# Cloud Regions in the UAE: AWS, Google Cloud and Azure

> Which AWS and Azure regions are really in the UAE, why Google Cloud has none, the federal PDPL, and how to schedule around the UAE working week.

Source: https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/uae
Published: 2026-07-01 · Updated: 2026-09-24 · Author: avinash-gaurav · Tags: geo, country, uae

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Regions, time zones and data protection law for cloud teams in United Arab Emirates.

The UAE has an AWS region (me-central-1) and two Azure regions, uaenorth in Dubai and uaecentral in Abu Dhabi. Google Cloud has no UAE region; its nearest is me-central1 in Doha, Qatar. Two nearby regions are easy to mistake for UAE regions: AWS me-south-1 is in Bahrain and Google Cloud me-central2 is in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

## Cloud regions in United Arab Emirates

| Provider | Region | Location |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | `me-central-1` | not stated by AWS |
| Google Cloud | none | none |
| Azure | `uaenorth` | Dubai |
| Azure | `uaecentral` | Abu Dhabi |

AWS me-central-1 is an opt-in region and has to be enabled on the account. If a residency requirement means data must stay in the UAE, the Bahrain and Saudi regions do not meet it.

## Scheduling on local time

The UAE uses Asia/Dubai, with no daylight saving time. Check your company's actual working week before copying a schedule from an office elsewhere.

Time zones: `Asia/Dubai`. Currency: AED.

## Data protection law

The federal law is Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL). The DIFC and ADGM free zones run their own data protection regimes, so the applicable rules depend on where your entity is registered.

Source: [Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL); DIFC and ADGM have separate regimes](https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/digital-uae/data/data-protection-laws).

## Nearby countries

<a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/israel">Israel</a>, <a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization/india">India</a>. For every country, see <a href="https://zop.dev/cloud-cost-optimization">cloud regions by country</a>.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is AWS me-south-1 in the UAE?

No. me-south-1 is in Bahrain. The AWS region in the UAE is me-central-1.

### Does Google Cloud have a UAE region?

No. The nearest Google Cloud regions are me-central1 (Doha) and me-central2 (Dammam).