Questions & Answers - Legal Advice Middle East

I have an unpaid bank loan. How can I check if the bank raised a case against me?

Q: Hi , I left UAE during the financial crisis 2009 because I got laid back by my employer and I could not pay back my bank loan. The bank collection agents contacted me few times but I couldn`t reach an agreement with them as I am facing financial difficulties as a single parent for 2 kids currently not working. l want to go back to the UAE for a job offer. I need help finding out if the bank has raised a case against me and what is my current status and legal options to be able to work in the UAE.

Getting new employment while having a pending labour case

Q: Dear Sir, My case is in Dubai Labour Court (since one-year). The 1st hearing is completed and I`m waiting for my judgement. My visa expired in November 2016. I got a Certificate from the court giving the dates of the case from 2016 to 2017. Can I cancel my employment visa and labour card (without any effect on my Labour Court decisions and proceedings)? I want to win the case, but at the same time, I need to go back to my country and come back on a new employment visa & labour card. Please advise what I should do. Thanks, DEVASSY

Enforcement of a foreign court judgement in the UAE

Q: Hi, We are UAE FZ Company. A US (Californian) Supplier is threatening to take us to court (in California), over an unpaid invoice, for year 3 of a 3-year service contract. The UAE end user only used the system for a few months & only paid us for 2 years. We informally cancelled, verbally, the 3rd year. My question is: if they manage to achieve a judgement against us in the USA, is it enforceable in the UAE? P.

What is the procedure and time frame for eviction of a tenant not paying the rent?

Q: Hi, I have a flat in JLT Dubai, my tenant is not paying the rent for many months nor will he move out of the house. Also, he is sub-leasing the unit to someone else without our allowance or confirmation. We want to kick him out for both reasons: not paying + sub-leasing unit. What do we need to do and how long will the process take to get him out? We hope you can help.

Overstay in the UAE: grace period, fine and immigration blacklist

Q: I have unpaid Etisalat bills for 500 AED and a cash advance in DIB, and my visa is already cancelled. Is there any possibility to exit the UAE without paying for both and for overstay?

How long does a labour dispute take?

Q: Hi, I was working for a company where 100% owner is local, and I was not getting my salary for last 3 months. I was chasing them so much, for this reason, I resigned. Still, they are not paying me the salary, I filed a labour complaint. Currently, my financial situation is getting worse. I would like to ask only one thing: how long is the process of a labour dispute under this salary delay case?

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Notarization of passport and signature

Q: Good afternoon! How can we notarize a passport and signature?

Can I change my job if I have a pending labour case with my current employer?

Q: I had been working in a company for 4 years. The salary was pending for 5 months and I have made a legal complaint against the company. After the complaint, they terminated me with immediate effect. I got another job and offer letter. After this, I have made a request for labour card cancellation. How can I cancel my visa?

Refund of rental amount paid in advance to a real estate agent

Q: I have paid an advance payment of AED 11,000 in Cash and AED 32,000 in Cheque to Real Estate Agent (Broker) in Sharjah for booking of my rental flat in Sharjah. Now it`s already passed 11 days but no reply from the agent and the agent told me that there is no owner available and the owner`s signature is required in the agreement. The agent also doesn`t know when the owner will come & will sign. So, I asked the agent to give my money back but he refused to give money. What should I do now?

Can post-dated cheques be revoked?

Q: My husband is selling icecreams in a cafe in Dubai. He has started a business from this. He needed a visa and the owner gave him a visa but we paid for it. The owner wrote a contract by email but we haven`t signed it. We have given 3 cheques for the next year and are paying quarterly. Unfortunately, the business/icecreams are not selling at all and we want to get out of the contract. I would like to know what hope do we have to get out of the contract as we haven`t signed it but he has the year cheques on him. Hope to hear from you soon.

What to do if your cheque was wrongfully encashed

Q: Hi, I hired a real estate agent from Dubbizle Abu Dhabi. We reached a consensus of AED6,500/- commission for his services. Once I liked the property, I gave AED5,000/- cheque as security. Later, after signing the tenancy contract I gave cash AED5,000/- to him. As AED1,500/- was pending, I didn`t take the cheque back. Later from the landlord, I got the information that he took an extra commission of AED5,000/- from the landlord as well by telling him that we are relatives and he is not charging any commission from me. So the landlord increased the rent by AED5,000/- and once the payment was made to the landlord (single payment by my employer); landlord had already given AED5,000/- to the agent. Later the agent called me to ask for remaining AED1,500/-. At this time I said `no` as he has already made a double commission. I forgot about the cheque. Today I received a message from my bank that the cheque has been encashed and AED5,000/- has been deducted from my account. What are my options now?

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Commission payable to property agent dismissed before the deal was closed

Q: I was working for a real estate company in Dubai. I was part of a big deal for selling a villa for 18.5M. The deal was signed while I was with the company, and I was still in the company a few months later until the owner terminated me under the reason “services no longer required”. The MOU was signed while I was with the company and the deal was meant to go through in September, I got terminated in August. I have a voice recording of the whole conversation on the day I was terminated in which the owner clearly states I was part of the deal and as I`m no longer part of the company he will need to consult with his partner whether I`m owed my commision. I have spoken to the buyer who has confirmed that the deal has gone through and they are the new owners of the villa. I have contacted the owner of the real estate company who is reading my messages and ignoring me. I am owed 50k commision. Where do I stand?

I changed my mind after accepting a job offer. What are consequences?

Q: I am working in (Company A), I recently signed a MOL job offer letter from a company (Company B) in Dubai, however, I have since been offered another job which I wish to accept from Company C. Is it possible for me to withdraw from the original offer letter from Company B and sign with Company C? Note: I am still on employment visa from Company A. Does this affect the employee withdrawing from the offer? Will I still be able to accept the offer of Company C? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Expiry date of passport allowed to get an employment visa

Q: How many months should my passport be valid to be able to apply for a UAE employment visa?

Claiming unpaid salaries upon termination of a limited labour contract

Q: I work for a company that pays only on a commission basis. I signed a Labour contract for two years with them, where I didn`t receive any salary. I also signed an internal contract that states they hire me as an Agent and on a commission basis only. Now, they have terminated my employment after two years. I would like to know, am I entitled to claim my salary before I sign the cancellation documents, provided I remained unpaid up to date. Thank you and look forward to receiving your reply at your earliest convenience.

Can I claim compensation if my employer refused to provide me with a visa?

Q: I live in the UK and have AED 60,000 of debt in the UAE from when I lived there 2 years ago. I receive letters all the time from a debt collection agency in the UK and today I received an email from the bank entitled `Amnesty Offer` (although I`m not sure what that means) I have no assets and no regular income, therefore, they can`t get anything out of me at the moment. However, I would very much like to get this sorted, perhaps by paying off a fraction of the outstanding amount as a lump sum to settle the debt. I would like to know if I can sue my previous employer as they are the reason I had to leave Dubai, and the reason I ended up jobless. They headhunted me, offered me a job in their company but then refused to issue me with a visa. They also gave me a fake employment contract. I planned to stay in Dubai my whole life, but their actions meant I had to return home, with no job and no money. It is grossly unfair and I would like compensation.