Dubai to offer free 30-day alcohol licence for tourists

Dubai, July 12 (IANS) Dubai will now offer a free 30-day alcohol licence for tourists, a move that ensures visitors will not be penalised for breaking the law, the media reported on Friday.The free alcohol tourist licence is valid only to visitors who are non-Muslim and 21 years and over, the Khaleej Times reported.Alcohol retail outlet Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, has a separate segment on its website instructing tourists on the process of applying for the license. Tourists are instructed to visit any MMI store with their passport and complete and sign a form confirming that the buyer is a tourist. Furthermore, the store will take a copy of the passport as well as the entry stamp and each visitor will be issued guidelines.Presently, Dubai resident visa holders are eligible for a two-year licence that allows them to buy alcohol from shops and store it at home. Also, anyone drinking in the city's bars and restaurants should technically have a licence, though they do not ask to see one.
--IANS ksk