Is khat legal in the United Arab Emirates?
Illegal
Khat is illegal in the UAE under federal law, with possession and selling punishable by life imprisonment.
The United Arab Emirates is one of 24 countries classified “Illegal” for khat — 83% of the 29 with data. (Also searched as qat.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Khat
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Yemen
- Legal Khat is legal in Yemen, though cultivation and sales are subject to regulations and taxes.
- Israel
- Legal Khat is legal in Israel in its natural form, though distilled components and beverages are illegal.
- Ethiopia
- Legal Khat is legal and widely cultivated; it is one of Ethiopia's major export crops.
- Kenya
- Legal Khat is legal in Kenya, though its active components are classed as Class C substances.
- Greece
- Illegal Khat is classified as an illegal narcotic under Greek law.
- Poland
- Illegal Khat is classified as a narcotic drug and is illegal to sell and possess in Poland.
Other laws in United Arab Emirates
- Cannabis
- Illegal
- Drinking Age
- 21+
- E-Cigarettes
- Regulated
Every law in the United Arab Emirates → · Where is khat legal? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.