Guide · updated 31.07.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

How to File a Police Report in Dubai: Online and In Person

Something happened — your phone got stolen, you got scammed on a deal, someone hit you at a bar, your account got hacked — and the first question is always practical: where exactly do you go, and what actually happens after you file. Dubai has fewer formalities than you'd expect: filing a police complaint (sometimes called a "balagh") is free, doesn't require a lawyer, and in most cases doesn't even require leaving your house. The process itself is predictable, from picking a channel to the case landing with the prosecution. Here's every filing channel, what to bring, what language to use, and what happens to the case afterward.

The filing channels

Dubai doesn't have one single front door — there are several parallel channels, and which one you use depends on the type of incident.

• Dubai Police app (Android/iOS). The main modern channel: the services home screen has a "Make a Report" section → "File Criminal Complaint," which covers most cases, from theft to a domestic dispute.
• dubaipolice.gov.ae website. The same "File Criminal Complaint" digital service, available through the web without installing the app.
• eCrime portal/app. A separate channel specifically for cybercrime — hacking, phishing, online scams, identity theft. Covered in detail in Scammed in Dubai: How to Report Fraud — if your case is digital, start there instead.
• A police station or Smart Police Station (SPS) in person. For anyone who prefers dealing with a person, or who needs to hand over original documents and physical evidence right away.
• Calling 901 — the call centre for consultations and non-emergency reports, staffed around the clock.

Filing online: step by step

The digital process is the same step-by-step form whether you use the website or the app:

1. Open the services menu and select "Make a Report" on the home screen.
2. From the list of report types (criminal complaint, e-crime report, bounced cheque, and others), choose "File Criminal Complaint."
3. Enter the police station that covers where the incident happened — the system ties your report to that territorial jurisdiction, not to where you live.
4. Pick the case type — the category that best matches what happened. This determines which documents the system asks for next.
5. Upload documents and evidence per the updated checklist — the form adjusts its requirements to the case type you picked, so it's worth having everything ready beforehand (chat logs, photos, receipts, the other party's details).
6. Submit the report — you'll get a case number to track its status.

If your case involves cybercrime, a hacked WhatsApp account, or a fake investment platform, the same steps apply but go through the separate eCrime portal, covered in Scammed in Dubai.

Which police station to pick

Dubai Police ties your report to the station covering where the incident happened — not where you live. That's the detail that trips people up most often.

• If the incident happened at home, in your neighbourhood, or at a specific venue, pick the station responsible for that area.
• If you're not sure which station that is, the website/app form usually suggests one based on your location or the neighbourhood name — just enter where the incident happened rather than guessing.
• For filing in person, a Smart Police Station (SPS) is an alternative to a regular station — not a "lighter" version of it, but a full channel for filing reports that never closes.

Smart Police Stations: when to go in person

Smart Police Stations are automated units that run 24/7 with no staff member permanently on site — you file the report yourself at a terminal, with digital guidance through the process.

• Services are available in at least seven languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Russian, German, and Chinese — so you can go through the whole process in Russian.
• There's a scanner and printer on site: you can digitise documents on the spot and get a printed copy of your filed report.
• Residents need an Emirates ID to file; visitors and tourists without residency need a passport.
• Filing in person makes the most sense when you have physical evidence (damaged items, documents that are easier to show than describe) or when the situation calls for talking to a person directly rather than filling out a form.

What to bring, and what language to use

Regardless of the channel — online or in person — the details you'll be asked for are roughly the same:

• Emirates ID (for residents) or passport (for visitors without residency) — the main identifier your report gets tied to.
• Any evidence relevant to the case: photos, video, chat logs, payment receipts, the other party's account or phone numbers, witness contacts.
• For a car accident, a workplace dispute, or a rental issue — the relevant contracts, insurance documents, vehicle plate numbers.

Language: you can file in English or Russian — Smart Police Stations and the 901 call centre are officially multilingual, Russian included. If you'd rather file in Russian than translate everything yourself, it's worth checking with the specific station first, or using an SPS, where multilingual service is officially stated.

901 vs 999: which number to call

The difference between the two numbers matters, and it's worth knowing before you're in a stressful situation rather than figuring it out during one:

• 999 is the emergency number — for something happening right now, or an immediate threat (an assault in progress, an accident, a crime underway).
• 901 is Dubai Police's call centre for non-emergency reports, consultations, and inquiries; it runs 24/7 and, besides voice calls, is also available through the app and online chat. According to Dubai Police, the 901 line took around 274,000 calls in a single year and covers more than 30 different services.

If the incident is already over (the theft happened yesterday, you found out about the scam this morning), that's generally a 901 or online-filing case, not a 999 one.

What happens after you file

Filing a report is the start of a process, not a one-off action with an instant result. As standard practice, a case moves through several stages:

1. Registration and initial review. Police log the report, assign a case number, and start gathering material — interviewing witnesses, requesting documents, and if needed, calling in the other party for a statement.
2. Referral to the prosecution. If police find grounds for an offence, the file is typically referred to the Public Prosecution within 48 hours of filing — this is a benchmark that comes up in legal sources, not a hard statutory guarantee for every case.
3. Prosecutor's review. The prosecutor examines the material and decides whether the charge holds up. As a matter of practice, the prosecution is required to question the accused within 24 hours and then decide on arrest or release (citing Article 47 of the relevant law) — worth noting honestly that sources describe the details of this rule differently, and the exact procedure depends on the specific case and the article of the charge.
4. Further investigation. If there's enough material to proceed, the prosecutor may ask police to gather more evidence, re-interview the parties, or call the accused in again. As a matter of practice among legal sources, a typical investigation takes several weeks, though in complex cases the prosecution can ask the court for more time.
5. Referral to court or closure. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case either goes to court or is closed for lack of grounds.

Checking exactly which stage your case is at right now is its own topic, covered in How to Check if You Have a Case in the UAE.

Can you withdraw a complaint

Worth being honest here: withdrawing a complaint doesn't always mean the case closes automatically.

• If you're the only complainant and you withdraw, as general practice that can lead to the criminal case lapsing — but not for every type of offence: some cases in the UAE fall under public law, where the decision to continue or drop the case belongs to the state, not the complainant, and a private withdrawal doesn't automatically stop the process.
• If there are several complainants, closing the case usually requires all of them to withdraw, not just one.
• Withdrawing a criminal complaint and giving up civil compensation are two different things: if you want to keep the right to a separate civil claim (to recover money, for example), it matters how the withdrawal is worded, so it doesn't accidentally close that path too.
• Sources differ on the details by specific article and case category — which offences are "waivable" and which aren't is best checked with a lawyer for your specific charge, rather than assumed by analogy with someone else's case.

Timelines: what to expect, and when to get a lawyer

No official source guarantees a case will resolve in a fixed number of days — timelines depend on the type of offence, how busy the specific station is, and how complex the evidence is. The benchmarks above (48 hours to referral, 24 hours for the first interview of the accused, several weeks for investigation) are standard practice, not a guaranteed deadline for every case.

You need a lawyer if:

• the case is complex, involves multiple incidents, or a large sum of money or property;
• the other party has already hired a lawyer, or the case has escalated to court;
• you want to withdraw a criminal complaint while protecting your right to a civil claim;
• you have reason to suspect a counter-complaint against you (for example, over public statements about the other party — a separate risk covered in Defamation in the UAE);
• the investigation has dragged on and you don't know what stage it's at.

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