Questions & Answers

Q: I am currently employed by an engineering company since the beginning of 2014, and I have received termination notice in mid-2017 (+3 years service). The initial full salary with the housing and transportation allowances was AED 20,000.00 and I have the breakdown of the allowances (basic salary, housing and transportation). It was then raised to AED 30,000.00 in 2015 and the employer simply started to transfer the amount of AED 30,000.00 to my bank account without giving me any revised contract with the new payroll breakdown of the allowances. Also, the employer never updated the Labor contract with the revised salary of 30,000.00 AED leaving the gratuity computation now open to many ambiguities. I have filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour to seek advice on my rights. What would be the best approach to determine the basic salary, housing and transportation from the AED 30,000.00 salary, as this information is now omissive?

Should I pay two-month rent penalty in case of early termination of my tenancy?

Q: Hi. I am a tenant and gave notice to my landlord on 3rd July 2017. The contract was for 12 months starting March 2017 but had the following provisions: "The Parties agree that there may be instances where the Tenant shall need to terminate the lease early, and in accordance with current guidelines the Tenant will give a two-month notice and two-month rent penalty in the case of immediate vacation." The landlord did not come to the pre-agreed date of vacating the premises on the 7th of September because I refused to pay him the two-month penalty, although I had already given him over 2 months notice. He is saying I have to pay him the additional 2 months even though I read it as only payable if I vacated immediately.

Termination of employment under Article 120 of UAE Labour Law

Q: Does article 120 of Labor Law in case of termination by employer cover the following situation: An employee went on an emergency leave due to his Mother`s hospitalization and after 45 days she passed away. When he came back to Dubai, his employer refused to pay the final settlement and forced him for cancellation.

How to leave the UAE if you have a travel ban

Q: What are procedures for travel to outside the UAE when a travel ban exists? At least to travel temporarily.

Help in the enforcement of maintenance payments to wife and child

Q: My husband refuses to provide maintenance for wife and child. Is there any organisation in Dubai/UAE that helps to enforce maintenance payments to spouse and child?

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Early termination of a tenancy contract and refund of the paid rent

Q: I live in Dubai and I want to terminate my tenancy contract after 3 months. I lived here for last 3 years in the same flat. As per the tenancy contract, in case of termination of the contract by the tenant, the tenant has to pay minimum 2 months rent as a penalty. The agent has asked me to pay this penalty but he is not refunding me the full balance amount of rent. He is calculating the balance refund rent on 10% less than the actual rent in tenancy contract. Is this legal as there is no such clause in the contract nor agent has informed me earlier during signing the contract. Please advise what to do.

Labor case execution and checking legal status in the UAE

Q: Hello. I used to work in Dubai. My company did not pay me my salary for 8 months, so I filed a case at the court. In the meantime, the company started a case at the prosecution that I sold material and stole money. Also, the company now is closed with many bounced checks. I left to work in Canada and I do not know the status of my cases. I heard that the court awarded me 200K for my labour case but I am afraid to go to Dubai to check and I am unable to do so online. I need a lawyer to represent me in the 2 cases. The owners of the company are Lebanese and they left the country. Can we execute in Lebanon?

The issue with credit shield insurance

Q: HI, I was recently terminated from my work on May 1, 2017. I have a credit card with outstanding dues with FGB. On May 10th, I had applied for the credit shield with the bank. On application, they informed me that it would take 40-60 days to get credit shield approved. But it has been 4 months and it`s still not approved. The bank is repeatedly calling me for the minimum payment, which I am not able to do since I haven`t received any new job offer. I visited the bank collection department and the credit shield insurance company with no proper reply from any. The bank has now issued a legal notice and I do not have any proper reply from anyone with regard to the credit shield. I have been giving interviews and it`s only a matter of a couple of weeks before which I might be employed again. My question is, can the bank register case against me when the credit shield application is pending? Also, will the case affect my legal status when new employer applies for new employment visa? Thanks.

How to check UAE travel ban: the procedure, documents needed and the cost

Q: Dear Sir, Is there any options to check my travel ban (UAE) ...because I had some bank loan. Awaiting your reply. Thanks

What can I do if my lawyers ignore me?

Q: Dubai Courts issued a payment execution order in my favour for a commercial case in May 2017, but the defendant hasn`t paid yet. I`ve been chasing the lawyer every couple of weeks since but they are ignoring me and not following up on anything even though I have paid them in full. What can I do?

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Where can Muslim expats file for divorce?

Q: I want to file for divorce. We are Muslim family, married in Dubai under Sharia court. He is an American citizen, I am Romanian citizen and we have a 2 years old daughter. Please let me know where can I go to file for divorce?

Can CEO be sued for unsettled bank loans of the company?

Q: My associate was working as CEO (employee) in an entity in Sharjah. The owner has left the country with unsettled bank loans. (1) Can the Bank put the CEO in jail charging him that he was operationally responsible for the bank borrowings? (2) What defence my associate can get from the UAE Law?

Setting up E-commerce business in Dubai

Q: Hello, We are starting a new E-commerce business based in Dubai and would like to know some of the legal requirements to set an e-commerce business. We`ll be selling physical products, imported from China and targeting the UAE as our customer base. So please if you could help us in informing what legal procedures like licensing etc should be done. Thanks.

Why I'm banned to enter UAE and what is the procedure to lift the ban?

Q: I want to know why I`m banned to enter the UAE and what is the procedure to lift it back?

Legal requirements for publishing and selling digital goods

Q: Hi there! I would like to know, what are the legal requirements for publishing and selling digital goods (such as mobile apps, mobile advertisements, digital paintings, etc.) in Abu Dhabi/ the UAE?

Can I swap my annual leaves for notice period?

Is the undocumented salary increment a part of the basic salary or allowances?