Hi, I am a non-Muslim indian expatriate, residing in Dubai since 2015. The first 5 years, I was on a working visa, and after the delivery of my first baby, I left my job and became dependent on my husband. In 2018, we bought a house together where I invested AED 2 hundred thousand from my income (I have proof in the form of a cheque). I also paid AED 3300 monthly installment for 1 year, for a personal loan taken out for the house. But in spite of my resistance, my husband tactfully put the house in his name, so the title deed was in his name. In 2024, when my kids and I were in India for vacation, he cancelled our visas and residency. He also filed for a divorce in India. The divorce is not yet finalised, and we are still married. Since August 2024, he hasn't let me access my house in Dubai, so I filed a case, which eventually went in my favor in January 2025. Since I used to travel on a visit visa, I left for India and returned in March, to find out that my husband had already sold the house. The new owner is residing there. What can I do now? Help!

Hello, How can I be exempted from paying the 5% court fee, and where should I go to apply?

Hello, Our customer has gone into liquidation, and we are shipping goods to Saudi Arabia. We have stopped the shipment and requested payment of their outstanding balance. How can we request to take ownership of their goods to sell in order to recover our outstanding invoices? Is this possible in Dubai Courts?

Hello, I bought an apartment, but the previous landlord is refusing to vacate it. The contract clearly states that the landlord should hand over the apartment on the day of the transfer. Out of courtesy, I gave him three days to vacate so he could find a new place to stay, but the time has passed, and he is still refusing to vacate and hand it over. What should I do in this case?

Hello. I went to a very well-known and professional salon (or so I thought) for a normal hair dye. The guy who did my hair left the dye on my hair for over an hour when it was supposed to be on for a maximum of 30 minutes. He wasn’t paying attention to me walking around the store talking to everyone and also doing another customer's extensions. Now my hair is potentially damaged, my skull burns, and is flaky (meaning the dye wasn’t ammonia-free which is extremely unprofessional for such an expensive salon). I didn’t even get the outcome that I wanted and the dye color doesn’t even show. I talked to him about it but he shut it down so fast and gaslit me the whole time and made me feel like I was the wrong one and I was ‘complaining about something so light’. Please let me know what I can do legally about this. Thank you.

Hello, My landlord vacated the property with 12 months' notice, stating he would live there himself. However, he started renting the property through the holiday homes system. Is a permit issued by the DTC for a holiday home valid proof to prove that he is renting and to claim compensation?

On Jan 2, 2025, one of my close friends did a privacy breach and recorded me and my van in some specific place. On Feb 5, when I called and asked him why he did this to me, he went and gave a complaint that I scolded him and threatened him. The same case was later closed by the PP when we negotiated outside the station and apologized. At this juncture, can I file a privacy breach case against him, which happened on Jan 2, 2025, and on Feb 5 I scolded him only for the privacy breach that happened on Jan 2?

I have a video recording of my husband beating me in our garden. Can I show this in the child custody hearing? It was filmed with my phone camera

Hello, My partner voluntarily withdrew from our company which we established in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We established this company on July 1, 2024. Until now, there is no income or revenue. What is the legality?

Hello, I'm in Canada, and I filed for divorce. My husband, who owns a real estate company in Abu Dhabi, kidnapped our children and took them to the UAE to avoid the divorce and force me back to him. My children are twin boys, 8 years old, and a 10-year-old girl. What can I do? I want to follow them and take my children back, but he says his local Emirati connections will file criminal cases against me and have me jailed if I go there. What can I do remotely? Does the UAE return kidnapped children to their mother? In the UAE, a guardian cannot legally kidnap their own child; what does this mean for my case? If I report him, what happens to my children? Will they be held until I arrive to take them?

Hi I'm a nanny, and at the same time, I work as a housemaid (khadama) here in the house. I work, but as I know, the nannies and housemaids have different rights, and my employer doesn't give me rest. My work starts at 7:30 am and then finishes at 10 pm or less. It depends on whether the baby is asleep or what time they will take on me if not yet asleep. Is this right? Also, at the time of eating, I'm still working because the baby is with me, so I just let her sit in her chair. That's how I eat. Please answer me. I want to know my rights. Because if I can leave during the 6-month probation, I want to take it if the employer is this kind. I don't know. They are also expats, but they don't follow the rules of the UAE regarding a housemaid.

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, I already have a dispute order with MOHRE. Then my employer became willing to settle the case. What should I do in case they do not follow through with the promised amount to pay?

Hello, I bought a property that was tenanted. However, the tenant absconded and claims he handed it over to the previous owner. I was never informed of this by either the tenant or the landlord. The landlord’s failure to hand over the property has caused us significant issues. We also purchased the house for its good rental yield, and it feels like some kind of scam. What legal actions can we pursue?

Dear Sir/Madam, My work permit was canceled after I won a labor case against my employer. They now want to appeal the decision. What will happen to my work permit status? They now want to appeal the decision. What will happen to my work permit status? Will it still be canceled?

السلام عليكم، حصلت على عرض عمل براتب أكبر من الحالي وأرسلته للكفيل بالواتس وأحضرته معي بالشركة والكاميرات سجلت كل شيء. رفض توقيعه بالقبول أو الرفض وأخبرني أنه يريد نصف تكاليف الإقامة التي دفعها من قبل حيث دفعت أنا نصف تكاليف الإقامة فقط وهو دفع النصف الآخر. يحاول الآن إرضائي كي لا أتركه برفع راتبي الحالي، وقد أظهر لي سماحة في التعامل حتى فاتني عرض العمل الذي حصلت عليه. بعد أيام طلب مني الاحتفاظ بجواز السفر معه، فهل يستطيع إلحاق الضرر بي حين يكون معه جواز السفر الخاص بي أو يستطيع التعميم علي في أي وقت؟ الزملاء بالشركة يؤكدون أنه غدر بأكثر من شخص كان يعمل معهم عندما شعر منهم بالرغبة في ترك العمل والذهاب لغيره.

السلام عليكم، أعيش حاليًا في الإمارات وزوجي أيضًا. أرغب في الطلاق للضرر لكثرة المشاكل والضرب والسب وبيننا محضر شرطة سابق يخيرني بين الإنفاق في البيت بالنصف أو الطلاق فاخترت الطلاق. والآن يضايقني لأرفع قضية خلع كي لايدفع شيء من حقوقي أنا وابنتي عمرها ٨ أشهر. أحيانًا يصمم أن يطلق في مصر. أريد أن أعرف هل الأفضل الطلاق في مصر أم دبي؟ وإذا كان الأفضل في دبي، فكيف يُلزَم بدفع حقوقنا بعد الطلاق؟ وهل يمكن أن يترك البلد حتى لا يدفع شيء؟ أم يُمنَع من السفر مثلي أنا والبنت؟ وهل لو تنازلت عن حقوقنا يمكن أن يتنازل عن الولاية في كل حاجة لكي أبتعد عنه وعن مشاكله؟ أنا في موقف صعب بمفردي في البلد. برجاء المساعدة وإفادتي بأحسن حل لي ولابنتي!