Holding passport of employee is illegal
Passport retention policy
Can employer keep employee passport? NO! Because holding passport in UAE is illegal.
As a matter of fact, UAE employers detaining employees’ passports could be jailed and fined up to 20,000 AED!
The UAE government officials have repeatedly stated that employer should not retain an employee’s passport.
Passport retention by employers in UAE is definitely illegal
A passport is technically the property of the government that issued it and there’s always wording to this that can be found written in each passport.
And mostly you’d find it in all of passports, saying: “This passport is the property of the Government of [The passport holder’s country]”
Actually, the passport should be only in the custody of either the holder or of a person authorized by the holder, and each passport holder is responsible for its safekeeping.
While we all have to hand our passports over to authorized persons in order to obtain visas, we are not supposed to hand them over to unauthorized people.
That includes employers (apart from for affixing visas).
In other words…
Holding passport of employee is illegal
Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation has literally advised that “retaining workers’ passport also amounts to forcible work in violation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour, to which the UAE is a signatory”.
In addition, it’s not new that the UAE Ministry of Interior issued a decree saying: “As the passport is a personal document and as the law obliges its owner to keep and show when required by the governmental authorities, it is not allowed for any party to detain the passport except by the official parties with a judicial order and according to the law. Consequently it will be considered as an illegal action to detain the passport in UAE except by the governmental parties.”
So, how to get my passport from my employer?
The offence carries a jail sentence and a fine of up to AED 20,000. If an employer refuses to return your passport, you can register a case against them at the local labor office and even file a police case.
Is your employer asking for passport?
When this happens, you simply tell them that as of UAE labour law holding passport of employee is illegal. Employer can only hold passports for visa-related concerns (like applying for a new visa, renewing, or cancelling the visa).
And thereafter, they should return your passport to you after stamping. It is your duty to keep your passport in safe custody, and not your employer’s.
Can employer hold passport after cancellation?
No, employer can’t hold your passport after cancellation of visa. Employer can only hold it for a limited period it’s when they’re issuing, renewing or cancelling your visa.
Passport Retention by Employers in UAE
Actually, not just employers holding passports of employees, the question is:
is it legal to hold someone’s passport? NOT AT ALL!
Passport holding in UAE is technically illegal, although the practice of this is widespread among companies with large number of UAE expats.
Although it is okay to handover your passport to various authorities, you don’t have to handover your passport to unauthorized bodies. And, your employer is not an authorized body to retain your passport.
The passport is a personal document of its holder, and its final authority is the issuing government. It is an official document that certifies holders’ identity and citizenship allowing them to travel abroad under its protection. Therefore, it is more of a personal document, to be kept in possession of the holder.
On the other hand, if you choose to give your passport for safekeeping, then there is nothing illegal about it. But, we advise you to check with your embassy or consulate if you are permitted to do that, first.
The employers usually say that the reason behind retaining employee passport is for safekeeping. But, often employers retain employee’s passport because companies want to have control over them, and to reinforce the authoritative nature of employer-employee relationship.
Legally, your company has no right to hold your passport, and retaining employee passport is against UAE Labor Law.
The laws in UAE do not entitle the employer to keep the employee’s passport for whatsoever reason.
According to Advocates and Legal Consultants, passports shall not be submitted to anyone unless upon order of Public Prosecution or Court only.
A case of passport confiscation would cost between Dh.5000 and Dh.10,000 for the employer. The government will not tolerate companies that are holding passport.
Holding passport also amounts to forcible work in violation of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour, to which the UAE is a signatory. Employers who fail to give workers their passports on request are in breach of trust. The offence carries imprisonment of upto three years and/or fine amounting to Dh.20,000 or more,” quotes UAE Ministry of Labour Legal Department.
Some precautions that are worth considering to avoid retention of passport by employers:
- Ask your future employer about their “policy on holding passport” prior to signing the job contract. If they have a policy of retaining the passport, you can negotiate with them or even look for another job. On the other hand, if the employer say they would return the passports back to employees after visa processing, DO NOT believe them until you have a good reason to do so.
- If your employer is currently holding your passport, request them politely to return your passport. If they didn’t do anything about it, let them know that it is illegal to retain passports.
- They’re still holding your passport? Consider contacting your embassy or consulate to report holding passport by an unauthorized body.
- No response from your embassy? Contact the UAE Ministry of Labour to file a complaint about your employer. However, the employer will know about your complaint and there are big chances that the may react to it in an unpleasant manner. If you are uncomfortable about facing such a scenario, you may contact a lawyer before complaining to Ministry of Labour .
- Before contacting your Embassy or UAE Ministry of Labour, you can tell your employer about your intentions to take it legally. But, as a general rule, do not make empty threats or promises.
- Another strategy worth trying to get your passport from your employer is to wait till you travel abroad, as most employers will then be ready to handover passport without fuss. Else, organize a weekend trip to Oman or similar place.
- Try to get a letter from your embassy saying that unauthorized people or organizations should not hold your passport.
- You could deposit your passport with your embassy or consulate for safekeeping and get a receipt.
As an employee you need to be aware of the below:
In case the employer retains the passport and refuses to give it back, you can approach the nearest police station, and the company will have to handover the passport there.
A 2002 decree explicitly states that it will be considered as an illegal action to detain the passport of employee in UAE, except by the governmental parties. In case of retaining passports, there will be suitable punishment by the law in UAE. However, the law did not specify which agency should enforce the rule, although employees can file a complaint with Labour Ministry.
Finally:
Although with the proof and legal warnings that keeping employee passports is illegal, expatriates still need a job. It is a sad fact that most employers in UAE are still holding passport.
If this is the case, and you desperately need the job, get a signed document from employer stating that they’re holding your passport, and the reason for holding it.
The document should also mention that they assure you about returning it immediately and at any time during the employment.
I am working in a contracting company for the last 3 months, due to regular torchering I would not like to continue my job there. I am in their company visa as filing clerk. My passport holding with the employer. How can cancel the job or employment visa and how can I get my passport?
Hi Anna,
When you quit, they’re obliged to cancel your visa and give you back your passport anyway. Ask for that and if they’re insisting on not giving it to you or rejecting your resignation, you can file a complaint in the ministry of labor.
I am working in a contracting company for the last 3 months, due to regular torchering I would like to continue my job there. I am in their company visa as filing clerk. My passport holding with the employer. How can cancel the job or employment visa and how can I get my passport?
hi, im limitted work visa here in uae. Im currently 1 yr and 5 months. Im just want to know if my passport must be the employer or must be the owner of passport? And one more question, they illegal reduce our salary without signing new contract. What to do of this?
Hi. I worked here since 5 years, my employer hold my passport, i work as salesman. When we need for reservations he want application for handover passport.after vacation he hold again our passport.He said by law we hold your passport. Every 2 years he renewed our Limited visa,
Please tell me in Limited visa i can leave in one year, or should be complete 2 years..
Hi I’m May I’m working here in UAE as a Nanny for almost 5months. I just want to get my passport back from the agency cause they took it. Is it true that I have to pay for AED 9000 if I want to take it from them?
Hi May, the payment isn’t about getting the passport back, some employers require payment as fees for the Visa that they already spent for you. You can always get your passport any time, but probably this means cancellation of your visa which they might require the payment for Visa fees. If that’s not the case, as a nanny probably and depending on your probation period mentioned in your contract, you might probably not be allowed to travel before it finishes. But having your own passport isn’t a property of the sponsor but always yours and your country’s. Make sure why the sponsor wouldn’t give you, your passport. Maybe they feel you’ll travel and might not come back and before 1 year of work any employer would be intimidated that you might leave. Try to understand the reason so you don’t lose anything when you need to ask for your passport.
Me is still holding passport and i resigned,they also finished to process me cancellation but they said to release me passport i need to provide new visa and also change status so wat should do.
Hi Ken, If they processed the cancellation then you have all the right to get your passport back! Tell them you’ll go to police and file a case about it, and if they don’t react to that, then go and tell the police.
Hi i am working in a private company for almost 9 years, I just renewed my contract last May 2019, so i went for vaction and i decided not give back my passport to them and keep it with me. But my comapany refuse and asking me to give my passport back to them, otherwise they will hold my settlements and dues such as guarantee of servise (which they are deducting us 100aed in every salary) and they will not give my gratuity since i just finished 2 onother 2 years contract to them. And they are telling that, it is the comapany law, to keep the passport to them and i should follow. So i just want to know if the company have the right to get my passport it is because thats thier policy? Thank you!
My employer holding my passport. last time when i went India and back, i made delay to give back Passport, they impose 100 AED penalty over it. Moreover they making so much humiliation and getting so much insulting. its feeling like life becomes prison here.
Even if i having fast still they insist me to sit with them while lunch.
What should i do ?
I’m sorry to hear that. Find any other job and immediately upon that go and report the issue to police especially about your passport. Nothing should make you feel like it’s a prison. It’s work and you’re doing it to fill needs in your life like everyone else. If that’s the case then sure this job is only getting you more bad than good. Look for another job and report your held passport to police and you can raise a court case in the labor department about how the company is dealing with you as an employee in the other aspects.
Hi good day how about if the employer’s reason is because we are handling cash and said its a cash business can i still hold my passport then? They said there will be a consequences if i will not give my passport.
Hi Ariz! As a right by law, you still are the only one to possess your passport as well as your embassy. Some private sector companies use those methods as a guarantee, although it’s understood, there should be a different way of guarantee and it should be their problem to solve not yours. If they’re threatening with consequences, it might mean they’d let you go if you don’t agree to their terms, which is related to them if they even have a right to let you go or not, but technically by law, they can’t have that as a reason. Though some companies might make up other reasons to fire you if they want to, again that’s up to you and you need to reconsider if you really need to work for such a company or not. Bottom line, by law no private company has a right to hold your passport unless the period while issuing your visa and then they should give it back to you.
Hi. My passport is with my employer since the first day i work here in dubai and they dont want return it to me. Also they dont give my 5months salary. They will go back to there country for good and they want to tale mt but i dont want to go come with them. What should i do? Thank you
For the passport, you can go directly to the police and raise a case. As for the salary you can raise a court case on them in the labor department as it’s your right to get your salary on time. For your passport tell them you’re going to report that to police and if they don’t return it to you, just go and do that. Don’t tolerate such behaviors as their failure in the business or hidden games not to pay your salary is not your problem in the first place.
I was a consistent rentacar customer of a certain Rent-A-Car from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 in Abu Dhabi and before renting a car the Rent-A-Car company usually taking passport as a guarantee to return the car. But some set back happen to me and i was not able to pay for aed17000 car rental. During my 2017 Visa renewal i was able to borrow back the passport from the Rent-A-Car company and return it back after visa renewal, after two years I still not able to settle the remaining AED 11,700 and now i need my passport just to renew my visa and told the Rent-A-Car that i will bring it back to them after this 2019 visa renewal. But the Rent-A-Car company does not want to let me borrow my passport and obliged me to settle the remaining amount first before they can return the passport. Do i still have right to get my passport to the Rent-A-Car company even if still not fully paid? What shall i do to able to get my passport and able to renew my visa if the Rent-A-Car company refuses to cooperate to me, as my visa is already expired and my company needed my passport so they can renew my visa.? Please tell me what to do? Thanks
We believe you need to consult the police in this case, yet still holding the passport is illegal but you might need to settle it some other way with them.
My company terminated me but they didnt cancel my visa. And now my visa already expire still they re not giving me my passport, saying that i need to pay pending balances. Can i still get my ppt even without paying those balances theyre talking about
Yes you can. The balance will be a labor department issue. Your passport should be given back to you.
How about people that were in tourist/visit visas? Like me i dont want to continue my application to a company and rhey refused to give back my passport, its been almost 3 weeks of waiting, begging
and talking to them , and giving false promises, but they still refused to give it back. What can i do? The company owner is not even threatened fo the police. Even he knows thats its illegal.
Hi Miles, you should immediately report that to the police. It doesn’t matter if the company’s owner acts like he doesn’t care.. It’s your personal right by your government only and no one has the right to keep it. Report it to police and you’ll get your passport back. No need for begging or talking now, just go and report it and you’ll get it 🙂
Hi,
I am on my previous employer visa as they allowed me to stay on it but they took my passport. When I tell them to give back as I have to go to embassy, they are not giving it back and threatening to cancel the visa. I am still finding a job and on their visa. What should I do?
Hi, well canceling the Visa is with them. If you need your passport you can get it, but guaranteeing that they keep your visa especially that they allowed you to be on it as complimentary. You can’t guarantee that they won’t cancel it. Therefore, if you need your passport back you’d need to take the risk that they’d cancel the visa.
I have recently resigned from a Sharjah freezone company. The visa cancellation was rejected due to a recent police case in Abu Dhabi. So my employer informed me yesterday and I went to freezone with their PRO to collect my passport. After the employer received my passport, he did not release it to me due to his fear that might ran away. I calmly explained to him that i will need my passport to give as kafala to the Abu Dhabi police while waiting for court hearing. I need to settle this loan case inside the court and get clearance. Further I have a new job offer in whicb I will need the visa cancellation for a new one. Still this old employer did not budge, went again to the freezone administration and surrendered my passport.
My question: Is it still legal for the employer not to release my passport even after the rejection of the visa cancellation?
Hi I have a case happen today I want to withdraw may passport to not continue my work as driver in company but I am I still on 15 days in training and I did not sign anything to the company as a sponsor but they refuse to give my passport today they said I wait 1 week to release the passport .What should I do to get my passport of them.
Im from Bangladesh im driver I have my own visa im in Sharjah uae Shafana Technical service company holding the my passport how should I do to get my passport of them. and not have salary.
Hi, I have searched for this law throughout the UAE labor law and I am not able to find it, I need to know where is this specific law written or documented (a link or a document to the law would be really helpful).
I came in Dubai 28 March 2019 on employment visa entry permit and I was signed agreement in my country through agent and when I came here in Dubai company asked me to sign for less amount salary I refused to signed less amount agreement,I said to company that I don’t want to stay in your company and want back home but they hold my passport and not giving me back and also said me leave our accommodation without getting passport, so please tel me what can I do in this case
It has seen usually Indian companies holding the passport of his employees even implementing of this law or breach the UAE law. How could employees bring this matter to the Ministry, If he complaints to ministry what is his job securities?
They can call the number of the ministry of labor and they’ll instruct them to inform their employer to give them the passport back and if they refuse to, they need to call the number again and inform that the employer refused to hand over the passport back and so the ministry of labor will send a message to their phones first to inform them to do that and if it doesn’t work they’ll contact them and make them do it. Here’s the number to contact: 800665.
As for the job security, if the employer decided to fire the person after the incident, the employee can raise a court case on the employer for arbitrary firing according to the incident and that they have no reason to fire them.
I am working in abudhabi one finance company and my Visa from pact employment services they are holding all our employee passport with employment services. Yesterday my sister passed away I don’t have passport . I travel in the early morning from abudhabi to Dubai and they delayed my passport. I Missed my flight 11.30 indigo airlines now I am traveling through Emirates airlines. Kindly do the needful to release rest of the employees
How can i get may phone and may i month salary to my old employer bcause the agency is not helping me..
How about the hospital? I have helped a friend because if his unsettled bill in hospital I have placed my passport for him to get out and settle his dues in hospital but unfortunately he doesn’t have money yet but the hospital refuses to release my passport and my visa is about to expire. Is there anyway I can get back my passport?
Technically you can still get your passport back, but the hospital would need your friend to either settle the bill or put any guarantee for themselves. You can ask that from the police. The main point is, guaranteeing somebody to settle a bill or an unpaid check isn’t just as simple as you can go and guarantee. You should consider how serious it is for you as well and consider the case when they can’t settle any amount or even not work for that.
My boss is holding my passport for pass 6 months and as I required for it he told me is allow to handover my passport. I refired him to the labour constitution but yet still he is returning it.
What should I do first?
Thank you.
You can call the number of the ministry of labor and they’ll instruct your boss and inform them to give you back the passport and if they refuse to, you should call the number again and inform them that they refused to hand over the passport back and so the ministry of labor will send a message to your boss’s phone first to inform them to do that and if it doesn’t work they’ll contact them and make them do it. Here’s the number to contact: 800665. Your boss has no right to hold your passport whatsoever.
Is this law include s domestic helpers.. Housemaid?
Hi Rixz, Yes it does and it should. As a matter of fact, the domestic staff is not covered by UAE Labor Law, but UAE government officials have stated that no employer should retain ANY employee’s passport. To quote UAE Ministry of Interior, the words used: “As the passport is a personal document and as the law obliges its owner to keep and show when required by the governmental authorities, it is not allowed for any party to detain the passport except by the official parties”.
What about the employees, who are in a position with financial responsibilities or handling cash?
It still does not matter. Financial responsibilities or others. Bottom line is, passport belongs to the original holder and their country of origin only, and cannot be held as a guarantee by companies.