- Home
- Debt recovery
Debt recovery in the UAE
Recover unpaid invoices and bounced cheques through the right court route. We assess your position, cost it and prepare the file. A registered UAE advocate handles pleadings and hearings.
- Bounced cheques go straight to the Execution Court
- Dubai Courts payment order fee: AED 300
- Court fee on a valued claim capped at AED 40,000
Find your strongest route
What do you hold against the debtor?
A dishonoured cheque is an executive instrument. It goes straight to the Execution Court with no trial and no need to prove the underlying debt.
- Speed
- Fastest route
- You need
- Original cheque, bank return memo, IBAN certificate
- Filing
- Online through Dubai Courts
Procedural information based on Dubai Courts routes and fees, not legal advice; other emirates have their own courts, fees and portals.
Debt recovery, in brief.
Debt recovery in the UAE means using the courts to collect money a business is owed. There are three main routes: cheque execution, a payment order, or a civil case, followed by execution against the debtor's assets.
It suits any business holding an unpaid invoice, a bounced cheque or an unpaid judgment. My Eloah Business Hub assesses the route, works out the cost, organises the evidence, arranges legal translation and prepares the online execution application.
- Fastest route
- Cheque execution
- Payment order
- AED 300 court fee
- Civil claim
- 6% of value, AED 500 to AED 40,000
- Courts
- Dubai Courts; other emirates differ
Three routes, ranked by speed.
The documents you hold decide the route. A cheque or a written right keeps you out of a full trial.
| Route | When it applies | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Cheque execution | You hold a dishonoured cheque | Fastest. Straight to the Execution Court |
| Payment order (order on petition) | Your right is established in writing, for money or movable assets | Fast. Summary, with no full trial |
| Civil case | The debt is disputed, or there is no written instrument | Slow |
| Labour claim | Wages or gratuity | Starts at MOHRE |
| Rental claim | Landlord and tenant disputes | Rental Dispute Centre |
Since 2 January 2022, under Federal Decree-Law 14 of 2020, a cheque is itself an executive instrument.
What Dubai Courts charges to file.
These are official Dubai Courts filing fees. The cap on a valued claim is reached at roughly AED 667,000, so larger claims are proportionally cheaper to file.
| Filing | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Payment order (order on petition) | AED 300 |
| Civil case, valued claim | 6% of claim value, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 40,000 |
| Civil case, unvalued application | AED 12,001 |
| Legal warning or acknowledgement through the Dubai Courts Smart Electronic Notary | AED 100 per signature of each party |
Not included: advocate's fees (the largest item), legal translation, court-appointed expert fees, and execution and enforcement costs. Ask us on WhatsApp for a quote for our own work.
What the Execution Court can do.
A judgment or a cheque is worth nothing until it is enforced. These are the tools the Execution Court can use against a debtor.
Freeze bank accounts
The court can attach and freeze the debtor's bank accounts.
Seize and sell assets
The court can seize and sell movable and immovable assets, and block dealings in registered assets.
Attach salary or receivables
Money that third parties owe the debtor, including salary, can be attached.
Impose a travel ban
A ban can issue without notice to the debtor. Only the creditor can lift a court travel ban.
Our role, and the advocate's.
We give procedural support. Filing pleadings and appearing in court is advocate work.
Assessment and file preparation
We assess the route, work out the cost, organise your evidence, arrange legal translation, prepare the online execution application and guide you through the process.
Pleadings and hearings
A registered UAE advocate is required for most substantive litigation. Precautionary attachment, bad-faith cheque complaints and insolvency also need a lawyer.
Decisions and approval
You review and confirm every application before it is submitted and before any fee is paid. Recovered funds go to your own bank account.
What a cheque execution application needs.
Dubai Courts asks for these details on the online execution form. Have them ready before you start.
Six steps from unpaid debt to execution.
Each step is a check on whether the next one is worth paying for.
Start on WhatsApp →Check the time limit
Limitation periods vary by claim type, so the period for your specific claim is confirmed first.
Review what you hold
We sort your cheques, contracts, invoices, statements and emails to see whether your right is established in writing.
Screen the debtor
We check whether the debtor is still licensed and present, has recoverable assets in the UAE, and is clear of sanctions.
Try a documented settlement
A signed acknowledgement of debt with a payment schedule is often the best answer, and it creates a written right if the debtor defaults again.
File on the right route
Cheque execution, a payment order or a civil case is filed, with a registered UAE advocate handling pleadings and hearings.
Enforce
The Execution Court can freeze accounts, seize assets, attach receivables and impose a travel ban.
Debt recovery in the UAE, answered.
Ask anything else on WhatsApp and we will answer for your company.
How do I recover an unpaid invoice in the UAE?
Start with what you hold in writing. If the debt is established in writing, such as a signed contract, an acknowledged invoice, a confirmed statement of account or an email admitting the debt, a payment order is available at a Dubai Courts fee of AED 300. If the debt is disputed or undocumented, the route is a civil case.
What can I do about a bounced cheque in the UAE?
You can take it straight to the Execution Court. Since 2 January 2022 a dishonoured cheque is an executive instrument, so there is no substantive civil case and no need to prove the debt. Dubai Courts runs a dedicated online Cheque Execution service.
Is a bounced cheque still a criminal offence in the UAE?
The ordinary bounced cheque for insufficient funds was decriminalised from 2 January 2022. Criminal liability remains for bad faith, such as stopping payment without lawful cause, closing the account or withdrawing the funds before presentation. Those cases are for a lawyer and the Public Prosecution.
How much does it cost to sue for a debt in Dubai?
Dubai Courts charges 6% of the claim value for a valued civil case, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 40,000. A payment order costs AED 300. Advocate's fees, legal translation, expert fees and execution costs are extra.
How long do I have to claim an unpaid debt?
It depends on the type of claim. Labour claims have one year from when the right fell due, and cheques have their own period under the Commercial Transactions Law. Have the period for your specific claim confirmed before you spend money on filing.
Can the court freeze a debtor's bank account or stop them travelling?
Yes. The Execution Court can attach and freeze bank accounts, seize and sell assets, attach salary or receivables and impose a travel ban. Freezing assets before judgment, called precautionary attachment, is available where there is a risk the assets will disappear. It needs a lawyer and usually a counter-guarantee.
What happens if the cheque is only partly covered?
The bank must pay the available balance against the cheque unless you refuse it. The bank then issues a certificate for the shortfall, and you can enforce that for the remaining amount.
Is it worth taking a small debt to court?
With a cheque or a written right, it is very often worth it. Without either, a civil case below roughly AED 50,000 rarely pays for itself. No route guarantees recovery, because the result depends on the debtor having assets in the UAE to enforce against.
Tell us what you hold. We will map the route
Send your cheque, contract or invoices on WhatsApp and we will tell you which route fits and what the court fees are.