Make sure your bank account is closed and cancelled before leaving the UAE

While a UAE bank account may appear to be closed, it is important to ensure it has been fully cancelled so as not to be liable for charges at a later date.

I have just discovered an old bank account I thought I'd closed years ago might still be open. I did physically go in to the branch to close it and a young employee just kept saying "no problem" but didn't give me any written confirmation. It is an old cheque account with Emirates NBD which has not been operational for at least four or five years. Do I need to close this before leaving the country permanently or is it deemed closed given that there have been no transactions for years? PA, Dubai

While a bank account may appear to be closed, it is important to ensure it has been fully cancelled so as not to be liable for charges at a later date. I have seen cases where someone thought their account was closed but then received a payment demand for several thousand dirhams. I queried PA’s case with Emirates NDB, who quickly responded: “We are pleased to inform you that our group customer experience team has checked the customer’s account on the system which shows that it has been closed and does not have any liabilities”.

Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years experience. Contact her at [e-mail]. Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek appropriate independent legal advice