We received a cheque which has now bounced. We have tried for over a month and a half now to get a new cheque from the person, and every day he says the next day. We need the money now. We have been to the police station, and they said they can not do anything as the reason the cheque bounced is "Insufficient funds." We have been to Al Barsha - Dubai Courts, and they said there is nothing they can do about it. We are not sure what we can do. We need the money asap to pay our kids' school fees, let alone all the interest we have lost.

Hello I joined my new company on February 26, 2025. Upon joining the new company, I asked HR if it was free to join the company, and she said yes. After working with them for 1 month, I experienced a salary delay, and I had to go to the office to ask why there was a delay in my salary. That is when the HR told me she deducted my whole salary to recover the transfer fee. Now my question is, who is supposed to pay for the transfer fee, the employee or the employer?

Is it possible for a foreigner to get a divorce here in Dubai?

Hi, I was previously working in a company based in DMCC and have now moved to Hamriyah Free Zone. In my DMCC contract, there was no mention of a non-compete, but my offer letter includes one. Now, in my new organization, if my old customers start to contact me for business, am I liable for any legal action from my previous employer?

Hello, I want to inquire regarding my leave privileges. I am now 11 months in my company. How many leaves am I privileged to? Based on Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regulating labour relations and its executive regulations, you are entitled to a paid weekly rest for not less than one day, as specified in the work contract or the work regulation. The Council of Ministers may increase the weekly rest day stipulated in this article. The Decree-Law and its executive regulations also stipulate that you are entitled to an annual leave with full pay as follows: - Thirty days for each year of your extended service. - Two days per month in respect of any employee with more than six months and less than one year of service. - Leave for parts of the last year of your service in case it is terminated before you use your annual leave balance. Now my question is: do I have 22 days I can use? Can someone explain to me in detail? Thank you!

Dear Lawyers, There is a JV agreement between Party A and Party B. An Addendum was made in which Party C was added and subcontracted all its work to both Party A and Party B, forming a wholly separate contract. There is an arbitration clause in the JV agreement. Is Party C bound by that clause? DIAC.

Dear Sir/Madam, What happens if an employee resigns after 1 year and 4 months of service? Are they eligible for gratuity and annual leave?

Dear Sir/Madam, I've been working at our company for more than 8 years. Is it legal to resign if my visa was just renewed last March 2024? My reason for resigning is that the owner hasn't given me a salary since March.

Dear Sir/Madam, Seeking legal help for a dispute with a shipping company. They are holding onto our goods because, during the Dubai floods, they were closed and refused delivery. We urgently need legal help to resolve this, as the storage charges are increasing each day. Can you please advise on how to proceed?

Dear Sir/Madam, I am an expatriate in Dubai. I joined a company in Dubai, and my contract started in November 2023. It is a limited contract. Due to some issues with the management, they informed me that I would have to leave the company in March 2024, which I did. Upon asking them to cancel my visa so I can return home, they said I have to pay around 5000 AED towards the visa expenses. I have asked them for the exact amount, but they haven’t provided it yet. My passport is with them. I would like to check whether I have to pay the visa expense to them. Since I am not aware of the formalities, I haven’t approached the Labour Department to get my passport back to leave. I fear they may cause more trouble if I initiate a complaint. I would like to seek your valuable advice on how to proceed to claim my passport and exit UAE. Please help!

I am writing to seek your legal expertise and advice on a pressing issue concerning a property sale transaction that my brokerage company has facilitated. Here are the details: Our brokerage company represented the seller in a property sale where the property was sold with an existing rental agreement in place. As per the terms of the agreement, the rental balance was supposed to be given to the buyer, who is now the new owner of the property. In this transaction, our company is entitled to a 40% commission, and the buyer's brokerage company is entitled to 60%. However, the buyer's brokerage company, which has complete control over the buyer's funds, has transferred the entire 100% commission to their own account. They are currently withholding this commission, stating that they will release it once the rental balance is paid to the buyer. Unfortunately, we have lost contact with the buyer, as he has blocked the seller's agent, making it impossible for us to fulfill this condition.

Dear Sir I applied for Canada AIPP programs from one of the consultancy agencies in Dubai in 2021, and they told me it would take 1 year for the process. Now it’s more than 2 years. They told me they were applying for me these years but I didn’t get any response from any company, and when I asked them to tell me where they applied, they told me it's confidential. Now I told them to stop my process and they will refund my money but it will be very much less as per them. Please let me know how I can get my money as I paid almost AED 9000 or how I can proceed legally.

Hi I have been working in a company under a local sponsor with 2 partners for the last 6 years and my visa will expire next month. However, my company has informed me that they shall transfer my visa to their other company with the same OWNER with a new partner (without a local sponsor). In this situation, what do I need to do? Will my previous gratuity be added to my new visa or do I need to take my end-of-service benefits and work as a new employee? Kindly suggest.

Hi, We bought an apartment in July. The apartment is rented until the end of November with the previous landlord who gave them an eviction notice last year to sell the house. Now they want to renew the contract but we don’t want to renew because we want to move into our apartment to live there. Can we move into our apartment and the tenant has to go out? Can the tenant refuse to move out?

Dear Sir/Madam, My landlord sent me an 86-day renewal notice to an old email address that is no longer working, even though we updated our email address and phone number in their system last year. We did not know about the notice until my wife emailed them to follow up regarding our renewal, and they sent us a screenshot of the notice under the old email. The rent increase is from AED 27,000 to AED 32,000 which is not in line with the RERA guidelines. Do we have a good chance of winning a complaint if we file one?

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, What happens if a person does not show up at the first instance of a divorce hearing?

Hi, I have a tenant who defaulted on rent payment. His cheque bounced due to account closure. He promised cash payment but hasn't delivered. I want to evict him. The property is in Dubai. How do I proceed legally? Appreciate step-by-step guidance according to the law. Thank you!

Salam, I received an email from a company in the UAE - which is a collection agency - informing me that I had a travel ban and arrest warrant issued in the UAE for an unpaid loan a week ago. I currently live in the US. I have sent them many emails asking them how can I pay or make installments to settle this amount of 332,430 dirhams. I am currently working with them and trying to resolve the issue. My question is I would like to know if I travel for 5 days to Doha, Qatar in May, will I be detained or I will be ok? I don’t believe so I just want to be sure because I will be with my family. Thank you again.

Is it legal for debt collectors to contact the employee's workplace when you have defaulted on your payment?

My company engaged a Dubai-based entity, registered in India, on a three-month contract for project upgrade, maintenance, and delivery. Then they ceased communication 2 weeks before completion and failed to deliver the promised services after payment. What legal recourse should my company pursue? What specific legal expertise or counsel should we seek to address this breach of contract?

Hi, My husband lost his job 6 years back and he has not been able to find a job. He got a loan from a bank and they filed a civil case. We also came to know he has a standing warrant of arrest. I want to know what I can do for him. Should my husband go to Dubai Courts and check what he can do to settle the case or they will arrest him immediately? Should I go on his behalf and check what steps we can take to settle this case? Thank you in advance for your legal advice.