Is Khat legal in United Arab Emirates?

Also known as: qat, miraa, quaadka

Legal status

Khat is placed at Schedule 4, Section I, item 5 of Decision No. 158 of 2025, the entry being «القات؛ أوراق Catha edulis», the leaves of Catha edulis. The dossier records that a current Cabinet measure expressly cross references the leaves as clause 5 of Section I of Schedule 4, and draws the conclusion that matters: khat is a named scheduled entry and not merely an unscheduled intoxicating plant reached by a general conduct rule. That distinction separates this row from the amanita, amyl nitrite and nitrous oxide rows in the same country, which have no schedule entry and are reached, if at all, through the conduct based provisions. The dossier attaches Articles 10 and 57 to this row, with Schedule 10 carrying the quantity bands. The placement was read on 20 September 2026.

Consequences if caught

Article 57 names Schedules 1, 2, Schedule 4 Section I and 5, and khat's entry is at Schedule 4, Section I, item 5, so the leaves are inside the article's Section I limb by name. The dossier records Article 57 as stating mandatory death for its trafficking or promotion trigger and as stating no quantity for it, and records that the Schedule 10 bands do not gate that route. Section I is doing real work here: the article does not reach all of Schedule 4, it reaches Section I of it, and the entry's position at item 5 of that section is what puts the row inside the capital group. A quantity of leaves carried for chewing is therefore not a different legal category from a consignment on this article, because the article contains no quantity at all. Article 10 is the third route the dossier attaches and its content is not stated.

If prescribed or medical

The dossier records at the modafinil row that a 268 entry ministry travellers list was checked and expressly not used as a schedule. Attached to this substance: khat is at Schedule 4, Section I, item 5 as the leaves of the plant, so there is no medicinal product behind the entry for a prescription to attach to. The dossier records no cultural, dietary or personal use allowance, and none is inferred here, so the question of any lawful route is deferred.

Documentation

No documentation route is recorded for khat, and lawful purchase or customary use in the country of departure is not an Emirati authorisation. Provenance: the placement at Schedule 4, Section I, item 5 and the entry «القات؛ أوراق Catha edulis» were read on 20 September 2026, with the capital analysis resting on Article 57's Section I limb and not on the Schedule 10 bands. The practical point is that the entry names leaves, so fresh plant material in baggage is the exact thing the entry describes rather than a borderline case.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United Arab Emirates’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.