Q: Hello all respected lawyers, I left the UAE because of job loss in 2009 and, at that time, I had an unpaid loan of around AED 200,000 from a bank. It must have reached millions now after years of interest. I started my life afresh and after 10 years, I got little stability in life. Now I am in a position to pay around AED 100,000. With your experience, do you think that the bank will be able to accept this as a final settlement and clear my name from the blacklist? Your suggestion is highly appreciated and if you think this amount will be acceptable, then I would like to do it through a lawyer. Thanks in advance!

Q: Good morning, I have defaulted on a credit card/loan debt totaling 133.000 DHS for the last 15 months. I would like to clear this debt, but I am not sure of the best way to do so. My end of service gratuity would be mostly absorbed by this debt, but it has not been processed by my former employer, as they said that my resignation was not received or was received after the resignation window. They ordered me to return to work and I could not, so they terminated me for abandoning my job. My bank demanded full payments, but I could not maintain them at the time. After a few months, I received a notice with threats of a criminal case, so I did not return to the UAE to try to sort my out processing to receive my EOS. I received an email from a debt collection agency and want to know if it is best to try to negotiate affordable monthly payments through them or with the help of legal representation.

Q: Hi I hope someone can help me with a solution to this current situation. I borrowed a personal loan of AED 260,000 from a bank. I already paid 24 months instalments. In the month of April 2020, I lost my job due to COVID-19 and the bank has given me a 3 months payment holiday. However, my employer has cancelled my visa and I had to fly back to my home country. I have informed the bank about my current situation and even requested them to grant me a few months of payment holiday until I can find a new job. Also, I have other credit card liabilities I wasn't able to pay consistently since I am having financial issues. Recently, I found that the bank has presented my cheque for AED 260,000/- and it got bounced. Now, there is an active criminal case against me for my personal loan. Currently, I am unemployed and also I have very little savings left. Even If I get a job in the UAE in future, can I travel to the UAE? Please advise me on how I can resolve this issue.

Q: Hello Madam. Good morning, My name is K. V. I have an unpaid loan amount of AED 300000 in Abu Dhabi. The amount is due since 2018. Now I got an opportunity to work in the UAE and I want to clear my loan on an instalment basis. Will I get the visa? Kindly advise

Q: I had a personal loan with a bank in the UAE. I lost my job during the pandemic in April 2020. I stayed in the UAE till Nov 2020 searching for a job but I couldn`t find a job so I was planning to travel to India. They filed a criminal case in October 2020 so I couldn`t exit the country. I paid a fine of 10020 AED in Dubai police station and lifted the ban, then I exited the country. The bounced cheque amount from the bank was 131000 AED. I had a credit card outstanding of 24000 AED from another bank. Now the outstanding is 41020. How to resolve the issue as I am out of the country. Will it affect traveling to any other GCC country? They have filed a case now.

Q: My friend has a personal loan with a bank in Dubai and has lost his job. He has paid his EMI without any break until Jan 2022. However, he has exhausted all his savings. He missed the EMI in Feb and is still looking out for a job in Dubai. Would like to know what options are available. Will the bank initiate any legal proceeding immediately like a case or travel ban... etc? Also, would like to know if he is unable to get a job in Dubai, can he still pay the EMI from his home country after securing a job there and restructuring the loan?

Q: Hello I was working between 2016 and 2020 in a company. The owners ran away without any notice during the Covid lockdown. Due to the lockdown, I couldn't get a new job, so I decided to leave the UAE with my family. I have no intention to cheat anyone, but unfortunately, I could not pay any credit card dues until now. I got a good job again in the UAE. After the cheque bounce case was decriminalized - is there a chance to stop me at the airport? Now, I am working in business development so I need to travel to other countries as well. How can we check any travel ban, criminal case, and civil case? I can be ready to pay in installments one by one. The total amount is around AED 120,000 for 5 credit cards. One more question: In my new company, I need to visit various countries for work purposes at the time if I pay a fine in court/if no civil case against me. Can I get a police clearance certificate to travel to other countries or apply for a visa to other countries? Advanced thanks to all and looking forward to hiring a lawyer to solve this problem.

Q: Hello, I took a loan (60k) from a Bank in 2019 before Covid and was repaying until we were laid off from work due to Covid effects. I wrote to the bank and informed them about it but continued repaying until mid-2021. A few weeks back, I called the Bank and requested a settlement plan. I also informed them of my intention to return to Dubai. They told me "they filed a case and if I want them to withdraw the case I should pay all the outstanding balance". I offered to pay 80% and the balance later on condition that they withdraw the case. They refused. What does the law say about it? Thanks for your help.

Q: Hello There, I am a bank defaulter. I had a bank loan and credit cards in the UAE. Due to a job loss in 2009, I had to leave the UAE. My intention was to repay the amount and I did pay for some time until I was misguided by the bank employee. I have a job offer now and wish to go back to Dubai again. I can't afford to pay in one go but small EMIs. Kindly advise.

Q: I still have an outstanding amount balance on my credit card in Dubai and the last payment was made 7 years ago. I was not able to pay in installments as I lost my job and went back to my home country and have not returned to the UAE. How can I settle the amount to avoid a ban and is the amount still valid or the bank is insured on the outstanding amount?

Q: I have a personal loan and a credit card and due to job loss, I was struggling to find a way to pay the dues. I have 3 months' dues left and my credit card as well is pending. I did inform the bank about the job loss, however, they have bounced the cheque and a travel ban has been initiated. Now I'm paying back the dues little by little, however, the bank called and asked me to pay an amount that I cannot afford at this moment. They are proceeding with the full amount recovery procedure. Recently, I have acquired a low-paying job and have asked the bank to give me 2 months of time to stabilize things. However, they refused and said they could not. What can I do here? Please suggest a way out here. My last visa got canceled and currently on a visit visa. Will I be able to get an internal visa extension here? I want to continue here in the UAE, but the bank is making my life hell and giving me mental breakdowns and torture by collection calls.

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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of employment issues and laws during COVID-19 in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The UAE has adopted a major reform in its legislative system that brought about 40 new laws and amendments to the company law, criminal law, personal status, among others. The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, the labor law being one of these, was the most recent. We try in this article to shed light on the changes introduced with the new labor law and their significance on both, the employer and employee.

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.