At what transaction amount is customer due diligence required in the UAE?
The Executive Regulations of the UAE AML law require financial institutions to apply customer due diligence measures when conducting occasional transactions for a customer that amount to or exceed fifty-five thousand dirhams, whether carried out as a single transaction or as several transactions that appear to be linked. This threshold is the main trigger point for occasional, non-relationship transactions.
Customer due diligence is also required regardless of amount in other situations: at the start of a business relationship, where there is suspicion of a crime, or where there are doubts about the accuracy or adequacy of previously obtained identification data. For occasional transactions in the form of wire transfers, a lower threshold of three thousand five hundred dirhams applies. Virtual asset service providers must apply due diligence to occasional transactions at or above three thousand five hundred dirhams. Entities should treat these thresholds as minimums and apply a risk-based approach throughout.
Legal Reference (UAE):
· Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Article 7 — CDD triggers and the AED 55,000 occasional transaction threshold.
· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 19 — customer due diligence obligations.
For more details, consult the full text of Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.