Sponsor withholding passports

Sponsor withholding passports

A reader from Dubai asks: My father has worked in Dubai Drydocks for more than 10 years. My mother works for a Japanese restaurant in Dubai. Both of their passports are being withheld by their companies. Do they have to report this to the authority?

In fact, the questioner's parents may claim their passports back in an amicable way to protect and keep their relations with their sponsors friendly. However, if they were in urgent need of their passports and failed to retrieve them in an amicable way, then they could claim their passports back through the official authorities as the act of retaining employees' passports by sponsors is against the law.

Question answered by Advocate Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaiba of Al Bahr Advocates and Legal Consultants