Law No. (13) of 2023 Concerning the Disposition of the Lost and Abandoned Properties in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Article 1 — In the implementation of the provisions of this Law, the following words and ¶

phrases shall have the meanings corresponding thereto unless the context
requires otherwise:
Emirate : The Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
General
Headquarters
: Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters.
Commander-
in-Chief
: Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police

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Lost
Properties:
: The monies and tangible movables that may be legally
possessed, having a value in themselves or to their
owner, and found without the knowledge of their Owner
who lost them without deliberate intention, and this does
not include stray animals.
Owner of Lost
Properties
: The owner or legal possessor thereof at the time of their
loss.
Finder : The person who finds the Lost or Abandoned Properties,
excluding the public officer who is in charge by virtue
of his position to search for the Lost or Abandoned
Properties.
Abandoned
Properties:
: The monies and tangible movables that may be legally
possessed, having a value in themselves and abandoned
by their Owner or whoever has the right to legally possess
them with the intention of abandoning them, and this
does not include stray animals.

Article 3 — • In order to implement the provisions of this Law, the General Headquarters ¶

shall assume the following competencies:
1. Receive reports regarding the loss of monies and tangible movables in
the Emirate.
2. Receive the Lost and Abandoned Properties, and Preserve them in a
suitable place.
3. Create and organise special records for Lost and Abandoned Properties.
4. Publicise the presence of the Lost Properties in its possession by the
means it deems appropriate.
5. Estimate the costs of preserving, publicising, and disposing of the Lost
Properties.
6. Dispose of the Lost and Abandoned Properties based on an order on a

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petition issued by the judge of urgent matters.
• The General Headquarters may delegate any governmental entity or
outsource the private sector to manage and organise the process of
preserving and selling the Lost and Abandoned Properties.

Article 4 — • The Finder shall hand over the Lost or Abandoned Properties to the nearest ¶

police station upon finding them, and he is prohibited from disposing of
them or possessing them with the intention of ownership.
• The police station shall write a report evidencing the receipt of the Lost
or Abandoned Properties, including their description, condition, and
information about the Finder.

Article 5 — • The General Headquarters shall keep the Lost Properties for a period of ¶

minimum three months from the date of receiving them. Should this period
lapse without their Owner being known, it shall have the right to dispose of
them pursuant to the provisions of this Law.
• Without prejudice to the period specified in the previous paragraph of
this Article, the General Headquarters may sell the Lost Properties at any
time, in the following instances:
1. There is a fear that they will be damaged, destroyed, or disappear, or
cause harm if kept.
2. If the expenses of preserving them exceed their value.
3. If their value is cheap.
• The Lost Properties should they be in cash, or their price after selling
them, shall devolve to the Endowments’ and Minors’ Funds Management
Authority.
• Notwithstanding Clause (6) of Article (3) of this Law, if it is not possible to
sell the Lost Properties due to their nature or their low price, the General
Headquarters may dispose of them according to what it deems appropriate,
including donating them. The General Headquarters shall determine the
controls for disposing of the Lost Properties or donating them pursuant to
the provisions of this Paragraph.

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• If the period specified in the first Paragraph of this Article lapses without
reaching the Owner of the Lost Properties and should they be one of the
things that contains images or private data, the General Headquarters
shall delete the pictures or data or destroy the Lost Properties, as the
case may be.

Article 6 — • The Owner of the Lost Properties shall have the right to recover them ¶

before the General Headquarters disposes of them, or to claim their price
if they are sold in accordance with the provisions of Article (5) of this Law.
• If the General Headquarters disposes of the Lost Properties without
compensation in accordance with the provisions of Article (5) of this Law,
their Owner shall have the right to trace them in the hands of others.
• If more than one person claims to be the owner of the Lost Properties,
they will be delivered or their price will be paid to the person to whom the
competent court decides to favour by a final judgment.
• A lawsuit to claim the Lost Properties or their price may not be heard after
the lapse of (10) years from the date they were found.
• The Lost Properties or their price will be delivered to their Owner after the
latter pays the expenses of preserving and publicising them as per the
discretion of the General Headquarters or the Endowments’ and Minors’
Funds Management Authority, as the case may be, and their estimation to
this effect shall be deemed final.

Article 7 — The General Headquarters may grant a reward to the Finder, consisting of a ¶

certificate of appreciation, a financial reward, an in-kind gift, or all of them,
in appreciation of his integrity.

Article 8 — • The General Headquarters shall be responsible for disposing of the ¶

following Abandoned Properties:
1. Abandoned Properties that are prohibited from being carried or shipped
on airplanes, trains, ships, and other means of public transportation, and
left by their Owners at airports, stations, ports, and border crossings.
2. Unclaimed possessions of inmates of penal and correctional institutions
and police stations.

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3. Seized or confiscated funds for which a decision to release or cancel
their seizure is issued by the competent authority, with the exception of
seized and confiscated funds that are regulated by special legislations.
• The Abandoned Properties aforesaid in the previous paragraph of this
Article shall be disposed of sixty (60) days following the date of receipt
thereof, and without the need to publicise them in accordance with the
provisions of this Law.
• Notwithstanding the period prescribed in the previous paragraph of this
Article, the General Headquarters may sell the Abandoned Properties at
any time, in the cases and in accordance with the conditions stipulated in
Paragraphs (2) or (4) of Article (5) of this Law, as the case may be.
• The price of selling the Abandoned Properties shall devolve to the
Endowments’ and Minors’ Funds Management Authority.

Article 9 — The governmental entities in the Emirate shall commit to cooperate and ¶

coordinate with the General Headquarters to implement the provisions of
this Law, including the delivery of any Lost or Abandoned Properties that
may fall into their possession.

Article 10 — The Commander in Chief shall issue the resolutions required for the ¶

implementation of the provisions of this Law.

Article 12 — This Law shall be published in the Official Gazette, and be effective from the ¶

date of its publication.
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Issued by us in Abu Dhabi
Date: 05 September 2023
Corresponding to: 19 Safar 1445 Hijri

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