UAE: Up to Dh100,000 fine, 1 year in jail for illegal trade in fireworks

With Eid Al Fitr round the corner, the UAE Public Prosecution on Saturday took to social media by releasing and awareness video to explain the laws and penalties regarding illegal trade in fireworks.

The authority said that imprisonment for a period of no less than a year and a fine of no less than Dh100,000 or either of them shall be imposed on anyone who, without a licence, trades in, imports, exports, manufactures bring fireworks from and to the country.

It is according to Article 54 of Federal Decree Law No. 17 of 2019 on Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Military Material and Hazardous Substances.

The law defines explosives in Article 1 as: “A chemical compound or a mixture of different chemical compounds reacting with each other when exposed to certain factors such as an instigating force producing certain pressure, heat and speed leading to affecting or damaging the surrounding area, and such includes fireworks.”

Article 3 of the law  reads:”Possession, acquisition, obtainment,  carrying, import, export, re-export, transit, trans-shipment, trade, manufacture, repair, transportation, or disposal of any weapon, ammunition, explosives, military material, or hazardous substances, shall not be permitted in any way, except after obtaining a licence or permit to this effect from the licensing authority or from the concerned entity, according to the provisions of this Decree-Law.”