Questions & Answers
My father left the UAE and left his car with his cousin to continue loan payments. How to check his status?
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
I am planning to bring my father to Dubai for a visit. He left Dubai in 2009 due to serious medical reasons and left his car with his cousin, with an outstanding bank installment for the car, which was around AED 10,000. We subsequently cancelled his visa.
It has been over 10 years, and I am concerned about potential fines or travel bans, as we are unsure if the remaining car payments were completed by his cousin. We are not on speaking terms with his cousin, so I cannot confirm this.
I found that checking fines or travel bans usually requires an Emirates ID, but my father left Dubai before Emirates IDs were introduced and only has his passport. The company he worked for also no longer exists.
Could you please advise if there is another way to check for fines?
Kind regards!
Dear Questioner,
Thank you for your inquiry.
To confirm whether you have a travel ban in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, we can assist you with a comprehensive check for civil and criminal cases.
Required Steps:
Before we can initiate the legal process of a travel ban check, we will require a Power of Attorney (POA) to represent you before government authorities and police stations.
To facilitate the notarization of the POA, please provide the following documents:
- A copy of your old and new passports
- A copy of your visa
- A copy of your Emirates ID
Once we receive these documents, we will draft the POA in both English and Arabic and send it to you for review, signature, and return.
Afterward, the POA will be submitted to the federal Notary Public for notarization. The notary will provide a link for a remote meeting with you, during which your original passport will be verified, and you will sign electronically.
Costs and Process:
- Notary Fees: USD 165 (paid directly to the notary). You will receive a digital copy of the notarized POA.
- Legal Fees for Travel Ban Check: USD 325. Once the notarized POA is received, we will check the UAE criminal record system for any criminal cases, travel bans, arrest warrants, or execution files registered against your name. This process typically takes about four working days.
We are here to assist you every step of the way. Please let us know if you have any questions or require further clarification.
Sincerely,
Mohammad Salah
Legal Consultant
Thank you for contacting us via Legal Advice Middle East.
In cases like your father’s, where the visa was cancelled more than a decade ago and no Emirates ID was ever issued, the concern usually centers on whether any unresolved bank dues or related legal actions created a travel ban.
We handled an almost identical case in our office for a client who had left the UAE before the Emirates ID system began, and the court confirmed that the absence of an Emirates ID does not prevent checking for potential restrictions.
Instead, the check is carried out through the passport number and the old visa details.
There are generally two approaches. The first is to conduct a police clearance or travel ban inquiry directly through the Dubai Police and other emirate police portals, using the passport number.
The second, more precise route, is to assign a legal representative to approach the courts and the Central Bank records to confirm whether any bank case or execution file remains open.
The hidden risk is assuming that the passage of time automatically erases financial obligations — in reality, if a judgment was ever issued, it can still appear in the system.
The strategic solution is to perform a comprehensive check of his passport details before making any travel arrangements.
Our office can assist you with this verification process and provide official confirmation, ensuring your father’s entry to Dubai is safe and without surprises.
To advise you accurately, we would need a copy of your father’s passport and the previous visa page. Our multilingual consultants are available in Arabic, English, Russian, Hindi, and Chinese to support you with this matter.
Since your father left Dubai in 2009 and does not have an Emirates ID, online systems cannot show fines or travel bans.
To check, you can:
Contact the bank where the car loan was held, providing your father’s passport and proof of relationship.
Check with the RTA/Traffic Department using the vehicle details and passport.
Apply for his visit visa, as immigration will automatically flag any outstanding fines or travel bans.
Keep all documents ready (passport, proof of relationship, vehicle/loan info).
No fully online method exists; you need to coordinate directly with the bank, RTA, or immigration authorities.
