I accepted a job in Abu Dhabi three years ago and three months into the position, took a loan of US$93,000. After six months, I left the UAE for family reasons. I have now been offered a job in Abu Dhabi with a good salary. I was told by a bank representative that they had raised a police case against me. So how can I get back in to the country? Will it be enough if my new company sends a guarantee letter to the bank stating that I will be working for them and will carry on my payments?, Or what else do I need to do? I don’t want to be arrested by police on entry. TM, Azerbaijan
If there is a police case for debt registered against someone then they can expect to be arrested and detained on arrival in the UAE. For the police case to be lifted, TM will need to negotiate with the bank he owes the money to. If no payments have been made while he has been out of the UAE then the amount due will have increased significantly because of unpaid interest and possibly additional penalties. As I understand it, he has not been in communication with the bank during this time so it is not going to simply revoke a police case on a promise and will most likely require a significant contribution towards the capital amount plus a repayment of interest outstanding. While I appreciate that people may have difficult situations and need to leave the UAE, ignoring a debt is not going to make it go away. I have not been told which bank this concerns, but would advise TM to contact it immediately to negotiate a new payment plan, although his lack of both payments and communication over an extended period will not be in his favour.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years’ experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
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