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I have been working for a company for the last 5 months. Can I quit this job and go to my home country? As I want to leave Dubai and go to my country. I have heard that, I have to pay visa fees or 1.5 month salary to company, is it true?

Scott Earle
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Ravi Desai
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  • @GaLa Thanks for edit. I am not pro in English :) – Ravi Desai Jun 17 '14 at 13:20
  • No problem, I think your question is fine, hopefully someone can help. – Gala Jun 17 '14 at 13:21
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    AFAIK, Saudi Arabia and Quatar have exit visas, but the UAE do not so if you have a passport, you could probably just leave the country. But you might get problems if you want to come back to Dubai in the future. Not an authoritative source by any means but this forum might be useful. – Gala Jun 17 '14 at 13:24
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    What does your employment contract have to say on the matter? – Gagravarr Jun 17 '14 at 14:21
  • @GaLa My passport is with my company. And i don't want to run away without inform to company. I want to leave as legal. – Ravi Desai Jun 18 '14 at 07:31
  • @Gagravarr In my Labor contract there mentioned Unlimited contract of terms. – Ravi Desai Jun 18 '14 at 07:32
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    Obviously, you have every right to quit your job at the agreed notice. An unlimited contract means there is no fixed end date, not that you have to stay for the rest of your life. Look at the notice period in your contract. If none specified, the default according to UAE law is apparently 30 days. Demand your passport back. Consult with a lawyer if the company is giving you a hard time leaving. In the future, never hand over your passport. Don't accept a job with a company that requires you to do so. – Freek Wiekmeijer Jun 19 '14 at 11:54
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    Thank you guys for your post here to help me. After your guide i submit my resignation to company and they have not ask me for any money or etc. I will leave Dubai on 30 Aug 2014. Let see maybe they can ask when i am leaving. Thanks again. – Ravi Desai Jul 17 '14 at 07:21
  • @RaviDesai can you tell if you had to pay any amount to employer ? – Ehsan Sajjad Mar 14 '19 at 06:11
  • @EhsanSajjad No, I didn't pay. I think the employer should not ask employees to pay the fees. – Ravi Desai Mar 16 '19 at 09:57

1 Answers1

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Your passport is with your company? Is that even legal? I'm not sure it is.

I would recommend that you contact the consulate of your country of citizenship in Dubai. They will speak your language, they will understand your situation, and they should be able to help.

Greg Hewgill
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    It's quite common in this part of the world, I think. Exit visas (where they exist) even make sure that getting a new passport from the consulate is not enough to circumvent the system. In any case, this sounds more like a comment than a real answer and wouldn't address the OP's issue as he wants to leave in good terms with his employer and the local government. – Gala Jun 18 '14 at 21:27
  • @Greg In Dubai almost all company kept passport of employee as i have heard. Thanks for your help. – Ravi Desai Jun 21 '14 at 11:35
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    Interesting. My passport says it "cannot be given, or accepted as a security, pledge, or deposit". I guess things are different in your part of the world. Hope you find a solution. – Greg Hewgill Jun 21 '14 at 22:44
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    @Greg, this is very common for immigrants from less developed countries. It is usually illegal and intended as a form of leverage to screw over workers who may not know they have a choice. It is not common for folks from developed countries (though I have heard of it happening to English teachers in South Korea) – jmac Jun 22 '14 at 21:34