Federal Law No. (7) of 2014 Combating Terrorism Crimes
Federal Law No. (7) of 2014
The UAE federal terrorism law defines terrorist crimes and terrorist purpose, establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction, criminalises a wide range of terrorism-related conduct, regulates financing and support, authorises freezing and confiscation measures, creates national counter-terrorism structures and regulates terrorism lists.
Overview
What this legislation covers
The UAE federal terrorism law defines terrorist crimes and terrorist purpose, establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction, criminalises a wide range of terrorism-related conduct, regulates financing and support, authorises freezing and confiscation measures, creates national counter-terrorism structures and regulates terrorism lists.
Who or what it applies to
- Persons committing terrorism offences in the UAE.
- Certain conduct committed abroad where statutory UAE jurisdiction exists.
- Persons and organisations involved in planning, financing, promoting, supporting or facilitating terrorism within the statutory definitions.
- Financial and commercial institutions required to implement lawful freezing/seizure/list-related measures.
- Authorities and persons affected by terrorism-list decisions and related grievance procedures.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Issued on 20 August 2014 and published in Official Gazette No. 569.
Article 2 applies the law both to offences defined in it and to other felonies/misdemeanours committed for a terrorist purpose.
Article 3 creates extraterritorial jurisdiction in specified UAE-connected or treaty-related cases.
Defines terrorist organisations, terrorists, terrorist purpose and related concepts.
Creates offences relating to terrorist acts, preparation, participation, incitement, promotion and support.
Contains offences involving weapons, explosives and dangerous/non-conventional means in terrorism contexts.
Criminalises establishment, management, joining or support of terrorist organisations in specified circumstances.
Contains terrorism-financing provisions and interacts with the current AML/CFT/proliferation-financing framework.
Provides enhanced procedural powers for investigation and prosecution of terrorism offences.
Permits freezing, seizure and court measures over suspected funds/proceeds under statutory conditions.
Article 62 establishes the National Committee for Combating Terrorism.
Article 63 regulates the terrorism-list framework, including listing, delisting/relisting and grievance mechanisms through Cabinet instruments.
Article 63 provides judicial challenge routes after rejection/no response to a grievance within the specified periods.
Article 66 authorises Munasaha/counselling centres for guidance and reform of convicted or dangerous terrorism-related persons.
Article 67 repealed Federal Decree-Law No. (1) of 2004 on combating terrorist crimes.
Article 68 provides effect from the day following Official Gazette publication.
The law remains actively referenced by 2025–2026 Cabinet terrorism-list resolutions and by Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
The UAE federal terrorism law defines terrorist crimes and terrorist purpose, establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction, criminalises a wide range of terrorism-related conduct, regulates financing and support, authorises freezing and confiscation measures, creates national counter-terrorism structures and regulates terrorism lists.
Who / what the law applies to
- Persons committing terrorism offences in the UAE.
- Certain conduct committed abroad where statutory UAE jurisdiction exists.
- Persons and organisations involved in planning, financing, promoting, supporting or facilitating terrorism within the statutory definitions.
- Financial and commercial institutions required to implement lawful freezing/seizure/list-related measures.
- Authorities and persons affected by terrorism-list decisions and related grievance procedures.
Important definitions
- Terrorist Crime: an offence falling within the law's definition or another offence committed for a terrorist purpose.
- Terrorist Organisation: a group/organisation meeting the statutory terrorism-related definition.
- Terrorist: a person meeting the statutory conduct and affiliation criteria.
- Terrorist Purpose: the specific prohibited purpose defined by the law.
- Terrorist Funds / related property: funds or assets linked to terrorism under the applicable statutory framework.
Principal rights, duties and legal consequences
- Criminal liability requires proof of the precise statutory offence elements.
- Persons listed under the terrorism-list framework have the grievance/challenge routes specified by the law and implementing Cabinet resolutions.
- Financial institutions must comply with lawful freezing/list implementation measures.
- Accused persons remain entitled to procedural safeguards under the Constitution and Criminal Procedure Law subject to special terrorism provisions.
Practical procedure / compliance checklist
- Identify the exact terrorism provision and any general offence alleged to have been committed for a terrorist purpose.
- Determine whether UAE territorial/extraterritorial jurisdiction exists.
- Apply the current terrorism-list Cabinet framework for listing/freezing matters.
- For funds/financial flows, apply the current Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025 AML/CFT/proliferation-financing framework as well.
- Use Criminal Procedure Law for procedural matters not specially regulated by the terrorism law.
- Calculate grievance and court-challenge periods immediately in a terrorism-list matter.
Important dates and deadlines
- Issued: 20 August 2014.
- Article 68: effective on the day following Official Gazette publication; exact publication date is not guessed here.
- Article 63 listing grievance/challenge framework contains 60-day periods in specified circumstances.
- Other procedural deadlines are governed by the exact terrorism provision, implementing resolutions and Criminal Procedure Law.
Enforcement and legal exposure
This is high-stakes criminal and national-security legislation. Penalties are severe and vary by offence, role, intent and outcome. The package intentionally avoids reducing punishment to a single generic range. Any case-specific penalty must be checked from the current Arabic article and applicable amendments.
Practical scenarios
- Financing a person or organisation connected to terrorism can engage both this law and the current AML/CFT law.
- A person challenging inclusion on a terrorism list should calculate the statutory grievance/judicial challenge periods immediately.
- A general criminal offence can fall within this law if committed for the statutory terrorist purpose.
- A bank implementing a lawful freezing decision should follow the current list/AML regulations and preserve evidence of good-faith compliance.
Amendments and current-law interaction
Use the latest consolidated terrorism law together with current Cabinet terrorism-list rules, the current Crimes and Penalties Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025 on AML/CFT/proliferation financing.
Research and publication caution
UAE federal legislation frequently operates together with Executive Regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministerial decisions, local competent-authority rules and later amendments. This explanation is intended as detailed practical guidance for research and website publication, not as a substitute for the official Arabic text or case-specific legal advice.
Research status
Current-law verification for this package was performed on 2026-09-07.
Practical notes
- Use the official current Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the current consolidated version and related regulations immediately before a filing, transaction, enforcement decision or court submission.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions and procedural deadlines must be checked against the exact current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and is not a source of legal authority or evidence of government endorsement.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the UAE sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the legally controlling verbatim English text. For interpretation and application, consult the original Arabic legislation, the Official Gazette and the latest consolidated official version. Exact offence elements, penalties, thresholds, exceptions and procedural periods must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
Federal Law No. (7) of 2014 Combating Terrorism Crimes
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Law No. (7) of 2014 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2014-08-20 |
| Effective | Commencement formula verified; exact Gazette-derived date not entered |
| Status | Active / in force, as amended |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Legislative purpose and scope
The UAE federal terrorism law defines terrorist crimes and terrorist purpose, establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction, criminalises a wide range of terrorism-related conduct, regulates financing and support, authorises freezing and confiscation measures, creates national counter-terrorism structures and regulates terrorism lists.
Structured legislative map
Definitions
Defines terrorism-related concepts, terrorist organisation, terrorist, terrorist purpose, weapons and related terms.
Scope and jurisdiction
Articles 2–4 extend the law to other crimes committed for terrorist purposes and establish specified extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Terrorist offences
Creates substantive offences involving terrorist acts, preparation, threats, attacks and use of dangerous means.
Terrorist organisations
Criminalises specified establishment, leadership, membership, recruitment, support or promotion relating to terrorist organisations.
Incitement and promotion
Regulates advocacy, incitement, publication and promotion of terrorist ideology or offences in the circumstances defined by law.
Financing and material support
Creates offences concerning provision, collection, transfer or use of funds/property for terrorism and related support.
Training, recruitment and travel-related conduct
Addresses specified conduct facilitating terrorist activity, training or participation.
Penalties and special consequences
Provides severe criminal penalties and special rules concerning attempt, participation, limitation and other consequences.
Investigation and prosecution
Grants specialised powers to prosecutors/competent authorities for terrorism investigations subject to the statute and Criminal Procedure Law.
Freezing, seizure and confiscation
Provides mechanisms for restraining funds, proceeds and property suspected to relate to terrorism.
Financial-institution implementation
Protects institutions acting in good faith on lawful freezing/seizure orders and regulates confidentiality in implementation.
National Committee
Article 62 establishes the National Committee for Combating Terrorism, with competences regulated by Cabinet decision.
Terrorism lists
Article 63 creates Cabinet-controlled listing architecture, grievance/challenge mechanisms and periodic review.
Counselling / Munasaha centres
Article 66 authorises centres for guidance/reform of convicted or dangerous terrorism-related persons.
Interaction with Penal Code and Criminal Procedure
Article 64 applies general penal/criminal procedure rules where the terrorism law contains no special provision.
Repeal and commencement
Articles 67–68 repeal the 2004 terrorism law and provide effect from the day following publication.
Key statutory points
- Issued on 20 August 2014 and published in Official Gazette No. 569.
- Article 2 applies the law both to offences defined in it and to other felonies/misdemeanours committed for a terrorist purpose.
- Article 3 creates extraterritorial jurisdiction in specified UAE-connected or treaty-related cases.
- Defines terrorist organisations, terrorists, terrorist purpose and related concepts.
- Creates offences relating to terrorist acts, preparation, participation, incitement, promotion and support.
- Contains offences involving weapons, explosives and dangerous/non-conventional means in terrorism contexts.
- Criminalises establishment, management, joining or support of terrorist organisations in specified circumstances.
- Contains terrorism-financing provisions and interacts with the current AML/CFT/proliferation-financing framework.
- Provides enhanced procedural powers for investigation and prosecution of terrorism offences.
- Permits freezing, seizure and court measures over suspected funds/proceeds under statutory conditions.
- Article 62 establishes the National Committee for Combating Terrorism.
- Article 63 regulates the terrorism-list framework, including listing, delisting/relisting and grievance mechanisms through Cabinet instruments.
- Article 63 provides judicial challenge routes after rejection/no response to a grievance within the specified periods.
- Article 66 authorises Munasaha/counselling centres for guidance and reform of convicted or dangerous terrorism-related persons.
- Article 67 repealed Federal Decree-Law No. (1) of 2004 on combating terrorist crimes.
- Article 68 provides effect from the day following Official Gazette publication.
- The law remains actively referenced by 2025–2026 Cabinet terrorism-list resolutions and by Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025.
Amendments, implementing instruments and interaction with other legislation
Use the latest consolidated terrorism law together with current Cabinet terrorism-list rules, the current Crimes and Penalties Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025 on AML/CFT/proliferation financing.
Case-specific reading rule
This legislative map is designed for website publication and legal research. It gives a complete substantive overview of the statute's operative areas without pretending that a paraphrase can replace the controlling Arabic wording. Where the outcome depends on a defined term, penalty, exception, jurisdictional condition, transitional rule or procedural deadline, the current official article must be opened and applied directly.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1018Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 569
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.