The UAE has some of the strictest penalties in the world for begging, with its laws spelling out fines and prison sentences for anyone caught soliciting money on the streets. 

Under Federal Law by Decree No. 31 of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, individuals found begging in the country face a fine of AED 5,000 (N1,831,633) and a custodial sentence of up to three months. The law applies broadly and is actively enforced across the Emirates. 

UAE announces penalties for street begging The consequences grow significantly more severe for those people involved in coordinating begging operations. 

Anyone who leads or runs a professional begging gang, or who recruits individuals from outside the UAE specifically to beg, faces a prison term of no less than six months alongside a minimum fine of AED 100,000 (N36,632,677).