Dear sir/madam, I would like someone to be honest with me. I am in the UK. How long have I got to claim inheritance in Dubai? I was reading in the Gulf News that the laws of the country of the deceased at the time of death can be applied regarding the will. Is this true or false? I am really looking for these two questions to be answered first. Can anyone help me with this, please?

Dear Advocate Sweta Singh, I am from India and in Sep 2018, I purchased an apartment in a hotel. The hotel has not been completed and the delay is more than a year. They have not paid any compensation as per the contract, nor do they talk about it. I have paid more than 80% in installments and paying it regularly. Please help me, guide me on how to cancel the deal and get a full refund, or any other way which helps me recover my investment. Regards

Dear questioner, My father (Muslim) has passed away in South Africa. He leaves behind 4 children, his wife (our mother) and his own mother. He had a will for South Africa in which, I (oldest son) am executor. The will does state that it encompasses all property and assets wherever they may be. He has various properties and assets in the UAE. My questions are: 1. Does his will have power in the UAE or will it be divided by Sharia? 2. What documents are required to wind up his estate? 3. What is the wind-up process within the UAE?

My son tragically died in Dubai and his salary has been paid into a UAE HSBC bank account. My daughter also lives in Dubai and has an HSBC account. How can I access my Son's bank account, please? I live in the UK.

My uncle died 2 weeks ago in one of the private hospitals here in Dubai. We have already completed everything regarding the repatriation of his body with the help of his employer and his remains are already sent back to our home country last week. He used to give me an access of his ATM card before and I tried to access it just few days ago and I found out that there is some amount of money left on his bank account. I am aware that he has some pending bank loan requests before he died, so I am afraid that amount might be the reason of such big amount. Being the only family member of my deceased uncle, what should I do in order to make sure that the amount is from his savings and not from his bank loans? In case the amount is proved to be his own savings, is there any chance for me to get the authorization to claim that amount from the bank to be used by his family? He has a wife with 3 kids back home. Thanks a lot in advance.

Dear Sir/Madam, Does the existing tenancy contract between the tenant and the previous owner remain in force even after the new landlord has purchased the property in the middle of an ongoing lease? And when should a new tenancy contract be made? Should it be made immediately after the property has been sold, or at the end of the ongoing tenancy contract signed between the previous owner of the property and the tenant? Also, does a new contract have to be in place for the tenant to exchange the cheques, or does the existing tenancy contract with the previous owner remain valid for the purpose of exchanging the cheques?

Dear Sir/Madam, I was wrongfully terminated by my school under Article 44 on March 20th, 2023. I have a case in the labor courts, and the first hearing is on April 4th, 2023. However, my employer is asking me to vacate the school accommodation. I asked the Ministry of Labor and the courts, and they informed me that the school cannot evict me until the case is resolved. Is this information correct? I am currently unemployed and have nowhere else to go until I find another job.

Hi, May you and your family be blessed. I'm extremely tense and need your kind feedback on the following issue. If I have a travel ban in KSA, can I travel to the UAE on a work visa? I have been visiting Dubai on a tourist visa without any problems. The ban was imposed because I had to leave KSA suddenly and could not return after an exit-entry, and I was unable to pay back my car EMI and credit card payment totaling 30k SAR, which I intend to pay off gradually now. When I left KSA, they only had my fingerprints at the time. I also understand that while coming for a visit to Dubai, only a retinal scan is done. On the other hand, when obtaining a work visa, UAE takes and registers fingerprints as well. Could this lead to any issues for me? I have finally obtained a better-paying job after a long time and can finally save up to pay off my debts. The case registered for which the travel ban is imposed is only for SAR 16000. As of now, I cannot afford to hire a lawyer to check in UAE. Thank you for your help!

Dear Sir/Madam, My landlord wants to evict me from the property where I reside. They have not provided a court order for eviction within the past 12 months. Additionally, they are requesting a 40% increase in rent and are insisting on a 6-month fixed-term renewal, despite the RERA index indicating no such increase. Furthermore, they have included an unreasonable clause that prohibits pets, even though I have lived on the property with a pet for over three years.  What options do I have if I do not agree to these demands?

Dear Respected, I have a travel ban on me and a case raised in Dubai Courts against the company. The reason is the company owner asked me to sign a cheque to a service provider and the cheque bounced. I'm not a shareholder in the license. I'm not a partner in the license or elsewhere. I'm not a manager in the license or elsewhere. I only hold a POA from the owner to assist him in opening a bank account while he was abroad and be the authorized signatory in the bank. What should I do in this case? Thank you respected.

I am a company owner In Shams free zone of 50 per cent share and have a partner visa. My partner was a Russian who went to Russia and died. When I went to the free zone to cancel my visa and close the company, they have asked me to get his attested death certificate and NOC from his heirs. The problem I am facing is his family doesn’t want to give the death certificate nor they want to give NOC. Now my resident visa validity is over and I am on fine every day. Neither the free zone is cooperating nor the partner's family. What is the other way I can cancel my visa and close the company? Can someone guide me, please?

I have been notified by DLD that I am in breach of an off-plan sales agreement, and the developer wishes to terminate the agreement. The date on the notice is March 9, 2021, and I received it from the developer on March 11, 2021. The notice says I have 30 days "from the date of being notified" to make the outstanding payment. On the termination notice from DLD, a list of objections is present. One of the objections states that the developer must hand over the final SPA to me. In this case, I have not received the final SPA from the developer. I made an objection in writing to the DLD pointing this fact out and sent it via email, and received a confirmation of the same from DLD by return e-mail on April 6, 2021. 30 days from March 9th is April 8th, or from March 11th is April 10th. Does the developer have to respond to my objection before the DLD will allow them to terminate the agreement? In this case, will the time I have to make the payment be extended by any period?

I would like to open a trustee with my wife and sign a postnuptial agreement.

Hi, We have a professional services license (2 partners) + 1 local service agent registered with DED, Dubai. The partners wish to close the business because of unavoidable circumstances. We wish to proceed with all the necessary paperwork for cancellation. Unfortunately, the local service agent is not available. We have been trying to connect to him multiple times but have not been able to reach him. The due date for the renewal of the company is coming up and we want to proceed with all the paperwork for cancellation prior to that. Kindly advise us about the options if the local service agent is unavailable.

Hi, I want some information regarding my uncle. He was arrested in November 2015 and was in prison until 13 June 2016 when he was deported to Pakistan. The reason for the arrest was that my uncle had his own business in Sharjah and he was involved in a case where his employee accused him of attacking him and other allegations. He was arrested and convicted. He needs to reenter the country as he has his business in Sharjah but I believe he is blacklisted/banned. How can I find out if he is blacklisted/banned and how can it be removed to allow my uncle to reenter the country and take over his business? Is there any way of helping to resolve this issue? I know that if he enters on a visa, he could be arrested at the airport, and don’t want that to happen. Thank you!

السلام عليكم، أود الاستفسار بشأن قضية إبعاد زوج خالتي من دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. زوج خالتي كان مقيماً في الإمارات وكان قد وُلد وترعرع هناك. في عام 2013 تم إبعاده من الإمارات، وكان ذلك نتيجة لسياسات حكومية كانت تستهدف مجموعة من المقيمين في تلك الفترة، وهو لم يكن قد ارتكب أي مخالفة في ذلك الوقت وكان يُعتبر ضحية للسياسات المتبعة. أرغب في معرفة الإجراءات التي يجب أن أتبعها حالياً من أجل رفع هذا الإبعاد وتمكينه من العودة إلى الإمارات. أرجو أن توضح لي كيف يمكنني مساعدته في هذا الموضوع. شكراً جزيلاً.

I recently joined a new organization in the Hamriyah Free Zone, and my previous organization has not released my end-of-service benefits. The HR has instructed the finance team not to do so because I had contacted one of their clients. In my DMCC contract, there is no Non-Compete clause, but the offer letter has one, and now they are not releasing the end-of-service. Is this legal? What are my rights?

Hello, I have multiple cheque execution cases filed against me due to financial strains last year. My trade license and visa will expire next month, along with my Emirates ID. Is it possible for me to renew my license and visa along with EID prior to settling the execution cases? The trade license and visa were issued by the free zone authority. I look forward to your response. Thanks.

Dear Legal Advice Middle East, I hope you are well. I am seeking legal advice regarding an unpaid salary issue with my former employer, [-----]2 LLC. I was employed with them from December 4, 2024, to January 7, 2025, on a monthly salary of 5,000 AED. However, I only received a partial payment of 2,473 AED on February 24, 2025. The remaining 2,527 AED is still unpaid. I submitted a complaint to MOHRE on March 2, 2025, but I am unable to proceed further through their official channels. This is because I was working under the visa of my previous employer, [---] LLC, and not under [----]’s sponsorship. As a result, I do not meet the criteria to file a labor complaint via the MOHRE app or hotline. Given this situation, I would appreciate your guidance on how I can legally pursue the recovery of my remaining salary, considering the complications related to my visa status during the employment.

Hello, Does the initiation of an online rental dispute case by a landlord in Dubai automatically lead to the imposition of a travel ban on the tenant? This is not related to bounced cheques; the dispute concerns wear and tear versus damage claims by the landlord.