UAE legal FAQ

You can file a labour complaint with MoHRE, free of charge, without a lawyer. MoHRE first attempts an amicable settlement between you and the employer; if that fails, the complaint is referred to the competent labour court. Filing is done through the MoHRE website or smart app.

Yes. A claim must generally be brought within one year of the date the entitlement became due under the current UAE labour framework, and limitation rules have changed in recent years. Because a missed deadline can end an otherwise strong claim, confirm the current limitation period with MoHRE or a licensed professional before you rely on any figure.

No. Filing a labour complaint with MoHRE is free and is designed to be done without legal representation. Court fees may arise later only if the dispute is referred to court and exceeds the exemption thresholds.

In many cases yes. UAE rules allow an employee with an active labour complaint to apply for a temporary work permit so they can work for another employer while the case proceeds. Eligibility depends on your circumstances, so check the current conditions with MoHRE.

Collect your employment contract, Emirates ID and passport copy, bank statements showing which months were paid, any payslips, and written messages where payment was promised or refused. A single dated list of what you were owed and what actually arrived is usually more persuasive than a large unsorted folder.

MoHRE complaints cover delayed or unpaid wages, disputed end-of-service dues, unlawful deductions, denied leave, breach of contract terms and dismissal disputes. Matters outside the private-sector labour relationship, such as free-zone-specific regimes, may follow a different route.

Gratuity is calculated on basic salary only, excluding housing, transport and other allowances. The standard formula is 21 days of basic pay for each of the first five years of service, and 30 days of basic pay for each year beyond five, capped at two years’ total basic salary.

Basic salary only. Allowances such as housing, transport and mobile are excluded from the gratuity calculation, which is why a gratuity estimate based on your total package will usually be too high.

End-of-service entitlements are generally payable within 14 days of the end of the contract. If payment does not arrive in that window, the shortfall can form part of a MoHRE complaint alongside any other unpaid dues.

Yes, provided you have completed at least one year of continuous service. Historic rules reduced the entitlement for resignation under old unlimited contracts; under the current framework the tiered calculation applies to continuous service, so confirm how your specific contract and service period are treated.

Twelve months’ notice is generally required where a landlord seeks eviction at the end of the tenancy for a permitted reason, such as selling the property, using it personally or for a first-degree relative, demolition and reconstruction, or comprehensive maintenance that cannot be done while occupied. The notice must state the reason and be served through a notary public or registered mail.

No. For eviction purposes the notice must be served through a notary public or by registered mail. A notice delivered only by email, SMS or WhatsApp does not satisfy the service requirement, and a defective notice can be challenged before the Rental Disputes Centre.

You can contest it before the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) in Dubai. Common defects include the wrong notice period, a reason that is not a permitted ground, or service that did not go through a notary public or registered mail. Keep the envelope, the notarised copy and the dates, because the timing of service is often decisive.

The RDC filing fee in Dubai is generally 3.5% of the annual rent, subject to minimum and maximum limits set by the centre. Most first-instance matters are decided within a few weeks to a few months, though complex cases take longer.

Generally no. Under current Dubai court practice a valid 12-month notice attaches to the property rather than to the individual landlord, so a new owner can usually rely on a notice served by the previous owner. Because this is an area where practice has shifted, verify the position for your specific notice.

No. Permitted increases in Dubai are governed by the rent index, and the landlord must give the required notice before the renewal date. The Dubai Land Department publishes an official rental increase calculator that shows the maximum permitted increase for a specific property.

In most cases no. Since the reforms introduced by Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2022, a cheque returned for insufficient funds is treated primarily as a civil debt and the payee can go directly to the execution division of the courts. Criminal liability can still arise in aggravating circumstances, such as closing the account before presentation or ordering the bank to stop payment without lawful justification.

The execution judge can order payment in full or by instalments, and can impose a travel ban until the amount is settled. Where payment is not made within the period set by the court, further enforcement measures including an arrest warrant may follow, so engaging with the execution file early is important.

As the payee you can approach the execution division of the UAE courts directly and request a payment order, rather than starting with a criminal complaint. Bring the original cheque, the bank return memo stating the reason, and any contract or invoice showing what the cheque was for.

A travel ban imposed in execution proceedings is generally lifted once the underlying amount is settled or the creditor withdraws the claim, but the lifting is an order of the court and is not automatic. Keep proof of settlement, because you will usually need to file it to have the ban removed.

In many personal status matters expatriates may ask the UAE court to apply their home country law, particularly for divorce and inheritance, subject to the court’s approval. Non-Muslim residents may alternatively use the civil personal status regime introduced by Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022.

UAE law distinguishes custody (hadanah), meaning day-to-day care, from guardianship (wilayah). The current framework emphasises shared parental responsibility and the child’s wellbeing; custody generally continues until the child turns 18, and a child aged 15 or over may express a preference about which parent to live with, subject to their interests.

Yes. Abu Dhabi established a Civil Family Court that allows non-Muslim families to resolve marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance matters through a civil process conducted in English. Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 also created a civil personal status regime available to non-Muslim residents more broadly.

Typically a marriage certificate, passports and Emirates IDs for both spouses and any children, birth certificates, and proof of residence. Foreign documents usually need to be legalised and translated into Arabic by a certified translator, which is often the slowest step, so start it early.

An advocate is licensed to represent clients and plead before the UAE courts, Public Prosecution and judicial committees. A legal consultant advises, drafts contracts and opinions and supports strategy, but does not ordinarily have the right to represent you before the onshore courts. Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2022 sets out the distinction, so check which one your matter actually requires.

Verify the person or firm on the official register before you share documents or pay anything. The Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department publishes a public directory of registered advocates, legal consultants and licensed firms, and other emirates maintain equivalent registers.

There is no single published fee scale for private legal consultations in the UAE, and fees vary widely with the lawyer’s seniority, the emirate and how complex the matter is. Ask for the consultation fee before you book, ask whether it is credited against later work, and agree any further fees and the exact scope in writing before work starts. Get more than one quote for significant matters.

Ask which licence they hold and whether they can represent you in the relevant forum, who will actually handle the file, what the total expected cost is including court and translation fees, and what the realistic timeline and range of outcomes are. Get the answer to the fee question in writing.

Not to file one. The MoHRE complaint process is free and designed to be used without representation, and many salary matters settle at the amicable stage. Legal representation becomes more valuable if the matter is referred to court, if the amounts are large, or if the facts are disputed.

No. A licensed professional can assess the strengths and weaknesses of your position and the likely range of outcomes, but no lawyer, platform or tool can guarantee a result, a filing acceptance or a timeline. Treat any guarantee of outcome as a warning sign.

No. CaseDaleel is a technology platform that provides general legal information, case-organisation tools and consent-controlled introductions to independently licensed professionals. It does not provide legal advice, draft legal arguments, represent anyone, or guarantee that a court will accept a filing.

No. Everything on the platform is general legal information to help you understand your situation and organise your evidence. Legal advice on your specific facts requires a separate engagement with an appropriately licensed advocate or legal consultant.

Yes. Describing your situation and receiving a structured summary of the issue, the likely official route and what evidence matters is free. Paid case-organisation products are clearly priced before you commit, and you are never charged to understand your route.

You can describe your situation in English, Arabic, Urdu, Roman Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Filipino, Farsi, Russian or French. This matters because many of the people most affected by salary and tenancy problems in the UAE are not comfortable explaining them in English or Arabic.

No. Nothing is shared without your explicit approval of that specific handoff. You review what would be sent, and you decide whether to send it; the platform does not broadcast your case to a panel of lawyers.

No. The platform does not take a percentage of legal fees or of case outcomes. Any technology or administration fee is separate, disclosed up front, and does not depend on what happens in your matter.

You remain responsible for verifying and meeting official deadlines until a licensed professional expressly accepts that responsibility in writing. Any date the platform calculates is a planning aid to be confirmed against the relevant authority, not a legal deadline you should rely on by itself.

Not yet. The profiles currently shown are clearly labelled fictional samples with AI-generated images, used to demonstrate how matching will work. Real professionals will appear only after licence and practice-detail verification is operational.

Documents you add are used to organise your own case file and are not sent to any professional unless you approve that specific handoff. The Privacy Notice sets out retention, access and your rights in full.

No. A lawyer-client relationship begins only under a separate engagement agreement accepted by a licensed professional and by you, after conflict and identity checks. Using the platform, its tools or its information does not create one.