Can you keep backyard chickens in the United Arab Emirates?
Registration: conditions apply, for the keepers covered below. The national keeping rule, and the bird-flu and welfare rules, follow.
Read from 2 official sources7 passages quotedChecked October 24, 2026
At a glance
Registering your flock
National keeping rule
Bird-flu housing orders
Welfare rules
A sourced reading of national law in the United Arab Emirates, not legal advice. Local ordinances and zoning, HOA rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local code before you get hens.
Keeping your flock
These findings cover the national or state scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.
Registering as a poultry keeper
Conditions apply to this finding
Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates
Applies to: Owners of commercial poultry production farms.
Outside this finding's scope
- Whether non-commercial or backyard flocks must register was not established.
What the checked sources say
- Owners of commercial poultry production farms apply to MOCCAE for a farm licence.
Thresholds
- No flock-size threshold was quoted.
Authority: Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE)
Fee: Not established from the sources checked.
The official wording
يجب التقدم بطلب للوزارة من مالك المنشأة أو من يمثله للحصول على ترخيص مزرعة انتاج الدواجن التجارية مرفقاً به ما يلي:
قرار وزاري رقم (316) لسنة 2023 بشأن الشروط الصحية والفنية لمزارع إنتاج الدواجن, Art. 3(1) · Checked
يُطبق هذا القرار على مزارع انتاج الدواجن التجارية والتي تشمل مزارع الجدود ومزارع الأمهات ومزارع الدواجن اللاحم ومزارع الدواجن البياض، وتشمل الدجاج والحبش والسمان والبط والإوز.
قرار وزاري رقم (316) لسنة 2023 بشأن الشروط الصحية والفنية لمزارع إنتاج الدواجن, Art. 2 · Checked
Bird-flu housing orders
Current status needs rechecking
An official current-status link has not been established.
Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.
Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-10-24
The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.
No rule identified in this research
This does not establish that no authority can order poultry to be housed or confined.
Uses housing orders in this scope: Not established from the sources checked.
Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates
Applies to: Disease reporting on commercial poultry farms.
Outside this finding's scope
- Federal Law No. 8 of 2013 was not read; no housing-order mechanism was identified, which does not establish that none exists.
What the checked sources say
- Licensed vets on commercial poultry farms report listed diseases to MOCCAE or the emirate's competent local authority.
- Current status is not shown here.
- Checked
Historical evidence, as checked
These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.
أولاً: على الطبيب البيطري المرخص على المزرعة متى لاحظ أو اشتبه أو أخطر بإصابة الطيور بأحد الأمراض الواردة في الجدول الملحق بالقانون الاتحادي رقم 8 لسنة 2013 بشأن الوقاية من الأمراض الحيوانية المعدية والوبائية ومكافحتها فيجب إبلاغ الوزارة أو السلطة المحلية المختصة بالإمارة.
قرار وزاري رقم (316) لسنة 2023 بشأن الشروط الصحية والفنية لمزارع إنتاج الدواجن, Art. 5(1) · Checked
Small-flock welfare minimums
Rule identified for the scope below
Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates
Applies to: Owners of animals and those looking after them; animals include birds.
Outside this finding's scope
- Quoted from the portal's official English version; the Arabic text prevails.
What the checked sources say
- Take all necessary precautions to avoid harm, pain or suffering.
- Examine animals at least once a day.
The official wording
The owners of animals and those looking after them, as appropriate, shall take all the necessary precautions to avoid causing any harm, damage, pain or suffering to the animals, particularly they shall:
4. Examine the animals under their supervision and care at least once per day and look after them; and
The animals: All the types of strolling and confined animals including birds, reptiles, amphibious animals, fishes, mammals and wild animals.
National or state rules on keeping poultry
No rule identified in this research
Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates
Applies to: Keeping chickens at home.
Outside this finding's scope
- No federal keeping rule was identified in the texts read; this is not permission to keep chickens.
What the checked sources say
- The animal-protection law's competent authority is the local authorities concerned with animals' affairs (official English version).
The official wording
The competent authority: The local authorities concerned with animals' affairs
This does not establish that keeping is unrestricted or that all rules are local.
More countries we've checked
- BelgiumRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- BrazilRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- ColombiaRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- DenmarkRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- FranceRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- GermanyRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- GreeceRegistration: not establishedNot established
- IcelandRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- ItalyRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- KenyaRegistration: no rule identifiedNot established
- LiechtensteinRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- MexicoRegistration: not establishedNot established
- NorwayRegistration: requiredRegistration required
- Saudi ArabiaRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- SpainRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- TürkiyeRegistration: conditions applyRegistration: conditions
- VietnamRegistration: requiredRegistration required
Common questions
- Do I have to register backyard chickens in the United Arab Emirates?
- Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: Owners of commercial poultry production farms. No flock-size threshold was quoted. Outside this finding's scope: Whether non-commercial or backyard flocks must register was not established. Authority: Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).
- Can I keep chickens in my backyard in the United Arab Emirates?
- The national sources we read don't settle it, and we haven't identified who decides. Check your local rules before you get hens.
- Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in the United Arab Emirates?
- Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. We haven't confirmed an official current-status page for it.
Allowed where you live? Then keep the records.
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