Q: A restaurant in Dubai owes me AED 6400 for musician services. They are not responding to my requests for payment and the money is 5 months overdue. I have a signed contract. What action can I take to recover my money?

Q: Respected Sir / Ma'am, I am an IT service provider. I got a project from one of the companies in Abu Dhabi to perform a System Implementation. I have completed the project and have raised the invoice for the same, but the customer is not paying the amount. It amounts to about 30000 USD. I am calling for a Steering Committee meeting as per the contract/proposal terms to resolve the issue of not paying me. The IT team, to whom I am reporting is just not letting the Steering Committee meeting to happen. I have other projects running in parallel with the same client. I have issued a "Credit Hold" and stopped all activities with proper notice and have all details on email communication. Still, they are not calling for a meeting / trying to resolve the issue... What are my options to recover the amount? If at all I have to hire a lawyer, what will be the costs for the same? Would appreciate your advice/recommendations greatly. Thanks and regards, Raj

Q: Hi, We are a technical & cleaning service provider. We worked on the facade cleaning of Hotel Apartments and submitted our invoice on the 18th of March 2018. As per our contract, we receive our payment within 15 days after the submission of the invoice. But this time we are chasing them for the 15 days period which was on April 4, 2018. Every time we ask, their finance department was replying that the signatory is not available. Yesterday, the 28th of July, we arranged a meeting with their GM and discussed everything with him. We were shocked that the GM said: "Go to the police, we will not pay you anything." I replied, "Why"? He said, "The management is not willing to pay anything to anyone". We have the contract with them, a copy of the submitted invoice, and photos of all work progress. Advise us, what should we do? Regards, S. S. H. Managing Director

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, What procedures should an LLC follow to file for an outstanding payment? What steps should an LLC take when filing? In the case of a legal notice for outstanding payment, which sections of the law should be mentioned?

Q: Hi, I am working for an Architectural and Engineering Consultancy in the UAE. We carried out design services for a Real Estate Developer around 13 years ago and there are still payments that have not been settled to date. I would like to enquire about the following: 1) Is it still possible to file a legal case against the Real Estate Developer according to Article (473) of the UAE Federal Law 1985, stipulating a time limitation of 15 years? 2) Does Article (475) of the UAE Federal Law 1985 apply to Architectural and Engineering firms? I understand it applies only to individuals since the time limitation under this Article is 5 years only which contradicts Article (473). 3) What is the time limitation for Architectural and Engineering firms to raise a legal case/claim against a Real Estate Developer for works completed but not paid? Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I worked as a graphic designer for a crypto project, and the company is registered in Dubai. Last July and August, I sent my work at the end of each month as usual. The person responsible for the company owns an Emirati residency permit but currently lives in Austria. When I made the deal, he instructed me to wait for the payment and provided various excuses to avoid paying me the total amount of $4400. Since then, every month, I have been sending messages to the team requesting my payment, but I only receive excuses. Last month, I sent him a message, and he disrespected me as a woman. He informed me that the project is dead, and he won't pay. However, the company is still active and registered in Dubai. I have all the proofs, including chats and screenshots. I feel scammed, and this situation is negatively impacting my mental health as it is unfair. My question is, can I report him to ensure he pays me? Is there anything I can do? No official contract was signed from their side; I only have WhatsApp and Telegram conversations.

Q: Good day, I am from South Africa and worked for a well-known company in Dubai. I have a signed contract, and they paid 50% of the agreed project amount. However, two years later, they are refusing to pay the outstanding 50%, giving irrelevant excuses. What is the correct course of action to take to get my outstanding invoice settled?

An interview-format article covering the topic of getting paid for small businesses in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

An interview-format article covering the topic of how to increase chances of getting your invoices paid in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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.

The law promulgates UAE Civil Procedures Code (Civil Procedure Law) which governs civil procedures in the United Arab Emirates, including the prosecution before the courts, litigation and execution.