r/DubaiLaw

Hi everyone, I really need some honest legal advice regarding a motorcycle sale issue here in Dubai.

A while ago, I bought a motorcycle after the seller represented it to me as a 2020 model 400cc bike. Based on the information he gave me before the sale, I agreed to the deal and paid around AED 10,000. After the purchase, I also spent additional money on repairs, maintenance, fuel, registration, insurance, and transfer related expenses, bringing my total losses to around AED 13,000.

Later, I discovered the motorcycle was not actually a 2020 400cc model as the seller claimed. It turned out to be a 2014 250cc bike instead. The specifications and actual value were completely different from what I was originally told before buying it. After checking further and going through registration related procedures, I found out the bike’s actual market value today is probably only around AED 3,000 to 4,000, which is a massive difference from what I paid believing it was a 2020 400cc bike which market price between 10,000 to 17,000

I also opened a police case regarding the matter, but it was dismissed because they considered it not to be a criminal/felony case. From what I understood, they viewed it more as a civil dispute rather than a criminal fraud case.

It has now been around 5 months and I’ve been trying to resolve this issue the entire time. From what I understand regarding vehicle related disputes, there may be a 6 month limitation period to file the case, meaning I now have less than one month remaining to take legal action if that information is correct. That’s honestly adding a lot of pressure to the situation.

I do have evidence including chats/messages, His old Mulkya, and conversations where the seller represented the motorcycle differently before the sale.

I then tried opening a civil case myself through Dubai Courts online instead of immediately hiring a lawyer, but the website has been extremely problematic. Whenever I manually enter the defendant’s details, the system keeps forcing the person to appear as a company instead of an individual. Some fields and dropdown menus also seem broken after a recent update, which stopped me from properly completing the case registration.

I also contacted a lawyer, but I was quoted around AED 2,100 just for consultation, which honestly feels excessive considering the amount involved in the dispute itself.

At this point, I genuinely don’t know if continuing legally is worth it or if I should simply accept the loss and move on. I’d really appreciate honest advice from anyone familiar with UAE civil cases or Dubai Courts procedures.

Does this situation sound like a valid civil claim for misrepresentation or misleading sale? Can a case proceed if I only have the seller’s name, phone number, chats, and payment proof but not his Emirates ID? And has anyone else experienced issues with the Dubai Courts system incorrectly forcing an individual defendant to appear as a company?

Any practical advice would seriously help.

i want to hire a Pakistani ironing guy in my laundry
problem is his visa is expired 6 months, and visa isn't going thru
only solution is a freelance visa which will cost up to 12000dhs plus additional 6000 in just fines

visa fines aren't even being reduced at the moment, let me know if you guys have any other solutions

I need honest advice from people familiar with UAE financial/court cases because I honestly don’t know whether I’m being handled properly or just being delayed.

In 2024, I took a finance loan of around AED 50,000. As security, I had also given a security cheque for around AED 60,000. I had already paid around 25% of the loan amount before everything collapsed financially.

Later the finance company returned the cheque and filed a case related to it. The case started around December 2024.

At that time I found a consultancy/legal service company in Dubai and started working with them because I didn’t know how these processes work in UAE. Months passed and I was never clearly told hearing dates or proper updates. Around 2 months ago I received an SMS from Dubai Police saying to refer to Dubai Court. After checking with my lawyer/consultancy, I was told there was an arrest warrant.

The lawyer told me he would handle removing it, and I paid additional money for that process too. He later showed me that the first request to remove the arrest warrant was rejected. Then he said he re-applied again free of charge.

Now it has been around 2 months and he keeps saying the application is still “pending review.” Recently he also told me Dubai Court systems were down for some time and that nothing could move during that period.

At the same time, because of the current Gulf war/economic situation, I lost my job and now I’m basically out of cash. I cannot afford to hire another lawyer easily, and I feel stuck because every update I get is simply “still pending.”

My questions are:

• Is it normal in UAE for arrest warrant removal requests to stay pending this long?
• Can a lawyer actually verify if the application is genuinely pending?
• Can someone still get arrested while these requests are under review?
• At what point should someone consider changing lawyers or handling things directly with the finance company?

I know I made financial mistakes, so I’m not avoiding responsibility. I’m just trying to understand whether this situation is normal or whether I’m being dragged in circles while time passes.

Any serious advice or real experiences would help a lot.

Looking for a reliable business consultant or legal advisor in UAE who can help with company agreements, investment documentation, payment recovery from clients, and guidance related to credit/cheque issues.

We deal in import/trading business and need someone who understands UAE business laws and can support us long term.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

We lost the case first instance , appeal and cassation (very expensive but useless lawyers)
Long story short we were given distribution rights by the brand to sell their products in UAE. They did not disclose an active commercial agency. The agent sued and won. Lawyers did not inform us to pay the execution amount after losing the appeal within the time frame , the court froze all company accounts and put a seal on our warehouse. Changed lawyers after that , new lawyer got the frozen amounts transferred to the execution file, and the remaining balance split into 12 monthly payments. Bank account freeze was lifted.

However the warehouse is still sealed more than 4 months now , due to operation costs and the slowdown due to the war we cannot pay the full outstanding immediately, and we need to settle it monthly but now the warehouse closure is affecting cash flow as all our inventory cannot be accessed or sold

3 payments out of 12 have been made, but the court has rejected our request for the reopening of warehouse and expects us to continue without access to our inventory for another 9 months

What options do we have, is there anything that can be done to ensure we get our warehouse opened as soon as possible

We have bulk orders that cannot be fulfilled due to this issue

Our new lawyers have not been of much help with this. Looking for advice.

Is there a way to avoid the 1-2 week waiting at the detention center for a criminal case with just a fine and deportation? I just want a smooth exit I’m tired

Is the website still down or it's only for me ?
what should I do if I have a lawsuit need to apply for ?

“I paid full installments in cash in india for unit \[Unit # / Project Name\] in Dubai to Mr., who claimed to be an employee of \[Developer Name\] and used official email \[mr@developer.com\] to issue payment receipts. The developer has no escrow account exists for this unit yet and only 50% of my cash payments were received by them. Developer says he is a freelancer/broker with no broker license and kept the remaining funds, indicating fraud, forgery of receipts, and breach of trust. I received Mr number from his head operation in india. Scammer is in india every time he says I will pay you today tomorrow. Now we are asking for refund of 50% payment received by developer but they are delaying . Shall I report to Dubai police ? Will I get my money back?
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx……..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I moved to Dubai not long ago, full of hope and genuinely excited about building something here.

A few weeks in, I fell victim to a banking phishing scam — someone called pretending to be a bank rep, sent me a fake UAE banking page on WhatsApp, and I made the mistake of entering my details. Money was fraudulently withdrawn from my ADCB, Emirates NBD, and Payit accounts. I reported everything to the banks and filed a police fraud case immediately.

Now I’ve received a police complaint claiming my account was used in a visa scam involving a third party — something I had absolutely no knowledge of or involvement in. The case is showing as “proceeding to court” and honestly it’s been overwhelming.

I’ve reached out to a few legal firms, but the retainer fees are beyond what I can manage right now.

Has anyone navigated something similar in the UAE? Specifically — how do you establish that your account was compromised without your involvement? Any advice on next steps, affordable legal support, or what to realistically expect would mean a lot. 🫂🫂

Hi Guys wanted to ask if there any legal action or protection I can take for my situation

My manager doesn't want me to work with them any more and tried firing me but HR intervened and they decided that they can't fire me without reason so they agreed to put me on PIP for 3 month which they marked 2 already as failed

Now on the 3rd and final Evaluation they are telling me they have the right to fire me effective immediately without even paying notice period

Is there anything I can do about and is it just a close and shut case?

As I'm told the only right I'd be entitled to is my end of service and any annual leaves days not taken

I’m currently a resident in Dubai, and I’m trying to help my parents clear some very old legal cases filed against them here between 2009 and 2015. I initially spoke to a law firm, but their retainer is massive, so I am planning to do the legwork myself.

​I have a fully legalized and MOFA-attested Power of Attorney (POA) to represent them. However, I do not have NOCs from the banks/claimants. The financial obligations were never officially settled.

​The Case Breakdown:

There are two distinct categories of cases I need to clear:

​Criminal/Police Cases (10+ years old): Several cases across different police stations for "bounced cheques/insufficient funds" and one older case generically labeled as "fraud."

​Civil & Execution Cases (10+ years old): A couple of old real estate disputes and an active Execution File opened by a bank.

​My Strategy & Questions for the Community:

​For the Criminal Cases: My plan is to take the POA to Public Prosecution/Police and request closure based on the "Lapse of Criminal Action by Time" (Statute of Limitations), since it has been over 5 years, and leveraging the 2022 cheque decriminalization laws.

​Question: Has anyone successfully done this DIY without an NOC? Will the prosecutor close these on the spot based on time elapsed, or will they still demand to see bank clearance?

​For the Civil/Execution Cases: I know civil debt lasts up to 15 years, and execution files can stay open indefinitely. I'd like to petition the Execution Court via Al Adheed to lift the travel bans due to "lack of action/inactivity" by the bank.

​Question: What is the "Sleeping Bear" risk here? If I submit a petition to the court to close the file/lift the ban, does the system automatically notify the bank's legal department? Am I risking waking them up and triggering a renewed aggressive collection attempt?

​Has anyone navigated this specific situation themselves using just a POA? Any advice on which typing centers or government branches are best to approach first would be highly appreciated!

Hello everyone. I got married last Sunday and we already got marriage certificate from Dubai courts however in ICP it shows that I’m single. When will this be updated and will this make any problem if my husband wants to apply for my visa?

Hello everyone

I have come to you because the site has been down for a month and has not yet been repaired. Our interests are declining, and the situation is really critical.

I bought a 2017 Lexus LS 460 from a used car dealership in Sharjah on March 30, 2026.

Before finalizing the purchase, my mechanic had already performed a thorough inspection on March 19, including inspection underneath the vehicle, during which he confirmed that the catalytic converter was physically present.

On March 30, before finalizing the purchase, he performed only a basic follow-up inspection and did not recheck underneath the car. The car passed inspection and I paid AED 55,800 total (part bank transfer, part cash).

While the seller was preparing the invoice, I noticed that the invoice did not contain the dealership name. When I questioned this, the seller told me that the price of the car would increase if I wanted an invoice issued under the shop name. Since I was already around AED 7,000 over budget on the purchase, I proceeded with the invoice without the shop name as provided.

After registering the car and driving only around 16 km, I got:

• Check Engine
• Check PCS System
• TRAC Off

The next day, my mechanic lifted the car and discovered:

• Fresh welding marks under the car
• Catalytic converter removed from the front manifold

We immediately confronted the seller. He (verbally) claimed that the car had been sent to a garage while still in his possession and that the garage “may have removed” the converter. I later repeated his explanation back to him on WhatsApp and got him to acknowledge that the removal happened while the vehicle was still in the seller’s possession.

We then went to the garage that allegedly removed the converter. Instead of installing a replacement catalytic converter, they simply cleared the error codes using a laptop.

I currently have:

• WhatsApp messages where the seller specifically requested 50% cash / 50% bank transfer.
• WhatsApp messages where the seller agreed to arrange a replacement catalytic converter. It has now been over a month and no replacement converter has been provided.
• Bank transfer records to a personal account provided by the seller
• My mechanic as a witness who inspected the car before and after purchase

The major issue now is that SEDD told me they cannot help because the invoice does not contain the dealership name, and when they contacted the owner of the dealership, the dealership denied that the car was sold by them. SEDD advised me to pursue the matter in court.

I also spoke to people at Sharjah Judicial Department today and was informed that:

• Filing the case may cost around AED 3,000
• If the judge appoints an automotive expert/inspection to check under the car, that may cost another AED 2,000–3,000
• Total legal costs may end up around AED 6,000

However, I was also informed that if I win, the seller may be ordered to reimburse court fees and compensate me for the catalytic converter.

I’m hesitant to proceed with legal action because the estimated court and expert fees are approximately AED 6,000. If the case is unsuccessful, I would not only lose the amount spent on legal proceedings, but would still need to personally cover the AED 6,500 cost of replacing the catalytic converter. This could bring my total financial loss to approximately AED 12,500.

Given the evidence currently available, I would genuinely appreciate an honest opinion on:

1. Whether this sounds like a realistically strong case under UAE law
2. Whether the available evidence is enough to link the sale to the dealership despite the invoice issue
3. Whether pursuing court action is financially practical in this situation
4. Whether there is a cheaper or more practical legal route available?

I genuinely tried to handle this matter properly and avoid escalation. I'd appreciate any kind of advice. Thank you all for your time.