Do you have to report a suspicious transaction below AED 55,000 in the UAE?

UAE
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Yes. The duty to file a suspicious transaction report is not tied to any monetary threshold. If a regulated entity suspects, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, that a transaction or funds represent proceeds of crime or are linked to money laundering, terrorist financing or proliferation financing, it must report regardless of the amount involved.

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, the entity must notify the Financial Intelligence Unit without delay and directly, through the electronic system designated by the Unit, providing a detailed report with all available information, and must supply any further information requested without invoking confidentiality. The AED 55,000 figure people often cite is a customer due diligence trigger for occasional customers, not a reporting floor. A small transaction can still be highly suspicious, for example structured payments designed to stay under a threshold, and it must be reported through goAML.

Legal Reference (UAE):

For more details, consult the full text of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.

When to file an STR under UAE AML law

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Yes. The reporting duty has no monetary floor. Where a financial institution, DNFBP or virtual asset service provider suspects, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, that a transaction or attempted transaction, or funds in whole or in part, constitute proceeds, are related to the crime, or are intended to be used in it, it must notify the Financial Intelligence Unit immediately and without delay, regardless of their value.

The AED 55,000 figure that causes the confusion does different work. It is the cash threshold that brings a dealer in precious metals and stones within the DNFBP definition, and it is one of the occasional-transaction thresholds at which a financial institution must apply customer due diligence. Those are entry points into due diligence obligations, not filters on reporting. Note too that the duty covers an attempted transaction, so a deal that never completes because the customer walked away can still be reportable, and structuring payments to sit below a threshold is itself a recognised indicator of suspicion.

Legal Reference (UAE):

· Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Article 18(1)(a), which requires immediate notification of the Unit on suspicion or reasonable grounds for suspicion, regardless of the value of the transaction or funds, and covers attempted transactions.

· Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Article 18(1), which imposes the same duty without any monetary threshold.

· Cabinet Resolution No. 134 of 2025, Articles 3(3) and 7(2), which set the AED 55,000 figure as a DNFBP scoping threshold for dealers in precious metals and stones and as an occasional-transaction due diligence threshold for financial institutions.

For more details, refer to the Executive Regulations or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.

Suspicious transaction reporting in the UAE