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UAE Energy / Oil & Gas LawLaw No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs

Dubai Law·18 of 2009

Issued Date
June 28, 2009
Effective from
June 28, 2009
Articles
14
Last synced
Jul 20, 2026
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Plain-language summary

Establishes the Department of Petroleum Affairs to control production, sale, and export of crude oil in Dubai, with a President and Director General overseeing…

Synced from the official UAE Legislation portal · Plain-language summary by the LEXAI editorial team

Article-level text

Key Articles

14 articles

  1. 1

    Article 1

    Article (1) This Law will be cited as “Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs”.

  2. 2

    Article 2

    Article (2) The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this Law, will have the meaning indicated opposite each of them unless the context implies otherwise: Emirate: The Emirate of Dubai. Ruler: His Highness the Ruler of Dubai. Government: The Government of Dubai. Executive Council: The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai. DPA: The Department of Petroleum Affairs. Director General: The director general of the DPA. ©2021 The Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai 1Every effort has been made to produce an accurate and complete English version of this legislation. However, for the purpose of its interpretation and application, reference must be made to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text will prevail.

    -- 1 of 5 --

    Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs Page 2 of 5 Advisory Board: The advisory board of the DPA.

  3. 3

    Article 3

    Article (3) Pursuant to this Law, a department named the “Department of Petroleum Affairs” is established. The DPA will have the duties and functions stipulated in this Law and will be affiliated to His Highness the Ruler's Court.

  4. 4

    Article 4

    Article (4) The DPA will have the duties and powers to: 1. control the production, sale, and export of crude oil in the Emirate; 2. supervise and control the sales of crude oil to international companies in the Emirate; and create, maintain, and organise the records of such sales; 3. license the activities related to oil and its derivatives in coordination with the concerned Government entities in the Emirate; 4. coordinate and cooperate with the competent Government entities in the Emirate in order to achieve comprehensive economic development in the Emirate through oil-related activities; and 5. perform any other duties related to the work of the DPA.

  5. 5

    Article 5

    Article (5) A president (the “President”) will be appointed to the DPA pursuant to a decree issued by the Ruler.

  6. 6

    Article 6

    Article (6) The President will have the duties and powers to: 1. approve the general policy and strategic plans of the DPA; 2. approve the bylaws and resolutions regulating the administrative, financial, and technical work of the DPA; 3. approve the organisational structure of the DPA, and submit the same to the Executive Council for final approval; 4. approve the draft annual budget and financial statements of the DPA, and submit the same to the Executive Council for final approval; and

    -- 2 of 5 --

    Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs Page 3 of 5 5. perform any other duties related to the work of the DPA as assigned to him by the Ruler.

  7. 7

    Article 7

    Article (7) A Director General will be appointed to the DPA pursuant to a decree issued by the Ruler.

  8. 8

    Article 8

    Article (8) The Director General will supervise and manage the work of the DPA and represent it before third parties. This includes: 1. supervising the implementation of the general policy and strategic plans of the DPA; 2. proposing the organisational structure of the DPA and submitting the same to the President for approval; 3. proposing the bylaws and resolutions regulating the administrative, financial, and technical work of the DPA; and submitting the same to the President for approval; 4. proposing the draft annual budget and financial statements of the DPA, and submitting the same to the President for approval; 5. supervising the work of the executive body of the DPA, and signing contracts and agreements; 6. approving applications for licences to conduct activities related to oil and its derivatives in the Emirate; and 7. performing any other duties related to the work of the DPA as assigned to him by the President.

  9. 9

    Article 9

    Article (9) 1. The DPA will have an Advisory Board comprised of a chairman, a vice chairman, and a number of experienced and specialised members appointed pursuant to a resolution of the President for a renewable term of three (3) years. 2. The Advisory Board will provide its opinion and advice to the DPA on the following: a. the strategy required for achievement by the DPA of its objectives; b. the policies related to spending on DPA projects; c. the comprehensive strategic plans for economic development and the initiatives that would contribute to promoting the economic development of the Emirate in relation to crude oil and its derivatives;

    -- 3 of 5 --

    Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs Page 4 of 5 d. the economic and trade legislation and policies governing the activities related to oil and its derivatives at the local and federal levels; and e. any initiatives that would contribute to the achievement of the objectives, performance of the duties, and development of the work of the DPA.

  10. 10

    Article 10

    Article (10) The administrative body of the DPA will be comprised of the Director General and a number of administrative and technical employees to whom Law No. (27) of 2006 Concerning Management of the Government of Dubai Human Resources applies.

  11. 11

    Article 11

    Article (11) The financial resources of the DPA will consist of: 1. the support allocated to the DPA in the general budget of the Emirate; 2. service fees and charges collected by the DPA; and 3. any other resources approved by the President.

  12. 12

    Article 12

    Article (12) The financial year of the DPA will commence on 1 January and will end on 31 December of each year, except that the first financial year will commence on the date on which this Law comes into force and will end on 31 December of the following year.

  13. 13

    Article 13

    Article (13) The President will issue the regulations and resolutions required for the implementation of the provisions of this Law.

  14. 14

    Article 14

    Article (14) This Law comes into force on the day on which it is issued, and will be published in the Official Gazette. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Ruler of Dubai

    -- 4 of 5 --

    Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Department of Petroleum Affairs Page 5 of 5 Issued in Dubai on 28 June 2009 Corresponding to 5 Rajab 1430 A.H.

    -- 5 of 5 --

Note: This legislation is sourced from the Dubai Legislation Portal (dlp.dubai.gov.ae). The original Arabic text is the authoritative version.

Articles in this law(14)
  1. 1Article (1) This Law will be cited as “Law No. (18) of 2009 Establishing the Dep
  2. 2Article (2) The following words and expressions, wherever mentioned in this Law,
  3. 3Article (3) Pursuant to this Law, a department named the “Department of Petroleu
  4. 4Article (4) The DPA will have the duties and powers to: 1. control the productio
  5. 5Article (5) A president (the “President”) will be appointed to the DPA pursuant
  6. 6Article (6) The President will have the duties and powers to: 1. approve the gen
  7. 7Article (7) A Director General will be appointed to the DPA pursuant to a decree
  8. 8Article (8) The Director General will supervise and manage the work of the DPA a
  9. 9Article (9) 1. The DPA will have an Advisory Board comprised of a chairman, a vi
  10. 10Article (10) The administrative body of the DPA will be comprised of the Directo
  11. 11Article (11) The financial resources of the DPA will consist of: 1. the support
  12. 12Article (12) The financial year of the DPA will commence on 1 January and will e
  13. 13Article (13) The President will issue the regulations and resolutions required f
  14. 14Article (14) This Law comes into force on the day on which it is issued, and wil
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