Inside Sweihan Jail Abu Dhabi: Time Limits & Contacts

Under the entry and residence law, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) can detain a foreigner who has a deportation order for no more than 30 days, extendable once for the same period. That limit is the starting point for anyone trying to understand a stay at Sweihan.

Sweihan sits in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi emirate, and ICP, not the prison service, runs its immigration jail. Custody there is administrative, which changes who you call, whether a visit permit exists and how long a stay can last.

Sweihan immigration jail: key details

Detail	Information
Name in detention records	Sweihan Immigration Jail
Also listed as	Violators and Foreigners Follow-up Department, Abu Dhabi
Type	Immigration detention centre (administrative)
Run by	ICP
Location	Sweihan, Al Ain region, Abu Dhabi emirate
Status	In use
Capacity, headcount, cell conditions	Not published
Detention limit under a deportation order	30 days, extendable once by 30 days
Where to ask	ICP call centre: 600 522 222 inside the UAE, +971 600 522 222 from outside

What is known about the inside

ICP does not publish capacity, headcount or cell-condition figures for Sweihan.

The documented part is the site’s role. During the 2024 residency grace period, ICP named the Violators and Foreigners Affairs Department in Sweihan as one of its Abu Dhabi fingerprinting centres, next to the Al Dhafra and Al Maqam departments. Violators regularising their status or leaving without an entry ban were sent there for biometrics when notified.

So Sweihan works as a processing centre for violators as well as a place of detention.

Immigration custody vs criminal custody

The facility name does not tell you a person’s legal status. The authority holding them does.

	Immigration custody	Criminal custody
Run by	ICP	Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), which took over from Abu Dhabi Police on 1 January 2024
Facilities	Sweihan Immigration Jail	Correctional centres such as Al Wathba and Al Ain
Legal basis	Immigration and residency law, deportation order	Court sentence or pre-trial detention order
Time limit	30 days, extendable once by 30, under a deportation order	Set by the sentence or the court’s order
Visits	No public visit-booking service	TAMM inmate visit permit, remote video visits
Where to ask	ICP: 600 522 222	ADJD: 600 599 799

One person can sit in both systems. A detainee with a pending criminal case or a finished sentence may still have an immigration file, and the authority holding the person decides which number to call.

Grounds for immigration detention

ICP’s detention power comes from the entry and residence law. The grounds fall into four groups:

• Overstaying: a visa or residence permit that expires or is cancelled starts a daily administrative fine unless the holder renews or leaves within the allowed period.
• A deportation order: the Federal Public Prosecutor or ICP’s chairman can order deportation, even for someone with a valid visa or residence permit, on grounds of public interest, public security, public morals or public health, or when the person has no apparent means of subsistence. The order can cover family members the person supports.
• Illegal entry: a foreigner arrested after entering the UAE illegally faces a prison term from the court, followed by deportation.
• The end of a court sentence: a court can order deportation as part of a sentence, and people who finish a sentence can be moved to immigration custody to wait for departure.

How long detention can last

Up to 30 days, extendable once by another 30, is the limit when ICP holds someone to carry out a deportation order. ICP’s chairman or an authorised representative can order the detention, and only after the Federal Public Prosecutor approves it. That makes 60 days the ceiling under that provision.

A detainee without a valid passport needs the embassy to issue a travel document before departure can happen.

What happens at the end of detention

Who pays for departure

The ICP chairman can charge deportation costs to the foreigner’s own money, or to the employer where the employer broke the entry and residence rules. ICP covers the costs when neither applies.

Settling affairs before leaving

A person ordered deported who has interests in the UAE that need settling gets a set period to liquidate them after submitting a guarantee. The executive regulation sets the controls.

Returning to the UAE later

A deported foreigner cannot return without the ICP chairman’s permission.

How to find out whether someone is held at Sweihan

Start with ICP, then work outward:

1. Call ICP on 600 522 222 inside the UAE or +971 600 522 222 from outside. Email goes to contactus@icp.gov.ae, and the live chat and contact form sit on the same website. Have the person’s full name, nationality, passport number and any visa or residence file number ready.
2. Contact the detainee’s embassy or consulate in Abu Dhabi. Embassies issue travel documents when UAE authorities request them, so they are part of the removal process.
3. If a court or prosecution case exists, ask ADJD on 600 599 799 or +971 2 651 2222, or by email at info@adjd.gov.ae. ADJD handles case status for people in criminal custody.
4. Bring in a UAE-licensed lawyer when a prosecution or deportation order is already in play. A lawyer can follow the case with ICP, the prosecution or the courts.

Can you visit someone at Sweihan?

ICP publishes no public visiting schedule or visitor-permit service for Sweihan. The TAMM inmate visit permit covers correctional and punitive institutions run by ADJD, so it is not the route for a Sweihan detainee.

Ask ICP about access in the same call that confirms the person’s location, and ask the detainee’s embassy about consular access.

Visiting someone in an ADJD correctional centre

For a person in criminal custody, the process runs through TAMM:

1. Log in to TAMM with UAE PASS, or go to a service centre.
2. Submit the Issue Inmate Visit Permit application with an original valid ID card or passport.
3. Attach Public Prosecution permission if the visitor is not a first-degree relative.
4. Wait for the SMS giving the appointment time and the designated police centre. Remote visits run as video calls through the Nafidhaty app.

Documents issued outside the UAE need Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation and a legal Arabic translation. Foreign missions request consular visits to sentenced inmates through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal, a free service completed in 10 working days.

FAQ

Is Sweihan jail a criminal prison?

No. ICP runs it as an administrative immigration detention centre. Criminal custody in Abu Dhabi sits with ADJD, which runs centres such as Al Wathba and Al Ain.

How long can ICP hold someone at Sweihan?

No more than 30 days under a deportation order, extendable once for the same period, and only after the Federal Public Prosecutor approves the detention.

Is there a visiting timetable for Sweihan?

ICP has not published one. Ask ICP on 600 522 222 whether access can be arranged, and ask the detainee’s embassy about consular access.

Who pays for the flight after deportation?

The ICP chairman can charge the cost to the foreigner’s own money or to an employer who broke the entry and residence rules. ICP covers it when neither applies.

Can a deported person return to the UAE?

Not without the ICP chairman’s permission.

What number do I call about someone held at Sweihan?

Call ICP on 600 522 222 inside the UAE or +971 600 522 222 from outside. If a court case is involved, ADJD answers on 600 599 799.

What to do next

1. Gather the detainee’s full name, nationality, passport number and any visa, residence or case number.
2. Call ICP and ask whether the person is in its custody and under which order.
3. Contact the person’s embassy or consulate in Abu Dhabi about the travel document.
4. If a court, prosecution or sentence is involved, ask ADJD and consider a UAE-licensed lawyer.
5. Keep passport and Emirates ID numbers out of public groups and social posts.