UAEssentials | Ask The Law
Retention of passports
The law prevents the employer from retaining passports on the basis that it is a document related to the person and no one should retain it except the competent judge if necessary.
- Compiled by Dina Aboul Hosn
- Published: 00:03 June 13, 2008
A reader from Dubai asks: I have worked with a company for three years, during which the company retained passports of all the staff considering all of us have signed a letter which states that the interior system of the company gives them the right to do so. Thus, if one of the staff requested his passport, the company refuses on the basis that the same is contrary to rules of the company. Is there a provision that prohibits employers from retaining the passport?
The law prevents the employer from retaining passports on the basis that it is a document related to the person and no one should retain it except the competent judge if necessary. There is also an earlier decision by the Minister of Interior that prevents companies from retaining passports.
Questions answered by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahar Advocates and Legal Consultants
