Search on moj.gov.ae and an inquiry line on 800 333 333.
• Prosecution. u.ae links to a federal Public Prosecution case inquiry on pp.gov.ae. On 26 October 2026 that page returned an error, so we could not confirm how it works.

Don't know which emirate the case is in?

1. Think about where the incident happened. You file with the police there, and the case stays with that emirate's prosecution.
2. Check Dubai through Dubai Police with your Emirates ID. It is free and fast, and it covers Dubai only.
3. Send an Estafser inquiry if you lived or worked in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain or Al Dhafra.
4. For Sharjah, RAK and the northern emirates, use the services above.
5. If the services disagree or you are abroad, get a lawyer under a power of attorney.

The service-by-service table is in our guide on checking a criminal case in the UAE. Case stages and Dubai Police statuses are in checking a police case. Called in for questioning? Read questioning at the UAE prosecution.

What a lawyer can and can't do

We are a consultancy (DET licence 1192929). We help you find out where your case sits and at what stage, gather documents and prepare your position. Licensed UAE advocates we work with handle court defence in any emirate. No honest lawyer guarantees an outcome.

If a case already exists, start with a criminal lawyer. If someone was detained, see arrested in the UAE: what to do.

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.