Do I need an NOC?

A reader from Dubai asks: I would like to know whether an NOC is required from my previous employer to get a new labour permit within the six-month labour ban period. My limited three year contract has been completed and consequently my visa has been cancelled. In such cases, can one re-enter the UAE on a visit visa via an emirate other than Dubai?

I would like to refer to the fact that once a ban is applied against the questioner and if he desires to re-enter the country thereafter, he will be obliged to obtain an NOC from his previous employer in order to be able to transfer to a new employer and this is not negotiable.

As for the questioner's query about re-entering the country on a visit visa through a different emirate, I believe this is not possible.

- Answers by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahr Advocates and Legal Consultants.