Extradition from the UAE: risks for Russian and CIS nationals and how to protect yourself

The UAE is a popular relocation and business destination for people from Russia and the CIS, and at the same time a country that actively cooperates on international notices. Dubai and other emirates are major transit hubs, so border and banking controls are strict.

The Emirates have concluded a number of bilateral extradition treaties, including with Russia and some CIS states, which raises the risk where a Red Notice exists.

Detention most often happens at passport control on entry or exit, less often at the place of residence. Provisional arrest may follow while the extradition request is examined.

At this stage it is critical to quickly engage a local lawyer and an INTERPOL specialist: the first steps determine whether the person is held in custody or under an alternative measure.

Surrender can be refused where the case is political, where there is a risk of torture or an unfair trial, where there is no dual criminality, where limitation periods have expired and where fundamental human rights would be violated.

Alongside the defence in the UAE, it makes sense to challenge the Red Notice itself via the CCF: deleting it removes the legal basis for future detention.

The best strategy is to act before travel: check whether INTERPOL holds data, initiate its deletion if needed and obtain a legal assessment of the risks for the specific route and jurisdiction.

Preventive work is cheaper and more effective than a defence mounted after detention abroad.