United Arab Emirates Country Profile
Licences, Infrastructure and Public Utilities
Individual Corruption
More than four out of five people residing in the UAE are not UAE citizens. Consequently, the rights of the vast majority of people living in the country are very limited. The group of stateless people - the so-called Bidoon - is especially subject to discrimination in all aspects of life. The government made efforts to register this group in 2008, and set up centres where they can apply for citizenship. However, it is not clear which criteria should be met for an application to be successful, according to Freedom House 2010. Moreover, the US Department of State 2008 reports of a high-ranking official at the Naturalisation and Residency Department arrested in 2008 for issuing visas in return of illegal payments.
Business Corruption
Business executives surveyed in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 perceive government regulation in the UAE to be much less burdensome than the world average. Data from the World Bank & IFC Doing Business 2011 confirms these business executives' impression, as the processes of obtaining an operating licence and getting permits to build a warehouse are much easier and faster than the corresponding regional averages and are close to OECD averages. Thanks to the implementation of administrative reforms, the UAE significantly improved in relation to these procedures compared to the previous year.
Frequency
The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2011:
- To construct a warehouse, a company is required to go through 17 procedures, taking 64 days and costing 36% of the income per capita.
- These figures indicate a much faster and cheaper process than the regional and OECD average.
World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011:
- Business executives give government administrative requirements (permits, regulations, reporting) in the UAE a score of 4.3 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'extremely burdensome' and 7 'not burdensome at all' with the average of the 139 countries covered being 3.3).
