Federal Decree by Law No. (1) of 2001 Concerning the Guard of the State’s Land and Sea Borders (justice and juiciary law)

Article (1)  
The following terms and phrases shall have the meanings assigned next to each, unless the 
context requires otherwise:  
Stat e : United Arab Emirates.  
Armed 
Forces  : The armed forces of the United Arab Emirates.  
Land 
Borderline  : The border separating the State's terrestrial territory from other 
terrestrial territories of neighboring states.  
Land 
Border Area  : The distance extending from the borderline to the end of forty 
kilometers inside  the State's territory, or as determined in  
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  accordance to the Border Agreement signed with neighboring 
States.  
 
Ports  
 : Entries and exits located within the land border area as approved 
by the State's competent authorities.  
 
Roads, 
Pathways, 
and Tracks  : Places allocated by the State's competent authorities and armed 
forces, for crossing within land border areas, from and to land 
ports and border guard's centers and checkpoints . 
Vehicles  : All modes of land transport.  
Sea Regions  :  All of the State's sea areas designated in accordance with the 
provision of Federal Law No. (19) of 1993.  
Sea Border  : The border separating the State's sea regions from the sea regions 
of neighboring States.  
Border 
Guard, 
Coast 
Guard  :  The competent authority within the armed forces, entrusted with 
implementing the provisions of this Decree by Law, each in its 
own jurisdiction . 
Ship  
 : : Every medium which operates or is designed to operate in a 
marine environment, without regards to i ts power, load, or 
purpose of its navigation, and it includes ships and boats move 
using slides, and vehicles that move using airbags above the water 
surface, and seaplanes.  
  
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Article (2)  
The Armed forces shall have the responsibility of guarding the land and sea borders of the 
State. All the "affairs" regarding the protection of seashores at the Ministry of Interior shall be 
transferred to the armed forces and all responsibilities of the M inistry of Interior regarding the 
protection of seashores shall be cancelled.

Article (3)  
The Armed Forces shall undertake all responsibilities essential to the protection of sea and 
land barriers and the enforcement of laws in this respect. They have the right to fire at any 
smuggler and infiltrator in the sea and border zones in accordance with the instructions of the 
general chief officers of the Armed Forces. In protecting the land and sea borders the Armed 
Forces shall have the following specific tasks : 
A. Tasks of the land border guards:  
a. The guarding of all land borders, roads, tracks, paths, and passages.  
b. Fighting the smuggling and infiltrators in the land border zones, and all types of 
persons and machines may be stopped and searched.  
c. Early warning regarding any suspect activity on the land border lines in the border 
zones.  
d. Concluding reports on all accidents that take place in the land border zones.  
e. Providing assistance in search and rescue operations in the land and border zones.  
f. Guarding l and vehicles during its crossing of land borders and watch it as it travels 
on roads and tracks.  
g. Safeguarding archaeological places regarding national heritage and conserving the  
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 environment and sea riches within land borders according to applicable laws.  
B. Tasks of the seashore guards:  
a. The guarding of sea boundaries bordering other nations, early warning on any 
suspect activity through sea patrols, setting up all necessary establishments on the 
seashores and the islands of the state or by any other  means necessary.  
b. Preventing the violation of State laws and security, custom, immigration, health, and 
environmental regulations.  
c. Search and rescue operations and providing assistance in emergencies.  
d. Guarding sea navigation with the Ministry of Communicat ions and port authorities 
and reporting navigation dangers.  
e. Protection of petrol establishments, cables, and sea pipelines.  
f. Protection of means of facilitating navigation, navigation facilities and other 
establishments.

Article (4)  
 
1. Subject to Articles 2 and 3 above of this Decree, by a decision the Minister of Interior 
with consultation with the Minister of Defense, port police to be established having as its 
task the keeping of safety and security in the ports and the gulfs.  
2. To carr y out this article, there shall be special provisions in the general accounts of the 
Ministry of Interior.

Article (5)  
The Minister of Defense or the General Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces shall specify the  
Federal Decree of 2001 Concerning the Guard of the State’s Land and Sea Borders  
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 conditions for the operation of the internal waters or stopping in the ports of the State.

Article (6)  
In compliance with public international law, the Minister of Defense may issue decisions in 
relation to the following:  
1. Temporary suspension of operation or crossing of foreign ships in designated areas of 
the territorial waters of the State.  
2. Safety of navigation and organizing sea crossing.  
3. Designating and allocating areas for the organization of sea passage in the territorial 
waters.

Article (7)  
 
1. Officers and individuals of land and sea border guards are considered law officers and as 
such they may undertake the rights granted by this law or by Federal Law no. 35 of 1992.  
2. Land border guards may arrest infiltrators and their assistants and chase them over 
private and public property wh enever this is necessary.  
3. In compliance with public international law, any foreign ship may be seized and 
searched whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that the ship has violated 
the laws and regulations of the State.  
4. Nothing in this article contravenes the right of fast chasing [hot pursuit?] as subscribed 
by public international law.

Article (8)   
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 Courts and Prosecution of the Federal capital shall be competent to examine violations of 
articles 5, 13, 14, 18 and 20 of Federal Law no. 1 9 of 1993, articles 34, 40 and 44 of Federal 
Law no. 23 of 1999, articles 21, 27, 31, 34 and 26 of Federal Law no. 24 of 1999

Article (9)  
The General Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces shall issue the decisions necessary for the 
implementation of this Fed eral Decree by Law.

Article (10)  
The Ministers and all concerned authorities in the Emirates shall comply with the relevant 
provisions of this decree of a law.

Article (11)  
All provisions in contravention of this decree of a law are hereby repealed. This l aw shall be 
published in the Official Gazette and shall become effective on the day it is published.  
  
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan  
President  of the United Arab Emirates  
Issued by us in the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi  
Issued on: 13 Rajab 1422 A.H.  
Corresponding: 30 September 2001 AD