UAE Federal Law No. 12 of 2019 on the Regulation of the Space Sector (space resources provisions)
UAE federal space law that brought space resource exploration, extraction, exploitation and use within its permitting regime (Art. 18) and left the conditions to a Council of Ministers decision; permits were granted by the UAE Space Agency board. It was repealed in 2023 by Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2023, whose Art. 8 carries the same space resources permit provision. A 2023 Cabinet Decision (Space Resource Regulation) was issued under Art. 18 before the repeal.
Facts
- Level
- National statute
- Scope
- National
- Country
- United Arab Emirates
- Citation
- Federal Law No. (12) of 2019 on the Regulation of the Space Sector, issued 19 December 2019 (22 Rabi' Al-Akhar 1441H); Official Gazette issue No. 669, p. 111
- Adopted
- 2019-12-19
- In force
- 2020-01
- Status
- RepealedRepealed by Art. 39(1) of Federal Decree-Law No. 46 of 2023 on the Regulation of the Space Sector (Official Gazette No. 760, 29 September 2023; effective 29 October 2023). The 2019 law was issued 19 December 2019 and entered into force one month after Official Gazette publication (Art. 54).
Resource provisions
A paraphrase followed by the source wording.
Art. 18 subjected exploration, exploitation and use of space resources (including acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transport and storage) to permits whose conditions are set by Council of Ministers decision and which are granted by the Agency's Board; Art. 8 of the 2023 Decree-Law that replaced it carries the same permit provision in near-identical wording. Neither law itself states an ownership rule. A historical 2023 law-firm summary described ownership rights under Cabinet Decision No. 19/2023. That secondary description is not confirmation of the current ownership rule or of the content, commencement or repeal provisions of Cabinet Resolution No. 204/2025.
the conditions and controls relating to Permits for the exploration, exploitation and use of Space Resources, including their acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transportation, storage [1]
Open evidence gaps
- Official Arabic text and the 2019 law's Official Gazette publication date not retrieved; uaelegislation.gov.ae and space.gov.ae blocked this server (Cloudflare). The 2023 Decree-Law was read from an April 2025 Internet Archive copy of the UAE Legislation portal.
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19/2023 (Space Resources Regulations) was read only from an Internet Archive copy of the UAE Legislation portal's English translation (Arabic prevails): dated 13 March 2023, it cites Federal Law No. 12 of 2019 and its Art. 7 gives operators ownership rights over space resources from activities authorised by the Agency. Its gazette date and its reported replacement by Cabinet Resolution No. 204/2025 are not confirmed from primary text.
- No UAE space resources permit has been identified in any primary source.
- This scoped wording correction reread the existing project caches of the 2019 law and archived 2023 materials. No fresh Ministry of Justice text was obtained, and the saved capture metadata records HTTP 403 for the official 19/2023 and 204/2025 downloads; no fresh primary-host legal text was obtained. Both Cabinet-resolution drafts remain held, including current ownership and repeal/commencement questions.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | resource provisions (paraphrase) | Art. 18 subjected exploration, exploitation and use of space resources (including acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transport and storage) to permits whose conditions are set by Council of Ministers decision and which are granted by the Agency's Board; Art. 8 of the 2023 Decree-Law that replaced it carries the same permit provision in near-identical wording. Neither law itself states an ownership rule; per a law-firm summary, Cabinet Decision No. 19/2023 provides that operators may exercise ownership rights recognised under UAE law over resources obtained through authorised activities. | Art. 18 subjected exploration, exploitation and use of space resources (including acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transport and storage) to permits whose conditions are set by Council of Ministers decision and which are granted by the Agency's Board; Art. 8 of the 2023 Decree-Law that replaced it carries the same permit provision in near-identical wording. Neither law itself states an ownership rule. A historical 2023 law-firm summary described ownership rights under Cabinet Decision No. 19/2023. That secondary description is not confirmation of the current ownership rule or of the content, commencement or repeal provisions of Cabinet Resolution No. 204/2025. | Correction | [6] |
| 2026-09-26 | status | In force | Repealed | Correction | [7] |
Sources
10 sourcesArticle 18 - Exploration, Exploitation and Use of Space Resources 1- Subject to the provisions of Article (14) of this Law, the conditions and controls relating to Permits for the exploration, exploitation and use of Space Resources, including their acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transportation, storage and any Space Activities aimed at providing logistical services in this regard shall be determined by a decision issued by the Council of Ministers or whomever it delegates.
The Permits referred to in clause (1) of this Article shall be granted by a decision of the Board of Directors upon the proposal of the Director General.
Space Resources: Any non-living resources present in outer space, including minerals and water.
This Law shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall enter into force one month after the date of its publication.
The present Federal Law was published in the Official Gazette, issue No. 669 p. 111.
Cabinet Decision No. 19/2023 (the "Space Resource Regulation") allows for the exploration, exploitation and use of space resources as part of a Space Resource Activity. It further specifies that operators are entitled to exercise ownership rights recognised under the UAE's laws over space resources the operator explores, exploits or uses through authorised Space Resource Activities.
The aforementioned Federal Law No. (12) of 2019 concerning the Space Sector shall be repealed
The conditions and controls relating to Permits for the exploration, exploitation and use of Space Resources, including their acquisition, purchase, sale, trade, transportation, storage and any Space Activities aimed at providing logistical services in this regard shall be determined by a resolution issued by the Cabinet or whomever it delegates.
Effective Date 29 Oct 2023 Official Gazette Date 29 Sep 2023 Official Gazette No 760
Federal Law No. (12) of 2019 Regulating the Space Sector;
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “UAE Federal Law No. 12 of 2019 on the Regulation of the Space Sector (space resources provisions)”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/laws/uae-space-sector-2019.html. Record checked 2026-10-05.