Who is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP)?
A politically exposed person (PEP) is someone who holds, or has held, a prominent public position, such as a head of state, senior politician, senior government, judicial or military official, senior executive of a state-owned enterprise, or important political-party official. Because such positions can be abused for bribery, corruption or the misuse of public funds, PEPs are treated as higher risk in AML, along with their close family members and associates.
Key PEP Terms
- PEP (politically exposed person): Someone entrusted with a prominent public function, who therefore presents a higher risk of involvement in bribery or corruption.
- Foreign PEP: A person entrusted with a prominent public function by another country.
- Domestic PEP: A person entrusted with a prominent public function within their own country.
- RCA (relatives and close associates): The family members and close business or personal associates of a PEP, who carry related risk.
- Source of wealth: Where a person's overall wealth comes from, which must be established for PEPs, distinct from the source of funds for a single transaction.
Who is a PEP Under UAE AML?
What EDD is Required for PEPs?
- Obtain senior-management approval before establishing, or continuing, the relationship.
- Take reasonable measures to establish the PEP's source of wealth and source of funds.
- Apply enhanced ongoing monitoring throughout the relationship.
How PEP Screening Works
You identify PEPs through screening: checking customers and beneficial owners against PEP data sources, supported by customer declarations and ongoing monitoring so that someone who becomes a PEP during the relationship is also caught. PEP screening usually runs alongside sanctions and adverse-media screening as part of one name-screening process.
About this PEP Course
This practical course teaches compliance professionals how to identify and manage politically exposed persons (PEPs). You learn who counts as a PEP, including foreign and domestic PEPs and their relatives and close associates, how to screen for them, and the mandatory enhanced due diligence the UAE requires, from senior-management approval to establishing source of wealth. It is grounded in the UAE framework, Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025, but the approach applies wherever PEP rules do. Practitioner-led, with a certificate on completion.
What you will Learn in this PEP Course
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Explain who is a PEP, including foreign PEPs, domestic PEPs and their relatives and close associates.
Screen customers and beneficial owners to identify PEPs at onboarding and over time.
Apply the mandatory enhanced due diligence PEPs require under Article 16.
Obtain senior-management approval and establish source of wealth and source of funds.
Apply enhanced ongoing monitoring to PEP relationships.
Handle PEP risk proportionately, without either ignoring it or over-reacting.
Why this PEP Course is Worth your Time
In the UAE the duty is explicit and mandatory. Cabinet Resolution 134 of 2025 (Article 16) requires enhanced due diligence for PEPs, including senior-management approval, establishing the source of wealth and source of funds, and enhanced ongoing monitoring, as part of the preventive measures required by Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025. PEP standards are global, so the skills travel to any jurisdiction.
Practical takeaway
You will be able to identify a PEP and apply the mandatory enhanced due diligence the UAE requires, proportionately.PEP Course Curriculum
Who should Take this Course
KYC and screening analysts who identify PEPs, compliance officers and MLROs who own the standard, relationship managers handling higher-net-worth or politically connected clients, and the owners and staff of regulated businesses and DNFBPs. No prior qualification is needed, and the course works whether you operate in the UAE or another AML regime.
What you Get
- A practical, self-paced online course you can complete in a single focused session.
- A certificate of completion you can keep as evidence of training.
- A PEP-handling approach you can apply to your very next higher-risk customer.
Why Choose Pro AML Courses
Learn from the Pro
Anshuman Kar is a practising compliance professional on the ProAML faculty, with a focus on enhanced due diligence and the management of higher-risk customers such as PEPs. Like every ProAML instructor, he brings real casework into the course, so the material is practical, current and grounded in how compliance is actually done.
Get Started Now!
Why Learn with Pro AML Training
ProAML Training is part of NIYEAHMA's AMLVerse, a global AML compliance ecosystem that connects consulting, regulatory knowledge and technology, including the consulting practice AML UAE. Courses are built and taught by practising compliance professionals, among them founder Pathik Shah (FCA, CAMS, CISA), who brings more than 28 years in governance, risk and compliance. That means the material is practical, current and grounded in real casework rather than recycled theory.
- Practitioner-led: written and delivered by working AML professionals, not generalist course writers.
- Practical and job-ready: focused on what you do at your desk, with real red flags, templates and worked examples.
- Current: kept in step with FATF standards and the latest national rules, so you are not learning last year's framework.
- Globally relevant: principles apply across jurisdictions, with strong depth in high-demand markets such as the UAE.