Q: Dear Sir, I am living in the UAE. Last February 2019, a bank filed a criminal case against me for credit card and security cheque bounce of AED 60000. I paid the fine and got released from the public prosecution at al Rahba, Abu Dhabi. Afterwards, one law firm contacted me chasing for the unpaid dues from that bank and said they will file a case against me. I am jobless and searching for a job for the last 4 months due to my termination. If they file a civil case, will there be any impact on applying for a new visa? It is possible to overrule any court decision? How can I get released from this situation? Hence, I don't have any single dirham with me to pay the bank. Also, advise if the police can arrest me on the basis of this civil case immediately. Your favourable response will be highly appreciated.

Q: Dear sir/madam, I had 2 cheque bounce cases in the UAE; one in Sharjah and another in Abu Dhabi. The Sharjah case went to court and the judge gave me a 10k AED fine. I paid the fine and the case was closed. The Abu Dhabi case was pending and now due to the new amendment in law, this case is also closed without any fine. Now I want to travel to the UAE on a visit visa, to see if I can find a job or set up a small business and start my life altogether. I have heard that once I enter the UAE, the bank will get to know the same and they will file a civil case and impose a travel ban. Once entered, I will not be able to get out till I clear the payment with the bank. I am ready to have a negotiation with the bank and make the repayment in installment but I don't want to be stuck in the UAE with a travel ban. Please advise on this. Also, I want to check my immigration status - if my travel bans by the cheque bounce cases issued earlier are cleared.

Q: I had defaulted on cheques with some banks in the UAE, and now they are saying that they will go for a civil case. If they go for a civil case, what are the consequences? Is there any travel ban or any issues in renewing the visa?

Q: Regarding the new cheque bounce execution, is there a time period to file this execution after the cheque has been bounced? Let me explain further. If a cheque was bounced in January 2019, can the party who has this cheque file for a cheque bounce execution under the new law that came into effect year?

In the UAE, cheque bounce is a very frequent problem faced by people during their span in the country. It is covered under the purview of Commercial Transactions Law, and legal implications/penalties can be financially severe and daunting for more “serious” offenses. Bounced cheque issues may arise in a variety of commercial transactions, including but not limited to, companies’ exchanges, bank loans, property rents or purchases, and individual transactions.

The provisions of this Decree by Law amend the Federal Law No. (18) of 1993 by replacing Clause (4) of Article (379) as well as Articles (600), (617), (641), (642), (643), (644), and adding new articles numbered (635) Bis, (641) Bis (1), (641) Bis (2), (641) Bis (3), (641) Bis (4), (643) Bis (1), (643) Bis (2), (644) Bis (1) and (644) Bis (2). The Decree-Law also repeals Articles (401), (402) and (403) of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987.

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.