Federal Law No. (15) of 2020 on Consumer Protection

Official-text notice. This is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering prepared from the current sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the controlling verbatim English text. The official Arabic text prevails for interpretation and application. Exact article wording, thresholds, exceptions, penalties and deadlines should be checked directly before live reliance.

Federal Law No. (15) of 2020 on Consumer Protection

Verified legislative metadata

Purpose and legal effect

Protects consumers in the UAE by regulating product and service quality, pricing, advertising, invoices, warranties, defects, spare parts, recalls, e-commerce, provider obligations and consumer remedies.

Who and what the legislation applies to

• Goods and services supplied inside the UAE, including free zones.
• Providers/suppliers, advertisers and commercial agents.
• E-commerce transactions where the provider is registered in the UAE.
• Consumers purchasing or receiving goods/services for consumer purposes.

Important statutory definitions

• Consumer: a natural or legal person obtaining a good/service for consumer purposes under the statutory definition.
• Provider: any producer, manufacturer, supplier, distributor, seller or service provider within the statutory scope.
• Commodity/Good: a product supplied to consumers.
• Service: work, benefit or performance supplied to the consumer.
• Misleading Advertisement: advertising or omission of material information capable of causing the consumer to contract on a false basis.
• Invoice: documentary evidence of the transaction containing the required data.

Structured legislative map

Objectives and scope

Protects quality, advertised price, health/safety and sound consumption across the UAE including free zones.

Consumer rights

Recognises rights to information, safety, choice, fair treatment and compensation/remedies.

Higher Committee

Provides the federal consumer-protection governance structure.

Provider duties

Requires accurate information, Arabic disclosures, invoices, warranties, repair/replacement and product support where applicable.

Advertising

Prohibits misleading or false advertising and material omissions.

Prices

Regulates displayed prices and emergency price-control mechanisms.

Defects and recalls

Requires provider action when goods/services are defective or dangerous.

Warranties, spare parts and maintenance

Detailed further by Cabinet Resolution No. (66) of 2023.

E-commerce

Extends the law to qualifying UAE-registered online providers.

Complaints and settlement

Supports consumer complaints and competent-authority intervention.

Penalties

Creates administrative/criminal consequences and implementation powers.

Executive Regulation

Cabinet Resolution No. (66) of 2023 is essential for practical compliance.

Key statutory points

• The law applies inside free zones as well as the mainland.
• It covers qualifying e-commerce by UAE-registered providers.
• Providers must not mislead consumers about essential characteristics, prices, offers, prizes or discounts.
• Arabic-language information obligations are important in consumer documentation and advertising.
• Invoices must contain prescribed information.
• Defective goods/services can trigger repair, replacement, refund or other remedies depending on the circumstances.
• Providers must operate warranty, maintenance and spare-parts mechanisms where applicable.
• The Executive Regulation contains specific timeframes for certain spare parts and services.
• Product safety problems can require notification, recall and corrective action.
• Consumer data is also protected by separate data-protection and cyber legislation.
• Commercial agents can have consumer-protection obligations in addition to agency-law rights.
• Emergency circumstances can justify specific price-control measures.
• The law does not eliminate contractual warranties; mandatory consumer rights can operate alongside them.
• Technology-based trade law adds additional rules for online channels.
• The 2023 Executive Regulation should be checked for item-specific timelines before answering a consumer complaint.

Amendments, executive rules and current-law interaction

Cabinet Resolution No. (66) of 2023 is the current Executive Regulation and supplies detailed obligations concerning invoices, warranties, defects, replacement/refund, spare parts, maintenance and related consumer-service requirements.

Practical compliance / procedure sequence

1. Display clear prices, specifications, warranty and provider identity before sale.
2. Issue a compliant invoice and retain transaction records.
3. Maintain a written warranty/maintenance/spare-parts mechanism where applicable.
4. Create a process for defects, complaints, repair, replacement and refunds.
5. Immediately assess safety-related defects for recall/reporting obligations.
6. Audit marketing claims, discounts and prize promotions for misleading content.
7. For online sales, align checkout, returns and data handling with the Technology-Based Trade Law.

Dates and time limits

• Issued 10 November 2020.
• Effective the day after publication: 11 November 2020.
• The Executive Regulation sets specific timeframes for spare-parts supply and maintenance in different categories.
• Complaint, repair, replacement and recall deadlines depend on the relevant product/service and Executive Regulation provision.

Enforcement and legal exposure

Federal and local consumer authorities can investigate complaints and impose corrective or enforcement measures. Misleading advertising, unsafe products, refusal of mandatory remedies and other breaches can lead to administrative or criminal consequences.

Practical scenarios

1. A seller advertises a fake discount by inflating the 'before' price; this can qualify as misleading advertising.
2. A durable product fails under warranty and the provider refuses to offer the remedy required by the Executive Regulation; the consumer can pursue statutory remedies beyond the store's internal policy.
3. An UAE-registered e-commerce store is subject to consumer-protection obligations even though the sale is completed entirely online.

Official and current sources

• UAE Legislation — Federal Law No. (15) of 2020
• Cabinet Resolution No. (66) of 2023 — Executive Regulation
• Ministry of Economy & Tourism — Consumer Protection Legislations

Research method and source priority

Source review for this package was checked on 2026-09-10. The package is designed for website publication, research and client orientation. For live filings, transactions, litigation, administrative appeals or regulator submissions, consult the current official Arabic legislation and all applicable implementing instruments.