Q: Dear Nikhat, I have a personal loan with a bank in Dubai. Last October 2016 I lost my job and the company sent me back to my country. Now I have a job offer and visa. Will I be arrested if I arrive in the UAE? Due to the job lost only I didn't pay the amount. If possible I can speak to the bank and I can pay the amount monthly. Please advise me. Thanks / Regards

Q: Hello, I had a credit card from a bank for AED 12,000. I failed to pay since I lost my job for the last 10 months. The bank stopped contacting me for 6 months. I recently found a job and I have an emergency to fly back home. Will I be stopped at the airport and how can I know if the bank filed a case against me? Thank you

Q: I had a loan from a bank for AED 140000. I lost my job in Dubai and I had to return to my home country. Now, the recovery is calling me and my family. I have no money because I had a loss in my business. How can I settle the money? If I go back to Dubai, will there be any imprisonment?

Q: Hi. I want to know something. Actually, my father took a loan from different banks in Dubai and he couldn't clear all of them. So he came back to the home country. So my question is how he can be removed from the blacklist? Does he have to pay all the amount? And what if he does not have that much amount? Please guide me. Thanks

س: السلام عليكم، أنا سعودي وذهبت للإمارات وعملت بشركة، وبعد مدة اقترضت مبلغ حوالي مئتي ألف درهم لظروفي ولكن واجهت صعوبة في السداد وسافرت إلى السعودية. هل يمكنني العودة للإمارات وجدولة السداد من جديد أم سأكون مُلزم بدفع كامل المبلغ؟

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I lost my job in 2018, and in 2019, the bank opened a criminal case against me for defaulting on my loan. I attended the hearing with a judge and was told to pay a fine of AED 7,000, which I did. The bank was then taken over by another bank in 2020/2021. In late 2022, the new bank that took over is calling me to clear my loan, but I never signed anything with them, and my case was before the takeover. Am I still entitled to pay the new bank?

The management of individual financial affairs is crucial and all the actions must be weighed down while committing to any financial liability. Whether it's job loss that may have lead to financial failure or the opposite, one must be aware of the personal liability which will not diminish by paying fines for cheque bounce cases. There are two major types of liabilities, criminal liability and civil liability. Each has its own significance, hence, must be dealt with accordingly.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.