Questions & Answers

Q: Good afternoon, I have an inquiry regarding the divorce procedures in the United Arab Emirates. Brief facts of my situation: I am a US citizen and have been married to a resident of the United Arab Emirates. He is originally from Syria and works in Abu Dhabi, UAE for approximately 40 years. We got married in 2014 in Abu Dhabi where I lived with my husband until 2019. I hoped to create a family with him but he was abusive and I decided to leave him. I came back to the United States on May 5, 2019, and have no intention to go back nor to stay in this marriage. My husband had been informed by me and my family that I want a divorce. I would like to get a divorce as soon as possible. We have no children nor property to share. I can provide all additional information upon further request. Please provide me with the approximate costs to prepare the necessary documents to file the paperwork and how long it will take to obtain a divorce.

The right action when the employer does not pay the salary on time

Q: Hello Mr. Ahmed, My wife is working in a private company in Dubai since September 2018. The employer and his partner spent 2 months in prison for some illegal activity. Employer`s clients used to call my wife and ask her to finish the pending jobs (the jobs are not her responsibilities but she finished them when her employer requested that from her through the phone) and 1 month back, the employer came out of prison. For 6 months, her employer is not transferring salary, he paid 2 months` salary in small amounts. 4 months are pending. Whenever she asks, he does not respond. When she complained to the ministry of labor (80060), they told her they can solve the salary issue, but if she wants to resign, the employer has the right to ban her for 1 year and she has to pay the employer 45 days salary due to her limited contract. She doesn`t want to work with him because of the reckless behavior and delaying the salary. Please advise us if we can take legal action against him.

Demands by property seller for more money and threatening to re-sell

Q: Hi, I signed an MOU to purchase a property. My seller is now asking for more money and threatening to not sell the property even though the MOU has an automatic extension clause of 20 more days. What shall I do? P.S. My mortgage final offer is signed and he is supposed to apply for a NOC which he is not doing.

The real flat size is not the same as the size mentioned in the tenancy contract

Q: I have rented a flat in Dubai through a private real estate company since 2016. I have Ejari Tenancy Contract Registration Certificate which mentions that the flat size is around 800 square feet, but in fact, it is around 400 square feet. Can I have the right to take any action against the real estate company?

Custody of children and ex-wife's residence visa after divorce

Q: I had divorced my wife at her request last month. I don`t know what the next step would be; like for visa cancelation because she is under my sponsorship. She can change any time her office. After the divorce, my wife will leave me. We have kids; a 7-year old boy and a 13-year old girl. She opened a custody case also but I couldn`t get any paper from the court. Can I ask her to leave my house? Or can I leave and take my children to another house? Please advise!

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Inability to pay a fine imposed by court

Q: It is appreciated if you please advise on the below situation! 1- What is the maximum amount of fine that can be imposed in a misdemeanor, criminal case? 2- What if the fine imposed in a criminal case is not paid? (a huge amount is imposed by the court which I am unable to pay).

المدة المتوقَّعة لإنهاء قضية عمالية بعد صدور حكم وفتح ملف تنفيذي

س: ربحت قضية عمالية وفتحت ملف تنفيذي. أُعلِن المُدَّعَى عليه في الشركة عن طريق لصق الإعلان. ما المدة المُتوقَّعة لإنهاء القضية؟ هل يستطيع عمل استئناف نظرًا لأن الحكم حضوري اعتباري وأنه لم يُستدَل عليه لإعلانه بحكم المحكمة؟

Can a wife on a tourist visa forcefully enter her husband's home?

Q: Can a wife on a tourist visa forcefully enter my home even if I am not a sponsor?

A customer stopped paying the dues suddenly, what to do?

Q: I own a small legal trading company in Dubai. One of our customers, whom we are supplying for over 20 years, has suddenly stopped paying us. They`re just delaying us whenever we call for payment and don`t even meet us when we go there. We`re on verge of trouble if we don`t receive our payments. We can`t even afford to hire a lawyer. The amount is up to 400000 AED. Please help us!

Taking photos and publishing them without permission

Q: I am living with my family in a villa of 10 houses. I was cleaning my car in front of the villa, one of my neighbors took a picture of me with my wife and shared it with all the neighbors telling them not to clean cars outside the villa. My wife is from Pakistan; she wears a hijab and covers her face all the time. This picture humiliates me and my wife in front of every neighbor. Can I file a case against this man who took the picture without permission and humiliated my wife? Is there any law in UAE, Abu Dhabi that can support me?

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Consequences of resigning and changing job while still on probation

Q: Hello, Thank you in advance for your support. I am currently working for a private company in Dubai. I am working here for 4 months and I`m still on probation. I have received an offer from another company with better pay and benefits. My question is that what are the legal consequences and whether I will have to pay the employer? Basically, what do I need to keep in mind before I submit my resignation? Regards

How to get access to the husband bank account after his death

Q: I have a question for a lady who is one of my relatives here in Sharjah. Unfortunately, her husband died in Pakistan while she was here in Sharjah along with her 3 kids. Now she wants to get/transfer her husband`s bank account to some Dubai bank to her name or withdraw money. As I understand from previous posts, these are the steps she needs to follow: 1- Get death certificate from Pakistan. Should it be attested from Islamabad UAE embassy or can it be attested in the UAE itself? 2- Get a Legal Heir Certificate from Dubai courts as there is no WILL made by her husband. Is the death certificate only required to apply for this certificate? 3- Should the above 2 documents be presented to the bank to get the account access? Please let me know if my understanding is correct. It will be a great help if you could mention complete details in case an extra step or information are required. Thanks & Regards,

تنفيذ حكم صادر من محكمة إماراتية ضد شخص في مصر

س: أنا مدين لأحد البنوك الإماراتية بمبلغ بطاقة ائتمانية بقيمة 104.000 درهم مستحقة السداد. آخر قسط دفعته كان بتاريخ 8/2020. سيرفعون دعوى مدنية ضدي بعد فترة وذلك لعدم إمضاء شيك ضمان. فقدت وظيفتي ورتبت السكن والسيارة وبطاقه ائتمانية في بنك آخر ولم أستطع تسديد هذه البطاقة وحاولت التسوية على أقساط ولكنهم رفضوا إلا كامل المبلغ. الآن تزوجت وأعيش في مصر وسأسافر هجرة إلى كندا ويُفترَض أنهم رفعوا دعوى قضائية في الإمارات. هل هناك أي مشاكل؟ وهل بإمكانهم التسبُّب بأي أذى لي في الخارج؟ هل أستطيع السفر إلى مصر بعد ذلك أم يمكنهم القبض علي في المطار ولا أستطيع دخول البلاد؟

The easiest way to finish divorce of expats ASAP

Q: I am a Filipina Muslim and my husband is an Egyptian Muslim. We got our marriage in the Egyptian Consulate, Dubai. I found my husband cheating on me since January 2020 and confirmed that he has a new wife (which I have doubt if they are married or not). Since then, I asked him about our divorce. This month of October, he confesses that he is not married to that woman and he wants to go back with me. I refused because I have already decided to end our marriage. He was hurting me and mentally torturing me so I`ve come up to this point. He`s also delaying our divorce so I want to push him to end this ASAP. My questions are: 1. What is the easiest way to finish our divorce fast? Is it mutual consent divorce? or Shall I file divorce against his cheating? 2. What is the difference between divorce in court and divorce in the Egyptian Consulate, Dubai? Because I want to legalize our divorce in the three countries (Egypt, the Philippines, and the UAE). My only concern here is to finish our divorce ASAP so I can live normally again.

A client is not ready to receive the goods after its arrival

Q: Hello, We are a procurement company that sources furniture from abroad. Our payment terms with one of our clients are 50% advance, and 50% upon delivery. The goods have arrived in Dubai and have been in a warehouse for months. The Client is not ready to receive the goods and is refusing to pay the warehouse charges. What can we legally do?

Is it possible to check if a person is banned in KSA from the UAE?

Divorce of expats in the UAE while the wife is abroad