United Arab Emirates
Financial System of the Federal Government Law (Federal Law No. 1/2011) + State Audit Institution Law (Federal Law No. 8/2011) + UAE Constitution 1971 Arts. 127-136
UAE Constitution 1971 (as amended through 2009) Arts. 127-136 (Federal Financial Affairs), Art. 129 (60-day advance submission), Art. 136 (State Audit Institution — presidential appointment); Federal Law No. 1 of 2011 on the Financial System of the Federal Government; Federal Law No. 8 of 2011 on the State Audit Institution
Drafted with AI
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page. How this site is made
The United Arab Emirates' federal fiscal framework rests on Federal Law No. 1/2011 (Financial System of the Federal Government) and the UAE Constitution 1971 (as amended through 2009), Arts. 127-136, particularly Art. 129 mandating draft budget referral to the Federal National Council (FNC) 'at least two months before the beginning of the financial year' (≈60 days before January 1), and Art. 136 establishing the State Audit Institution with the Auditor-General appointed by presidential decree on Supreme Council recommendation. The State Audit Institution was modernized by Federal Law No. 8/2011, aligning the mandate with INTOSAI standards including performance audit authority. IMPORTANT: Federal budget scores cover only the federal level. Abu Dhabi contributes approximately 75% of federal revenues and maintains a separate budget approximately three times the size of the federal budget; Abu Dhabi's ADNOC and ADIA (~$1T in sovereign wealth) operate off the federal budget entirely. The Federal National Council functions as an advisory body (partially elected since 2006); it reviews but cannot reject the budget. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and other emirate-level SWFs are off-budget. NOT in IBP Open Budget Survey. Has never undergone a PEFA assessment. Primary statutory portals (elaws.moj.gov.ae, mof.gov.ae, sai.gov.ae) were inaccessible during batch research (WAF block / TLS errors / DNS failure). FY: January 1 - December 31. Currency: AED.
Transparency Requirements
Budget Publicationmax 12 pts
| Budget publication required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Budget published online | ✓ Yes |
| Budget publication timeline | 60 days before fiscal year |
| Machine-readable budget format | No |
| Draft budget required before adoption | ✓ Yes |
Expenditure Disclosuremax 12 pts
| Expenditure disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Expenditure granularity | department |
| Public expenditure portal required | No |
| Expenditure reporting frequency | quarterly |
Independent Auditmax 12 pts
| Audit required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Auditor independent of entity | ✓ Yes |
| Auditor selection method | appointed executive |
| Audit frequency | annual |
| Audit reports public | ✓ Yes |
| Audit scope | financial performance |
Contract & Procurementmax 10 pts
| Public bidding required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Contract publication required | ✓ Yes |
| Bid award disclosure | No |
| Beneficial ownership disclosure | No |
Debt & Liability Disclosuremax 10 pts
| Debt disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Pension liability disclosure | No |
| Contingent liability disclosure | No |
| Voter approval required for new debt | No |
Fiscal Reporting Frequencymax 10 pts
| Interim reporting required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Interim reporting frequency | quarterly |
| Year-end report deadline | — |
| Citizens budget required | No |
Enforcement & Oversightmax 10 pts
| Non-compliance penalties | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Fiscal oversight body | No |
| Whistleblower protections | No |
| Legislative budget office | No |
Revenue & Tax Transparencymax 8 pts
| Tax expenditure reporting | No |
|---|---|
| Revenue forecasting required | ✓ Yes |
| Tax rate publication | ✓ Yes |
| Fee schedule publication | ✓ Yes |
Compensation & Payrollmax 8 pts
| Salary disclosure required | No |
|---|---|
| Salary disclosure scope | — |
| Pension benefit disclosure | No |
| Overtime reporting | No |
Capital & Asset Disclosuremax 8 pts
| Capital plan required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Asset inventory required | No |
| Surplus asset disposal transparency | No |