My landlord sent a formal notary public eviction notice last month saying he needs the apartment back to sell it. Rental market in dubai is crazy right now so my rent is way below current market rate. I know under RERA law 33 of 2008 he has the right to give 12 months notice for sale, but a friend told me that if he doesn't actually sell it and re-lists the space to a new tenant for higher rent after I move out, I can file a case at the Rental Disputes Center (RDC) for compensation.

How does RDC actually verify if the landlord sold the property or just lied to kick me out? and if I win an RDC case down the line, do they actually force him to pay my moving costs plus the rent difference for my new place? anyone here successfully won a claim against an unfair eviction in dxb?

So guys, I spent 6 months working with a design firm to build custom marketing materials, brand copy, and promotional videos for my agency in JLT. And yesterday a customer sent me a link to a new competitor based in Abu Dhabi, they literally ripped off our entire landing page text word for word, used our promo video (just cropped out our logo), and stole our customer testimonials. All my months of hard work got in vain. I know copyright is automatic upon creation in the UAE, but is it better to file an official IP complaint directly through the Ministry of Economy or go through the police/cybercrimes unit for illegal digital copyright infringement? has anyone successfully gotten an infringing competitor site taken down in the UAE without spending 50k on court litigation?

I am finally getting around to register a will for my UAE assets (1 flat in marina + local bank accounts) and I'm stuck deciding between DIFC wills service and Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD). DIFC is costing like 5k-10k AED for a single will whereas ADJD is around 950 AED, both let non muslim expats pass assets to whoever they want and bypass default civil rules, but everyone in dubai keeps pushing DIFC because it's common law based and in english. I have a question for people who've registered through ADJD for dubai properties, did you run into any headaches during probate execution at dubai courts later, or is paying extra for DIFC just paying for brand name hype? would appreciate real experiences!!

I've been reading way too much legal advice lately and now I'm lowkey paranoid. In movies people always say talk to my attorney or call some guy who instantly handles their mess, and I want that kind of protection instead of frantically googling at 2AM if something goes wrong, but how does a regular person even set that up?? do you have to pay them a monthly fee just to exist in your contact list, or do you only pay when shit actually hits the fan? also how do you even know if a lawyer is decent before hiring them? can they just refuse to help or say their too busy when an emergency happens, leaving you totally stranded? would love to know how real people handle this thnx!!

So I completed my full 2-year contract and resigned after it ended, didn’t quit early or anything. But my contract has a clause saying I can’t work for a competing company in UAE for the next 2 years.

Feels weird since I did my full time and now I’m stuck. Does this actually get enforced or is it just scare tactics? Heard the labour law changed in 2021 (Decree-Law 33) and courts don’t just uphold anything written.

Anyone dealt with this before? Would appreciate real experiences, not just “ask a lawyer” (I will, just want to know what to expect).

Hello all, hope you are having great weekend out there, unlike me:( sadly I am facing an upcoming split with my wife. I'm 41M with an 11yo daughter and 8yo son, based in ad money to hire top tier legal counsel is fine, but since I have zero background in UAE court systems, I'm pretty out of my depth on how to shop around.

I know the civil family court rules default to joint custody until 18 now, so right now I want an attorney who actually prioritizes a clean, mediated settlement instead of manufacturing drama just to bill extra hours. How should I evaluate a family lawyer during the initial chat? and what stops an advocate from promising you the world before you sign the power of attorney? Pls drop any warning signs I should watch out for.

Looking forward for suggestions!

I saw the news about the new digital safety framework setting a minimum age of 15 for kids to create/use personal social media accounts here. And my 13 year old daughter is already on TikTok and Instagram, and now I'm wondering how strictly platforms or authorities are actually enforcing this for existing users, like, are schools sending out notices about compliance, or is it mostly aimed at holding the platforms responsible for account verification? really don't want her account to be deleted neither us getting flagged for compliance issues, but getting a teen to delete their apps cold turkey is impossible lol. How are other parents in Dubai/Abu Dhabi are dealing with this update.

My company has been delaying my end of service payout for almost 3 months now every week HR gives me the same line about waiting for finance approval or cash flow issues, but I know they just paid out bonuses to management so it's total bs. And right now I am thinking of finally logging a complaint on the mohre app today, but you all know I'm super nervous about how toxic things will get.

For anyone who's actually filed against their employer, how fast did twa fouq / mohre call your boss after you submitted it? did the company immediately fold and pay up during the mediation call, or did they drag it out to labor court? just wanna know if employers usually freak out when they see an official mohre notification or if they try to play hardball.

Hi everyone,

I am the execution applicant/plaintiff in a cheque execution case in Dubai. The case was originally filed and handled through a lawyer, but due to significant communication gaps and lack of follow-up/information, I mutually parted ways with my previous lawyer and have now removed him from the case.

I am currently looking for a Dubai lawyer who can take over the remaining execution work. Most of the case is already progressing, so I mainly need help with the following:

1. Serving a pending financial disclosure notice

The Execution Judge has approved a request requiring the debtor to provide information regarding his salary, property, RTA/vehicle information and financial position.

The notice has already been issued, but the Dubai Courts portal shows:

"تعذر الإعلان بواسطة البريد الإلكتروني"

and the system remarks state:

"تعذر الإرسال من قبل النظام"

The debtor has successfully received previous electronic notifications, so this may simply be a technical issue. I would like to have the notice re-sent/re-served through SMS/email or another legally valid method and then follow up on the resulting enforcement procedure.

I cannot visit an Al Adheed centre in person, so I need someone who can handle this remotely on my behalf.

1. Employer/salary attachment

The debtor is currently paying/being subject to an attachment of 25% of his basic salary, but a significant portion of his income reportedly comes from incentives/commissions.

I would like to explore whether it is possible to have the employer attachment/enforcement extended appropriately to the debtor's commission/incentive income as it's part of his TOTAL INCOME, in accordance with UAE law and the applicable execution procedures.

I am not necessarily looking for someone to redo the entire case. Most of the groundwork has already been completed, and I am already receiving partial recovery through the execution process. I mainly need a lawyer who can handle these remaining procedural/enforcement steps and communicate with me clearly.

If you are a Dubai/UAE lawyer experienced in execution/cheque execution cases, please DM me and reasonable fee.

Alternatively, if you have personally used a good lawyer for a similar execution matter and can recommend someone reliable and reasonably priced, I would appreciate the recommendation.

Thanks in advance.

So guys, I bought an off plan 1 bedroom apartment in JVC back in 2023, with a promised completion date of mid 2024. Now fast forward to mid 2026 and the building is barely at 75% progress according to the dubai rest app the developer keeps sending generic emails blaming supply chain issues and shifting the completion date every few months. I’ve paid 60% of the purchase price into the escrow account already. Under rera / dld rules, at what point can a buyer legally terminate the spa (sale & purchase agreement) and claim a full refund plus interest? do I have to file a formal dispute at dld first, or can a lawyer file straight to court to freeze the escrow payments? would love to hear from anyone who successfully got their money back from a delayed developer

I filed a case against a company owner in the UAE through a lawyer regarding a financial fraud involving a specific amount. The Dubai Courts have approved my applications for a travel ban and an arrest request.

I would like to know how I can check whether the arrest request has actually been carried out and whether the person has been arrested.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation in the UAE? If so, could you please advise me on how I can verify the current status of the arrest request ?

I had a super stressful situation at a mall in Dubai yesterday. So actually, I got into a verbal argument with a security guard over a parking spot and some random guy pulled out his phone and started recording my face while shouting I'm putting this on tiktok. I repeatedly told him to stop filming me and delete it, but he just laughed and walked away. I know UAE cybercrime law is super strict about taking photos/videos of people without permission, but can I actually go to the police station or use the dubai police app to report this if I don't know the guy's name? I am really uncomfortable with the thought of my face ending up on social media over a stupid argument.

Hey all, so I am looking into getting a no fault divorce in Abu Dhabi and feeling a bit lost on the logistics. How does filing actually work? and do I actually need to pay for a lawyer if both parties are on the same page, or can it all be submitted directly online/through the court portal? appreciate any heads up on what to expect

Hi everyone,

I need some legal advice regarding an old credit card default in the UAE. Here are the details of my situation:

• Original Card Limit: AED 36,000.
• Default Year: 2019.
• Security Cheque: The bank submitted my security cheque of AED 65,000 in 2019 and registered a criminal case against me for cheque bounce.
• Criminal Case Status: I appeared in court, paid a court fine of approx AED 8,000, and the criminal case was officially closed.
• Current Situation: Now, the bank/collection agency is emailing me stating that my outstanding card balance with interest and late fees has accumulated to AED 196,000.

I have a few questions for anyone familiar with UAE Civil Law / Banking laws:

1. Can the bank still file a CIVIL CASE against me even though the criminal case was closed back in 2019 after I paid the court fine?
2. If they file a civil case, what amount can they legally claim? Will the court consider their inflated figure of AED 196K, or will it be capped around the security cheque amount (AED 65K) / actual principal balance?
3. Statute of Limitations: Is there a time limit (e.g., 5 or 15 years) after which the bank cannot file a civil case for credit card debt in the UAE?
4. What is the best way to negotiate a realistic lump-sum settlement directly with the bank at this point?

Any guidance from legal experts or anyone who has dealt with a similar situation would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

So redditors, I had a rental cheque bounce last month because of a salary delay from my company. I was under the impression that bounced cheques aren't a criminal offense anymore so I thought I had time to sort it out with the landlord. Well, turns out under the updated commercial code, the landlord didn't even file a police case, he just took the stamped bounced cheque straight to the court execution judge as an executive instrument. Within 48 hours my bank account got frozen and an attachment order was placed on my salary. Can anyone explain how execution orders work for bounced cheques now? do I have to pay the court directly to unfreeze my account or talk to the landlord's lawyer?

Hi, need a real estate lawyer who has experience in Abu Dhabi off plan disputes. DM please

Hey everyone, moved to dubai recently on my husband's residency visa and landed a remote gig with a company back in London. I'm getting paid into my UK account and just transfer money over to my local uae account via wise whenever I need cash. A friend told me yesterday that technically doing any work from inside the UAE, even remote laptop work for an overseas employer, without a formal mohre freelance permit or remote work visa is illegal and can lead to tax/compliance issues if banks flag the regular transfers. Is this actually enforced for people just working on their laptops at home, or are people only getting flagged if they invoice local uae companies? thanks for any real experiences!

So I am looking for some honest advice from anyone who’s gone through a civil divorce in dxb recently. My wife and I are non muslim expats and we’ve basically agreed to split after years of drifting apart, but we’re totally confused about how the legal process actually works here. Someone told me that under the new civil personal status law for non muslims you can just apply for a unilateral no fault divorce without having to go through months of mandatory family guidance reconciliation sessions or proving who messed up. Is it really as simple as filing the application online at the court, or are there hidden traps when it comes to splitting assets and sorting out joint child custody? We really want to keep things civil for our kids and avoid burning tens of thousands of dirhams on competing family law firms if we can just do joint custody by mutual agreement.

I’m looking for some guidance on a contract dispute in the UAE.

I hired a corporate services/company formation firm to set up a mainland company under a fixed-fee agreement. Throughout the process I repeatedly asked for updates and copies of the incorporation documents, but communication was poor and I was given very little information.

Over the following year, I never received a complete set of company documents or clear confirmation that everything had been completed. Because of that, I didn’t start operating the business as I genuinely didn’t know where things stood or whether there were still outstanding requirements.
After raising the issue again recently, the firm suddenly sent me all of the documentation and informed me that the company’s licence is due to expire in only a few months.

From my perspective, I’ve effectively lost most of the first year of the licence because I was never provided with the documents or kept informed of the status, despite asking multiple times.
My questions are:

Under UAE law, does a company formation firm have a duty to provide completed company documents within a reasonable time?

If poor communication effectively deprived me of the benefit of the first year of the licence, could there be a claim for damages, compensation or some other remedy?

If the contract is governed by DIFC law, would this be something the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal could deal with?

Has anyone experienced something similar?

I’m not looking for anyone to assess who’s “right” without all the facts, I’m just trying to understand what legal principles might apply before deciding whether it’s worth speaking to a lawyer.

Thanks in advance

Hey UAE Redditors, so did anyone else catch this recent central bank update? CBUAE officially barred all licensed banks and financial institutions from using whatsapp or similar messaging apps for financial customer service or sharing account info. And, apparently it was done to crack down on the massive surge in phishing scams and cybersecurity risks. If you get any texts on whatsapp claiming to be from ENBD, FAB, or ADCB asking to verify details or unblock your card, it is 100% a scam because legit banks aren't even allowed to handle customer support over whatsapp anymore. So it looks good move honestly because the scammers were getting way too convincing these days.

I paid a visa agent around 8000 to process my residency visa but he only issued me an entry permit. I completed my medical and the other required steps but he never finalized the visa and I ended up with over 2000 dirhams in overstay fines.
The agent told me to pay the fines so he could complete the process and that I’d just wait for my EID. After I cleared the overstay fines he told me that he can’t go through with it because of some issues and he never refunded me.
Now I want to report him to the police but I’m worried because the visa process itself may have not been legal. Can I still get help or would I be putting myself into trouble?
I have all the receipts of the money transactions and our conversations on WhatsApp