United Arab Emirates
Suits should be worn and prior appointments are essential. Business entertaining will often be lavish. English is widely spoken in business circles, but translation services are likely to be available. Meetings can often run late and projects may experience postponements and extensions. It is considered impolite to begin addressing business topics without taking several minutes for small talk. Office hours are 0800-1300 and 1600-1930 Saturday to Wednesday and 0800-1200 Thursday. Government office hours are 0730-1330 Saturday to Wednesday and 0730-1200 Thursday (winter) and 0700-1300 Saturday to Thursday (summer).
Foreign nationals may become involved in disputes of a commercial nature involving the withholding of the expatriate citizen's passport by the local firm or courts. Travel bans may also be imposed on foreign citizens involved in financial disputes with a local sponsor or firm. These bans, which are rigidly enforced, prevent the individual from leaving the UAE for any reason until the matter is resolved. Although it is customary for a local sponsor to hold an employee's passport, it is not required under UAE law. Most contractual/labor disputes can be avoided by clearly establishing all terms and conditions of employment or sponsorship in the labor contract at the beginning of any employment. Should a dispute still arise, the UAE Ministry of Labor has a special department to review and arbitrate labor claims.
General crime in Abu Dhabi remains low; however, the actual crime rate is difficult to measure due to the host government policy of not releasing crime statistics in the public domain. This year there has been a general increase in crime, including numerous residential break-ins, assaults, thefts, drug violations, and the death of a maid in the residence of an expatriate. Even with the increased incidents of crime, the rate is far lower than in many metropolitan cities throughout the world. It is important to note that the UAE has the tenth largest police force per capita with (1) police officer for every (140) residents.
Much of the crime that is reported tends to be within the large third country national work force, which accounts for over 80 percent of the population. This workforce consists predominately of Pakistani, Indian, and Filipino males. The crimes committed by this particular portion of the population tend to be focused on other third country nationals, seldom involving westerners or UAE nationals. The lack of crimes committed against westerners and UAE nationals is due primarily due to the UAE judicial system which acts swiftly and severely against criminals. A third country national convicted of a crime will receive a sentence far more severe than a UAE national convicted of the same crime, after which the subject would be deported immediately.
Because of the low rate of crime in Abu Dhabi some expatriates fail to take the same general precaution that would normally be taken. Failure to lock car doors and front gates to residences for example has led to some cases of petty theft. Because the third country national work force consists of predominantly single men, there have been some cases of sexual deviance against expatriate women.
Accommodation is plentiful and some very reasonable prices can be found, with rates remaining constant all year round. Most of the major international hotel chains are represented, i.e. Hyatt, Forte, Sheraton, Hilton, Inter-Continental, Marriott and Ramada. There are also top-class beach resort hotels at Jebel Ali and Chicago Beach and a mountain resort hotel at Hatta Fort.
Telephone IDD service is available both to and from all states. The country code is 971 and the outgoing international code is 00. Main area codes: Abu Dhabi 2; Ajman, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain 6; Al Ain 3; Dubai 4; Fujairah 9; Jebel Ali 4 and Ras al Khaimah 7. There is a good local telephone network. Telephone calls within each state are free. Fax services are available at ETISALAT offices. All hotels have fax facilities.
Electricity is 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square 3-pin plugs are widespread.
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220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are widespread.
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Local fruit and vegetables are increasingly available and there is excellent local fish. Hotels serve both Arab and European food and there is also a number of Chinese, Indian and other restaurants. National specialties:
• Hummus (chickpea and sesame paste).
• Tabbouleh (bulghur wheat with mint and parsley).
• Ghuzi (roast lamb with rice and nuts).
• Warak enab (stuffed vine leaves).
• Koussa mashi (stuffed courgettes).
• Makbous (spicy lamb with rice).
• Seafood with
spicy rice are also popular. National drinks:
• Ayran (a refreshing yogurt drink).
• Strong black coffee.
Things to know: All the Emirates, with the exception of Sharjah, permit the consumption of alcohol by non-Muslims. It is illegal to drink alcohol in the street or to buy it for a UAE citizen.Tipping:
Most hotels, restaurants and clubs add fairly high service charges to the bill, therefore tipping is not necessary. Taxi drivers are not tipped.Nightlife
There are several nightclubs located in major centers and entertainment ranges from Arabic singers and dancers to international pop stars. Bars are found in all top hotels and range from sophisticated cocktail lounges to English-style pubs. Some hotels also have discos. Traditional dances are performed on public holidays. Most large towns have cinemas showing English-language films.
