RAK Duty Free
Operated by the airport itself, in both the Departure and Arrival terminals, open round the clock.
Your journey · Departure Terminal
Departing from Ras Al Khaimah
It is a short walk from the kerb to the gate here, and that is the point of a small airport. It is not a reason to arrive late: check-in closes an hour before departure, and passport control comes before security, not after. This is the whole sequence, in order.
Plan your timing
Air Arabia operates most scheduled flights from RKT and publishes the times below. Other airlines set their own. The cut-off printed on your booking is the one that counts.
- Be at the terminal
- 2 hbefore an international departure
- Counters open
- 3 hbefore departure, at the desk
- Counters close
- 1 hbefore departure — no exceptions
Step by step
From your front door to the gate
Eight steps. Six of them are things you do, two of them are queues. Nothing here is unusual for an international departure — the value is in knowing the order.
- 01
Before you leave home
Check the live board for your flight. Passport valid, visa for your destination if you need one, boarding pass or airline app ready. Keep your passport on you — never pack it in a bag you are going to check. Charge your phone. - 02
Getting to the terminal
Departures and arrivals are separate buildings. Ask your driver for the Departure Terminal. The 24-hour taxi call centre is 8001700, and the free airport bus runs into RKT from Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain for evening flights. - 03
Tax refund validation, if you are claiming one
Do this before you check your bags in, not after. The Planet counters are in departures, opposite the check-in counters, and the goods you are claiming for have to be with you and inspectable. - 04
Check-in and bag drop
Passport and booking reference at the desk. Remove old tags from your bags before you get here. The airport applies its own acceptance rules on shape and size at this point, so read them if you are carrying anything unusual. - 05
Passport control
Passport and boarding pass. Every traveller has to present themselves in person, including children and infants. If you are a resident, have your Emirates ID with you. - 06
Security screening
Immigration first, then security — that is the order at RKT. Liquids, electronics and metal out of your bag and into the trays. Coats, shoes and belts off. You may be asked for additional screening; it is routine. - 07
Airside
Duty free is open round the clock, the Terminal Cafe in departures is open 24 hours, and there is a prayer room and a smoking room in the building. Free Wi-Fi covers both terminals. - 08
Boarding
Be at the gate by the time printed on your boarding pass. Gates close before departure, and a gate that has closed does not reopen. Have your passport and boarding pass in your hand, not in your bag.
Checking in before you get here
Air Arabia opens online check-in 48 hours before departure and closes it one hour before, and offers city check-in in Ras Al Khaimah up to 36 hours ahead. If you check in online you still have to drop any hold baggage at the desk before the counters close.
Security screening
What has to come out of the bag
The faster you unpack at the tray table, the faster the queue behind you moves. Everything below comes out before your bag goes on the belt.
Into the trays
- All liquids, aerosols and gels, out of your hand luggage and into the tray provided
- Laptops, tablets, phones and any other electronics, in a tray of their own
- Keys, coins, watches and other metal items
- Coats, jackets, shoes and belts
- Then the hand luggage itself, onto the conveyor
You will walk through a metal detector or a body scanner. Security staff may request enhanced screening of you or your bag, and co-operating with them is the quickest way through.
The liquids rule
Liquids, aerosols and gels in your hand luggage go in containers of 100 ml or less. All of the containers together go into one transparent re-sealable bag of one litre, one bag per passenger, and that bag is presented separately for X-ray.
Carried in addition to the one-litre bag
Medicines and items needed for a dietary requirement, including baby food and formula, may be carried on top of your one-litre bag. You may be asked to prove they are what you say they are, so keep prescriptions and labels with them.
Items that cannot travel in the cabin
Anything sharp, flammable, pressurised or capable of being used as a weapon belongs in checked baggage, or nowhere at all. Your airline publishes the authoritative dangerous goods list for the flight you are on — check it before you pack rather than at the tray table.
The exception that catches people out works the other way round: spare lithium batteries, power banks and electronic cigarettes are not permitted in checked baggage at all. They travel in the cabin, protected against short circuit.
The airport's own allowed and not-allowed item lists are being re-authored as readable text and will be published here. Until they are, treat your airline's list as authoritative.
Airside
What is open once you are through
A small departures hall, but the essentials run around the clock — which matters when half the schedule departs before dawn.
Terminal Cafe
In the Departure Terminal, open 24 hours, run by ALPHA Catering Services.
Prayer rooms
In both terminals. There is also a mosque near the Departure Terminal car park for anyone seeing you off.
Smoking
Not permitted anywhere inside the buildings. There is a designated smoking room in each terminal.
Free Wi-Fi
Covers both terminal buildings at no charge. du and Etisalat 4G both have coverage inside the buildings.
Police and medical
Airport police are on duty 24 hours. A nurse is on duty and ambulances are on the field.
On sale at RAK Duty Free
PerfumesCosmetics and toiletriesWatchesSunglassesFashion accessoriesElectronicsConfectioneryFood itemsGift itemsSouvenirsTobaccoAlcoholic beverages
Tourist refund scheme
Claiming your VAT back
The UAE charges 5 % VAT, and visitors can reclaim it on goods they bought during their stay and are taking home with them. Planet is the sole operator of the scheme nationally.
- 01
Go to the validation counters in departures before you check your luggage in — the counters are opposite the check-in desks.
- 02
Keep the goods you are claiming for accessible; they may be inspected.
- 03
Scan your passport or GCC ID at a self-service kiosk and follow the instructions on screen.
- 04
Planet staff are at the designated exit points if you need help.
What qualifies
- Goods bought during your stay in the UAE
- Not consumed, in full or in part, before you leave
- Exported with you within 90 days of the invoice date
Talk to someone
If something is not covered here
The Duty Officer is on the field around the clock and is the right first call on the day of travel. Anything about your ticket, your allowance or your seat belongs with your airline.
Ask your airline first
Fares, allowances, seat selection, name changes, delays, cancellations, missing bags and special assistance requests are all handled by the airline that issued your ticket. The airport cannot change them.
Times and allowances on this page are published for planning. Rules set by airlines, UAE Customs and the immigration authorities change without notice — confirm the detail that matters to your trip before you travel.