Questions & Answers
Limitation period for claiming contract debts by the bank
Dear Ma'am,
I was recently contacted by a debt collection agency through a phone call on behalf of a bank in the UAE. They alleged that there are outstanding credit card dues from the year 2000 for some AED 200,000!
I left the UAE in 1997 and did not continue my relationship with that bank thereafter. I do not recall the credit card debt in question and may have inadvertently missed out on the credit card payment, if any, at that time while leaving the country.
What are the implications at this time? Now, that over 18 years have passed, can the bank enforce this debt to be recovered?
Would appreciate your advice on this matter.
Thanks,
Regards,
S.
Dear Questioner,
Thanks for writing to me.
Generally speaking, any civil claim is time-barred after a time period of 15 years elapses from the moment of its existence, unless a specific provision of law relating to the matter states otherwise.
There are many specific shorter time limits for specific types of claims, and most of these are contained in the UAE Civil Code itself. [Article 473 Civil Code].
Hope I could give clarity to your situation. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further clarification on the above.
Thank you.
Regards,
Rajasree ravivarma
+971585836631
