Q: I have a personal loan debt in Saudi Arabia. I am looking now to get a job in Dubai. Will I be allowed to work in Dubai, as the money I will make will allow me then to pay back the debt in Saudi in full probably by the end of next year? Please let me know if a travel ban in Saudi is applicable to other GCC countries like Dubai. I really need some advice as I have been struggling to get a job and had to leave Saudi as I was gonna have my contract not renewed and had to process my divorce as well. Thanks

Q: Good day! I'm a resident of the UAE now. I had an unpaid bank loan in Saudi Arabia way back in 2014. Now, Bilkish agency, a debt collection agency, keeps on calling me to pay my debt in just a few days. I can't afford to pay immediately because I'm not earning too much. An agent said she will make sure the bank will block me here in the UAE. Does the collection agency have the right to block me in immigration or put me into travel ban here in the UAE? Thank you so much for your reply.

Q: Dear Honorable Lawyers, I worked in Doha, Qatar for 15 years. I serviced a personal loan and had excellent payment records. I got laid off at the end of 2017 and was still paying for another 6 months in 2018 despite being unemployed until I could not pay anymore. I left Doha and returned home hoping I could find a job and slowly settle it. The bank HQ in Dubai contacted me and I told them of my unemployment and also felt ill. Simultaneously, they asked a collection agency to follow up as and I told them the same as well. Now, I am much better and potentially may be hired in Dubai for a job. The question is, can I be banned from entering the UAE? I inquired from the bank to let me know how much I can settle but they are referring to the collection agency instead, which I told them I only will deal with the bank. Can you please address my query if I am banned from entry to the UAE? I don't want losing an employment opportunity and also to settle the loan, but I don't want to be arrested nor banned from entry to the UAE. Advise, please.

س: السلام عليكم، هل يجوز دخول السعودية في حالة وجود قضية مالية في الإمارات؟ مع العلم أنني أتممت إجراءات الحصول على فيزا العمل السعودية ولم أواجه أي مشاكل. وإذا حصل وعند دخولي السعودية أوقفوني، فما الخطوات أو الإجراءات المتَّبعة بحقي؟ مع العلم أنني حاولت مرارًا مع البنك لتسوية بطاقة الكريديت كارد لكنه يرفض المبالغ المطروحة. وشكرًا!

Q: Dear air/madam, When I was on a visiting visa in Dubai, I went to jail due to a cheating case and was banned and deported from there. Then three years later, I got a driver's visa to Saudi Arabia and when I went to the Saudi Dammam airport, they told me that I am banned from all GCC countries due to a UAE case. Then how did I get my visa?! When they were deporting me from Saudi Arabia airport, they gave me a paper and mentioned that I am blacklisted.

The UAE travel ban may be imposed on a person on various grounds, for instance, as the result of criminal offences, unpaid loans, breach of immigration laws or family matters. Implications of such a ban can be financially severe and daunting for the affected person. This article aims to give readers a clear understanding of what is the UAE travel ban, what are the grounds and procedures for its imposition and removal, how to check if the person is banned from travelling and other related topics.