Are Macaws Legal in the UAE? (2026 Species-by-Species Guide)

Macaws are legal to own as pets in the UAE. They are not on the Federal Law 22/2016 banned dangerous-animals list, and the federal framework that governs their trade, Federal Law 11/2002, the UAE’s implementation of CITES, treats them as regulated rather than prohibited. Every macaw species sold in the UAE can be owned legally provided it carries the correct origin documentation and is sourced through a MOCCAE-registered channel.

What changes from one species to the next is the weight of the paperwork. Appendix I macaws (the most endangered) require the strictest document chain at point of sale; Appendix II macaws sit under a lighter but still mandatory regime. In both cases, the seller is the one carrying the regulatory burden, the buyer’s job is to verify, transfer the certificate into their name, and keep the documents for the life of the bird.

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, places every macaw species into one of two Appendices. The Appendix determines how strictly trade is controlled and how much paperwork moves with each bird.

For the full CITES framework, the three Appendices, the UAE’s role as a CITES party, and the historical context for African Grey and macaw uplistings, see our UAE exotic bird laws guide.

Two federal laws bracket macaw ownership in the UAE. The first is the one most owners have heard of: Federal Law 22 of 2016, which bans private possession of dangerous animals. Macaws are not on the 22/2016 banned-list. That list focuses on big cats, primates, large reptiles, and certain other exotic mammals, pet parrots are deliberately outside its scope.

The second law is the one that actually governs the macaw trade: Federal Law 11 of 2002, the UAE’s implementation of CITES. It is administered by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), which acts as the designated CITES Management Authority. Every legal macaw sold in the UAE passes through this framework, either at import (a Release Certificate is issued) or at hatch (a Certificate of Ownership is issued for UAE-bred birds).

For the full text and penalty structure of both federal laws, plus the Federal Law 16 of 2007 animal-welfare backdrop, see our UAE exotic bird laws guide, that page is the federal-law hub and we deliberately don’t duplicate its detail here.

Both Appendix I and Appendix II macaws require origin documentation, but the chain is heavier for the former. The seller’s UAE trade license requirement is identical regardless of Appendix, a Hahn’s sold by an unlicensed reseller is no more legal than a Hyacinth sold by the same channel.

Keep the original certificate and the vet certificate together with your Emirates ID copy in a single file. You will be asked to produce them at the avian vet’s first visit, at any boarding intake, and at any future sale or export.

Hybrid macaws are produced by crossing two pure macaw species in a captive-breeding facility. They do not exist in the wild. By definition, every hybrid is captive-bred, which means a hybrid with no origin paperwork is itself a red flag, there is no “wild source” explanation for an undocumented Harlequin.

Hybrids are legal to own in the UAE under the same paperwork rules as their highest-Appendix parent species. The CITES treatment follows the more-protected parent, not an average. So:

• · Harlequin Macaw (Blue & Gold × Green-Wing), both parents are Appendix II, so the Harlequin is Appendix II.
• · Ruby Macaw (Green-Wing × Scarlet), inherits Appendix I from the Scarlet parent and requires the full Appendix I paperwork chain.
• · Catalina Macaw (Blue & Gold × Scarlet), treated as Appendix I because of the Scarlet parent.
• · Camelot Macaw (Catalina × Scarlet, i.e. second-generation Scarlet), Appendix I.
• · Shamrock Macaw (Military × Scarlet), Appendix I via both parents.

A practical note on relocation: hybrid macaws cannot be exported to some destination countries (several EU member states will not import non-pure species). If you anticipate moving out of the UAE during the bird’s lifetime, check destination-country import rules before buying a hybrid.

The macaw-ownership question is “yes” under the right conditions, but the following remain clearly illegal regardless of how the transaction is framed:

• Wild-caught Hyacinth, Scarlet, or other Appendix I species (vanishingly rare in the regulated UAE market, but grey-channel imports surface occasionally)
• Appendix I macaws sold without a closed leg-band
• Sales via Dubizzle, Instagram, or WhatsApp without CITES documentation
• Importing your own macaw into the UAE without a personal MOCCAE permit
• Breeding Appendix I species for sale without a registered breeding permit
• Selling or rehoming a macaw without transferring the certificate into the new owner's name

To report suspected illegal wildlife trade, contact MOCCAE directly through moccae.gov.ae or the local police.

At AED 60,000+ price tags and Appendix I status, Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) are the single species where buyer due diligence is most worth the effort. The high price masks the fact that legitimate Hyacinth supply in the UAE traces back to a small number of breeding facilities, all known to MOCCAE, and that scarcity is exactly what fraudulent sellers exploit.

Before paying for any Hyacinth, verify all four of the following:

• · The breeder. The UAE’s legal Hyacinth supply is small and traceable, your seller should be able to name the breeding facility and produce the hatch record. “Imported from a private collection abroad” without a Release Certificate is a stop signal.
• · The closed leg-band stamped with the breeder code. On a Hyacinth this band is non-negotiable; an open or missing band on a bird this expensive is the clearest possible red flag.
• · The seller’s MOCCAE registration. Hyacinths should not move through unregistered channels. A licensed pet retailer or registered breeder should produce both the trade license and the bird’s certificate without hesitation.
• · The bird’s age. Hyacinths legally on the UAE market should be at least 16 weeks weaned. A still-hand-feeding chick “sold today” is a welfare concern and a likely paperwork shortcut.

Walk away from any “private sale” Hyacinth without full paperwork. The combination of high price, low supply, and Appendix I status makes Hyacinth the species most commonly used by fraudulent sellers , and the species where the financial and legal downside of buying wrong is largest.

Federal-law legality is one question; whether your apartment can house a macaw is another. Even where ownership is legal, macaws are loud, Blue & Gold Macaws sustain around 105 dB, Scarlet Macaws around 110 dB, and Hyacinths around 108 dB at full call volume. A single neighbour complaint about noise can trigger eviction proceedings under most UAE residential tenancy contracts, regardless of whether your building’s pet policy permits birds in writing.

Legal ownership of the bird does not override your tenancy contract. Buyers in apartments routinely underestimate this and end up rehoming a macaw they spent AED 30,000-60,000 on within the first year. The honest answer for most apartment dwellers is: a macaw is the wrong species, regardless of the legal paperwork being in order.

For apartment-suitable alternatives and a frank assessment of noise tolerance by species, see /best-birds-for-uae-apartments/.

If you are moving to the UAE with an existing pet macaw, you need a personal CITES import permit issued by MOCCAE before the bird arrives, plus the matching export permit from the country of origin, an IATA-compliant travel crate, and an attested veterinary health certificate dated close to travel. Plan for a 6-10 week lead time on the paperwork.

Appendix I species (Hyacinth, Scarlet, Military, Buffon’s) face additional scrutiny than Appendix II , the CITES export permit from the origin country can itself take longer because the origin authority has to verify the bird’s captive-bred provenance. Hyacinth and Scarlet imports can stretch beyond ten weeks. The bird is examined at the UAE port of entry on arrival.

For the latest official permit-application steps, refer directly to moccae.gov.ae .

Leaving the UAE with a macaw is the mirror process. You apply for a personal CITES export permit from MOCCAE, secure the destination country’s import permit, and prepare an IATA-compliant travel crate sized to the species. Lead time is again 6-10 weeks, longer for Appendix I species.

The original Certificate of Ownership or Release Certificate and the closed leg-band are essential, both authorities (UAE export and destination-country import) verify the bird’s identity against these. Some destination countries, several EU states in particular, require quarantine and additional health testing on arrival, and a few will not accept hybrid macaws at all. Check destination rules before booking travel.

We routinely help departing customers with the paperwork side of relocation; reach out via WhatsApp before you commit to a travel date.

Frequently asked questions

• UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE)
• CITES Species Database
• UAE Federal Law 11/2002, CITES implementation
• UAE Federal Law 22/2016, possession of dangerous animals

Related pages

• UAE exotic bird ownership laws, the federal-law hub covering 22/2016, 11/2002, MOCCAE, and penalties.
• Cost of owning a macaw in the UAE, full lifetime cost breakdown beyond the purchase price.
• How to buy a parrot in Dubai, the 5-step buyer’s checklist with red-flag list.
• First 30 days with a new parrot, the settling-in plan after the bird comes home.
• Best birds for UAE apartments, honest take on noise and apartment-suitability by species.
• Available macaws, current Dubai Birds inventory across Appendix I and II species.
• Bird boarding in Dubai, paperwork is required for CITES-listed intake.
• Avian vet partners, the clinics we use for pre-sale and lifetime checks.