I left the UAE without settling my credit card dues. Can I return?
Checking your financial and legal liabilities is important before planning your travel
Dubai: If you were unable to settle your financial dues before leaving the UAE, what are the legal repercussions that you need to manage before you can return to the country?
A Gulf News reader asked: “I was living in the UAE a few years ago and had two credit cards at the time. Due to some family commitments, including my mum’s ill health, I had to return to India without the time to settle all the dues. I also had a post-paid mobile connection, which had an amount of Dh200 due when I left. Now, I have been approached by a company with a good job offer in Dubai and would like to come back to the UAE. However, I am worried that I may face problems at immigration. How can I make sure that I will be able to fly in and join the new job offer without facing any problems at the airport? Please advise.”
Gulf News raised the query with Ahmed Elnaggar, Managing Partner at Abu Dhabi-based Elnaggar Legal Advisors Limited, who spoke about the need to perform the necessary legal checks in advance. He said: “The first step is to identify what legal problems you may have due to the fact that you had defaulted on payments. Also, you have to check whether or not your employer has filed an absconding complaint against you for abruptly leaving your job. You can do this by hiring a lawyer to perform a travel ban check on you and a quick check on your name with the police, public prosecutor and courts system.
“By performing such checks, your attorney may find and identify any case that may have been filed against you, and if so, what are the consequences of the legal actions they took. You can also know if any of these debts has incurred interests or resulted into any imprisonment penalty on you or not. Without performing travel ban check, you will be arriving at the airport blindly and will not know what to expect. You may lose the new job as well as your freedom, which is the most important thing that allows you to find solutions to resolve your debts and other problems.
The first step is to identify what legal problems you may have due to the fact that you had defaulted on payments. Also, you have to check whether or not your employer has filed an absconding complaint against you for abruptly leaving your job. You can do this by hiring a lawyer to perform a travel ban check on you and a quick check on your name with the police, public prosecutor and courts system.
“My advice to anyone in doubt of their position with regards to any financial debts or legal troubles they may have, is to make sure they know where they stand before travelling back to the UAE. Knowing is not a luxury, it is a necessity. This includes travelling to the UAE or through any of the UAE airports as transit.
“Also, negotiating any financial debt with private debtors or financial institutions while being abroad is easier and much more effective when the person indebted is abroad.”