Where to Buy Alcohol in Dubai: Tourist Guide
How to buy alcohol in Dubai as a tourist: airport duty-free, MMI and African+Eastern shops, hotel bars, and licence rules.
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Dubai allows alcohol sales but with rules. Tourists can buy from duty-free at the airport, from two licensed off-licence chains (MMI and African+Eastern), and consume at any licensed restaurant or bar — which means most hotel-attached venues. Here's exactly how it works.
Dubai Airport duty-free
On arrival, the Dubai Duty Free alcohol shop is right after passport control at every terminal. Allowance: 4 litres per adult non-Muslim visitor. Prices are competitive with European duty-free. Buy here if you plan to drink in your hotel room — hotels charge 300–500% markup.
MMI and African+Eastern — off-licence shops
The two licensed retailers for off-premise alcohol in Dubai. Over 20 shops across the city. Open 10:00–22:00 Mon–Sat, closed Fridays. Tourists need to show passport (not a tourist alcohol licence — those have been scrapped). 30% tourist/VAT discount at the till.
Hotel bars and restaurants
Any venue inside a hotel (or technically licensed as a hotel outlet) can serve alcohol. This covers most upscale restaurants, nightclubs, lounges and rooftop bars. Standalone restaurants rarely hold licences — assume "no alcohol" unless you see a wine list.
Public drinking rules
Drinking in public — streets, beaches, parks — is illegal. Being drunk in public is prosecutable. Hotel beaches and licensed beach clubs are fine. Taxi home from any bar; no DUI tolerance.
FAQ
- Can tourists buy alcohol in Dubai supermarkets?
- No. Carrefour, Lulu, Spinneys and others don't sell alcohol. Dedicated MMI or African+Eastern shops only.
- Do I need a licence to buy alcohol in Dubai as a tourist?
- No — the tourist alcohol licence was removed in 2023. Just show your passport at the shop.
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