Top-Rated Debt Collection Agency in United Arab Emirates

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4.97/5 Average rating from 600+ reviews
WHY USE DEBITURA? 

The most effortless approach to recoup your outstanding debt in the United Arab Emirates.

Debitura is a debt recovery specialist in the United Arab Emirates with a team of experienced professionals offering a wide range of services, such as accounts receivables management, debt collection notices, pre-legal and legal debt collection, and enforcement court proceedings. Our expertise in the laws and regulations surrounding debt collection in the United Arab Emirates enables us to deliver efficient and effective solutions for businesses seeking to recover outstanding debts.

Receive unwavering assistance throughout the entire process.

Tailored collection approach.

We have over 500 experts available for international debt collection.

Our debt collection service boasts an impressive success rate of 87% while maintaining the lowest cost.

"Meet Our Legal Parters: Leading Debt Collection Attorneys in the United Arab Emirates"
Building 06 - Al Asayel St - Office 201 - Bay Square - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
RAALC Law Firm

Structuring your credits in the market requires strategic and tailored solutions. At RAALC, we take the time to assess the risk ratio and conduct thorough due diligence of your documents and debtors to ensure successful debt recovery.

Lawsuits
Legal collection
Debt enforcement
40
2013
Law firm
World Trade Center, Khalifa Bin Zayed the First Street - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Wirestork

Wirestork - Where Data Meets Law for Debt Collection and Travel Ban Verifications in the Middle East. Our team of legal experts use cutting-edge technology to provide actionable insights and solutions.

Lawsuits
Legal collection
Debt enforcement
50
2017
Debt collection agency
21st Floor Al Habtoor Tower
GHI

Specialising in cases in the Middle East

Lawsuits
Legal collection
Debt enforcement
12
2021
Law firm
Office No. 3504 Churchill Tower - Emirates National Towers, Al Abraj Street -Business bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Khairallah Advocates & Legal Consultants

Khairallah Advocates & Legal Consultants, a full service law firm based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi founded by Jouslin Khairallah. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources and have a right of audience to appear before all Courts in the UAE.

Lawsuits
Legal collection
Debt enforcement
15
2008
Law firm
Amman - Jordan | King Abdulla II St | 441 Al Khal Center P.O.BOX Amman / Jordan 11184 - 841105 Tele No. +962 6 5854 766
Qattan Law Firm

Mustafa Qattan chose to establish a law firm in 1976 that would focus on serving the local requirements of Jordanian and international businesses. Nadia Qattan joined him in 1991, Ala'a Qattan in 1994, Amer Baani Ahmad in 1999, Khaled Qarem in 2003, and Lana Qattan in 2005.

Lawsuits
Legal collection
Debt enforcement
8
1976
Law firm

The ultimate guide about debt collection in United Arab Emirates

Do you have a problem with someone who owes you money in United Arab Emirates? We can help you. We have helped other businesses get their money back from people who owe them. It can be very difficult to get your money back from someone in another country, but we know how to do it.

At Debitura, we care about people. We want to get your money back, but also keep a good relationship with the customer. Our efforts are always fair and firm- making sure your reputation is our number one priority! If you want to learn more about the process of collecting debt in United Arab Emirates, keep reading this guide. But if you would rather work with a law firm that specializes in this area, we can help you with that too.

New to debt collection?
The debt collection process can be complex and daunting for those new to it. Our team of experts is here to help you understand the process and navigate it with ease. Get free expert advice on your specific case, provided by our team of experienced professionals.

At Debitura, we provide a way to collect your debt in United Arab Emirates and other countries. You can start by uploading your claim today. Within 24 hours, we will assess your case and provide you with 3 free quotes from local debt collection lawyers in United Arab Emirates. We use a people-oriented approach with the latest tech-driven solutions to drive results and provide better contact management. This comprehensive method gets the results you need while preserving customer relationships. In addition, our network of debt collectors, attorneys, suppliers and vendors are cherished relationships that allows us to get the job done. We value each of these relationships, no matter how small or large.

We work with the following process: 
1

Upload claim

Begin the process of collecting your debt in the United Arab Emirates now, without any cost. Simply make a free profile and submit your case within 2 minutes.

2

Pre-legal

Our pre-legal recovery process will be used to collect your claim for the initial 3 months. This process is proven to be effective and we offer a no-cure-no-pay policy.

3

Legal

If your debt has not been paid during the pre-legal phase, we will offer you three quotes from our local debt collection lawyers.

4

24/7 updates

You get access to our online portal where you can track your case in real-time

Introduction to collecting debt in United Arab Emirates

Do you have trouble getting paid by people in United Arab Emirates? We can help you. When someone owes a debt, we call them the debtor. The person they owe the debt to is called the creditor. If the creditor collects the debt themselves, we call it first-party collection. If the creditor hires someone else to collect the debt, we call it third-party collections.

  • While large companies tend to pay their bills on time, smaller businesses may be a bigger risk for not paying. This is because when things go wrong, the owners of these businesses may try to disappear instead of facing prison time.
  • The legal framework is complicated and the courts tend to be not independent and reliable, while procedural delays and costs may make it too expensive.
  • The law doesn't help much when it comes to getting money back from someone who owes you money. There is supposed to be a way to negotiate with the person, but it hasn't been used very much yet. This means that usually the person who owes the money just gets to keep it, and the person who is owed the money has no chance of getting any of it back.

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)

Payment terms in the UAE have long been 30 days, but they are now more often 60 days. The average DSO for listed companies is 62 days and it differs a lot from one sector to another. Large oil & gas, construction or service entities usually have longer payment terms, but they will normally pay their debts. Smaller businesses (e.g. general trading) are more likely not to pay their debt, leaving their creditors without anything, since there is no law in the UAE that deals with this efficiently. Most companies in the UAE are actually ruled by foreigners. This means that if there are any problems, those foreigners are likely to disappear instead of taking responsibility. This is because sponsors (the people who support or finance the company) are usually not involved in the company's administration and therefore would not be held responsible for any debts.

Common payment types in United Arab Emirates

The most common payment methods are:

Bank transfers are a popular way to pay for things internationally. They are fast and secure. And there is a network of banks that support bank transfers. This makes it easy to do them. When you export something, that means you send it to another country to sell it there. An Export Credit Insurance policy helps make sure that the transaction goes smoothly and there aren't any problems. Allianz Trade has a worldwide network of risk offices that keep track of customers' financial well-being and grants them a specific credit limit up to which they can trade. This helps if something goes wrong.

An alternative to using a bank guarantee is to use a standby letter of credit. This is a type of guarantee that can be used if the debtor fails to meet their contractual obligations. Another option that is becoming more popular is to use an irrevocable and confirmed documentary letter of credit. This type of letter provides assurance that the debtor will make a certain amount of money available to the beneficiary once certain agreed-upon terms have been met.

If you need money right away, a local bank guarantee might not be the best option since it can take up to a week to process. Checks are often used as payment because they are reliable and can be enforced by the court if they are not paid. In addition, starting from January 2, 2022, the UAE amended its Commercial Transactions Law. This means that the bank is required to make partial payment up to the amount available in the drawer's account. If you write a check and it bounces, you will have to go to court. This process is accelerated if you file for an executive order, which may include seizing the assets of the person who wrote the check. A noteworthy trend is the usage of Post-Dated Checks, which are thus used as a guarantee for payment.

Bouncing checks is still a problem in this region, but the new law provides a quicker way to recover the value of a bounced check. Letters of Credit are still used by some businesses because they offer short-term financing. They are also appropriate for payments in instalments. Payment in advance and down payments are also common.

The main types of corporate structures are sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations

Who is responsible for business debts? It depends on the legal structures that are in place.

  • A sole proprietorship is a business that is owned and run by one person. The owner of the business has full responsibility for any debts or losses the business might have.
  • There are different types of partnerships. A General Partnership is when two or more people work together and they are both responsible if something bad happens. This means that if the partnership goes bankrupt, both partners will lose everything they own. A Limited Partnership is when there is one or more general partners who are responsible for the debts, and one or more limited partners who are only responsible for a part of the debts.
  • There are several types of companies in the UAE. Limited Liability Companies (LLC) are the most common corporate vehicle used by foreign companies doing business in the UAE. A company must have enough money to do what it needs to do and this amount of money must be decided by the partners. Before 2020, a UAE national or company had to own at least 51% of the shares of an LLC incorporated in the UAE. This has changed since 2020, and now foreign shareholders can own up to 100% shares unless there is a special exemption. This means that the shareholders’ contribution to the LLC is limited.
  • A Public Joint Stock Company is a company that has money from shares that people own. Partners only need to pay for their share of the company. The company needs enough money to do what it wants, but it cannot be less than approx. EUR 2,3M. A Private Joint Stock Company is a company that does not let just anyone buy shares, but it cannot be less than approx. EUR 500,000.
  • Foreign companies can also set up Branches in the UAE. This means that the company is not a separate legal entity and their liability is not limited to their assets. This means that people can ask for money from the parent company if they have a claim against the branch. Finally, Joint Ventures may be set up through a contract by two or more partners who are willing to share the profits or losses from one or more commercial enterprise. Third parties can only make claims against the partner with whom they conduct business.

The debt collection process in United Arab Emirates

The debt collection process in United Arab Emirates usually happens in more than one step.

The image below explains our process for collecting debt in the United Arab Emirates:

1 Upload your claim:

If you want someone to help you with your debt, you need to find a debt collection partner. You can upload your claim to their website. Debitura will give you 3 quotes from local partners in the Asia country that is related to your case. This service is free and there are no strings attached.

2 Amicable collection:

The collection process begins when we send reminders to the person who owes you money. We use email, SMS, and other ways to contact them. The goal is to get the debtor to pay or agree to a payment plan. Debitura offers a no-cure-no-pay solution for amicable collection, which means you only have to pay a small success fee if we recover your debt. Amicable collections with Debitura are, therefore 100% risk-free!

3 Evaluation:

If the person you lent money to has not paid you back after you talked to them, it is time to decide what to do next. We will look at how much money you are owed, the chance that they will pay you back, and other factors to help you decide what to do. There are three typical next steps:

A: Surveillance:

If you are trying to get back an amount of money that is less than 2.000-5000€, it is often not worth it to take legal action. In this case, we recommend "debt surveillance." This means that we will keep trying to talk to the person who owes you money and try to reach an agreement.

B: Legal collections:

It's a good idea to go through the legal system if you're trying to get a lot of money. The way you do it depends on what you're asking for and how much it's worth. Usually, it takes about a year and a half to finish everything.

C: Debt enforcement:

If the person you are owed money from has said that they owe you money or if there is a court order, you can go to the bailiff's court to get your money.

At Debitura, we can help you with all three steps in United Arab Emirates.

5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating
"Thanks to Debitura, our company was able to recover lost funds through their efficient and professional debt collection services in United Arab Emirates. We highly recommend their services to anyone in need of debt collection solutions."
Mohammed Ahmed - Accounts Payable Supervisor
5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating5-star user rating
“Thanks to Debitura, our long-overdue payments have finally been recovered through their efficient debt recovery services in United Arab Emirates. Highly recommend their services to anyone looking for prompt and reliable debt collection solutions!”
Sarah Al-Mansouri - Accounting Supervisor.
4.97/5
Average rating based on feedback from over 600 satisfied clients
87%
Average debt recovery rate, exceeding industry standards
100M+
Debt recovered for our clients in the past 18 months

Amicable collection in United Arab Emirates


At Debitura, we offer a risk-free process for Amicable collections. This means that there is no risk for you. Simply submit your claim, and we will get started within 24 hours.

We will try to contact your debtor through different ways, like email, text messages, letters, phone calls, and social media.

The goal is to:

A) Get the debtor to pay the entire amount.
B) Get the debtor to agree that they owe the money and start a plan to pay it back gradually.

If the person you are trying to get money from has said that they do not owe you money, you cannot try to resolve this peacefully. You must go directly to using legal methods to get your money back.

Late payment interest

Article 76 of the UAE Code of Commercial Practice says that if you owe someone money for a commercial loan, they can charge you interest. The amount of interest is decided by the contract. If there is no contract, the market rate will be used, but it cannot be more than 12%.

Get started with
amicable debt collection

Upload your claim and get started with our 100% no-cure-no-pay collection solution.

100% free
Get the best price
No-cure-no-pay
Fast collection process
High recovery rate
100%
Risk free
Upload claim!

Debt enforcement in United Arab Emirates

If you have written proof that the person you are owed money from has acknowledged your claim, or if there is a court order, you can go to the bailiff's court in United Arab Emirates to get your money.

A judgment is final when all appeal venues have been used up. If the debtor does not pay the judgment within 15 days, it is possible to get an attachment order from the Execution Court and, in some cases, imprisonment of the debtor. The execution procedure may take some time and be complicated depending on whether or not the debtor has assets. Arbitral awards may be difficult to enforce because there is no specific regulatory framework.

The way to do this and how much it will cost depends on your situation. You can tell us about your situation on Debitura, and we will give you 3 different options within 24 hours.

Get started with
debt enforcement

Upload your claim and get 3 FREE quotes from our local collection partners.

100% free
Get the best price
No-cure-no-pay
Fast collection process
High recovery rate
100%
Risk free
Upload claim!

Insolvency proceedings in United Arab Emirates

If your debtor does not have the ability to pay his debts, you can initiate a insolvency procedure. The goal of this procedure is to liquidate the debtor's assets and distribute them amongst the creditors following the debt priorities.

  • The Bankruptcy Law provides for two types of bankruptcy proceedings in the UAE: (i) Preventive Composition Proceeding, and (ii) Restructuring Scheme.
  • A debtor may apply to the court for a Preventive Composition Proceeding if they encounter financial hardship that requires assistance to reach a settlement with their creditors, and if they are not in default of their payment duties for more than 30 consecutive days.
  • The Financial Restructuring Committee is responsible to establish and regulate a registry for disqualified persons and directors against whom judgments have been issued imposing bankruptcy restrictions and orders.
  • If the debtor is adjudged bankrupt by the court, two second-stage scenarios arise depending on the financial status of company: (i) restructuring; or (ii) declaration of bankruptcy followed by liquidation. Both scenarios are administered by the court with supervision from a trustee(s).
  • Clawbacks may occur in instances where dividend payments were made from fictitious profits, loans were made my shareholders, or dispositions during 2 years prior to initiation procedures including but not limited to donations/gifts, prepayment of debt, or fresh guarantees over debtor’s assets are reversed if creditor had knowledge of negative situation.

United Arab Emirates country risk profile

We have looked at United Arab Emirates's critical financial data and extrapolated a risk assessment. You can use this analysis to evaluate your payment terms and control the risk when trading and doing business with customers in United Arab Emirates.

Low risk
5-10
Medium-low risk
11-15
Medium risk
16-20
Medium-high risk
21-23
High risk
24-26
Low risk
5-10
Medium-low risk
11-15
Medium risk
16-20
Medium-high risk
21-23
High risk
24-26
Low risk
5-10
Medium-low risk
11-15
Medium risk
16-20
Medium-high risk
21-23
High risk
24-26
Low risk
5-10
Medium-low risk
11-15
Medium risk
16-20
Medium-high risk
21-23
High risk
24-26
Low risk
5-10
Medium-low risk
11-15
Medium risk
16-20
Medium-high risk
21-23
High risk
24-26

Our analysis has shown that the risk of running a business in United Arab Emirates is low. Based on this low score, You can feel reasonably confident that you will be able to get paid when trading with customers in United Arab Emirates. Nonetheless, we always recommend doing a specific credit analysis on an individual customer basis before offering any credit. The low risk score is based on the following factors:

Economic Risk:
2
Economic Risk:
2
Economic Risk:
2
Economic Risk:
2
Economic Risk:
2
Economic Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Business Risk:
2
Political Risk:
3
Political Risk:
3
Political Risk:
3
Political Risk:
3
Political Risk:
3
Political Risk:
3
Commercial Risk:
2
Commercial Risk:
2
Commercial Risk:
2
Commercial Risk:
2
Financing Risk:
1
Financing Risk:
1
Financing Risk:
1
Financing Risk:
1

The economic risk in United Arab Emirates

Economic risk in United Arab Emirates is low (2 out of 6). An economic risk of 2 out of 6 is low in Asia.

GDP and economic growth are critical drivers for economic risk.
The GDP of United Arab Emirates is bn. USD (2021), growing by % per year.

In terms of the size of its economy, United Arab Emirates ranks #183 out of 183 countries and has a small economy.

You can see a more detailed picture of GDP and economic growth in United Arab Emirates in the table below:

Another big impact for the risk score is the inflation rate and the interest rates. You can see a more detailed picture of monetary KPIs in United Arab Emirates in the table below:

The business environment risk in United Arab Emirates

Our analysis shows that the business environment risk in United Arab Emirates is low (2 out of 6), which is a low risk score in Asia.

Economic freedom and rights has a big influence on the business environment risk in a country. Take a look at the important facts for United Arab Emirates in the table below:

As you can see in the table, the property rights index is 81 in United Arab Emirates, which is considered quite good in Asia.

The business freedom index is based on 10 indicators, using data from the World Bank’s Doing Business study. The Index is 80 in United Arab Emirates, a decent score for a country placed in Asia.

United Arab Emirates's overall economic freedom index is 77 out of 100 and is based on factors such as the rule of law, regulatory efficiency, and market openness.

The political risk in United Arab Emirates

The political risk in United Arab Emirates is medium, with a score of 3/6. This is a relatively low political risk score in Asia.

The governance and political stability indicators are critical drivers for political risk. An overview of United Arab Emirates can be seen in the data below:

Governance and political stability indicators Latest value
Rule of law index (-2.5 weak; 2.5 strong)0,83
Government effectiveness index (-2.5 weak; 2.5 strong)1,4
Control of corruption (-2.5 weak; 2.5 strong)1,18
Political stability index (-2.5 weak; 2.5 strong)0,65
Corruption Perceptions Index, 100 = no corruption69
Shadow economy, percent of GDP24,26%

The rule of law index analyses to which extent agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the quality of the courts, and the police's ability to enforce court orders.

When trading with businesses in a country, the rule of law index is critical as it describes your ability to enforce commercial contracts.

In United Arab Emirates, the rule of law index is at 0,83 points, with the score going from -2.5 (weak) to 2.5 (strong). United Arab Emirates has, therefore, a very high rule of law index, which means you have a very good chance of enforcing your contracts. If your individual customers have good creditworthiness, you should therefore feel relatively safe when providing credit.

Other drivers for the medium political risks are the strong control of corruption, the average political stability index, and the medium-large shadow economy that is 24,26% of United Arab Emirates's GDP.

The commercial risk in United Arab Emirates

In United Arab Emirates, the commercial risk score is 2/4, which in our model is a low score. This low commercial risk score is pretty average compared to the average in Asia.

The commercial risk is influenced by a country's international trade relationships. You can see some of the key facts for United Arab Emirates in the table below:

International trade and investment Latest value
Foreign exchange reserves, billion currency units131.12

United Arab Emirates has a total of foreign exchange reserves of 131.12 bn. USD.

The financing risk in United Arab Emirates

We have calculated the financing risk to be 1/4, which equals a very low risk. A very low financing risk score is low for countries in Asia.

The country's banking system, efficiency, and stability influence the financing risk. You can find the extra information for United Arab Emirates in the table below:

Banking system efficiency and stabilityLatest value
Index of legal rights for creditors and borrowers (0 = weak to 12 = strong)6
Credit information sharing index, 0 (low) - 8 (high)8

In United Arab Emirates, the credit information sharing index is 8 on a scale from 0 (low) to 8 (high). The result of this is accessibility and quality of credit information available in United Arab Emirates is high.

This makes it easy for you to understand the credit risk of your counterpart in United Arab Emirates. You should therefore be able to find a good local credit rating agency that can help you analyse the creditworthiness of your specific customers.

Your legal rights as a creditor (and as a borrower) are 6 out of 12 and, therefore, weak.

Debt Collection in United Arab Emirates: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How does debt collection work in United Arab Emirates?

Debt collection in the United Arab Emirates usually happens in multiple steps. It begins with amicable collection, where reminders are sent to the debtor through various channels. If this doesn't work, the next step is evaluation, where the amount owed and likelihood of payment are determined. Debt surveillance, legal collections, or debt enforcement may follow. Small businesses and procedural delays and costs may make the process expensive. There are various payment methods in the UAE, including bank transfers, standby letters of credit, and post-dated checks.

What is the debt collection process in United Arab Emirates?

The debt collection process in United Arab Emirates typically involves three steps: pre-legal collection, legal debt collection, and debt enforcement. Pre-legal collection involves reminders to the debtor to pay or agree to a payment plan. If unsuccessful, legal action is taken, which can take up to a year and a half to complete. Finally, debt enforcement is used to recover the debt. Debitura can help with all three steps in the process.

What legal options exist for debt collection in United Arab Emirates?

Legal options for debt collection in United Arab Emirates include sending a formal letter and initiating a civil lawsuit if the debt is disputed. Debt enforcement and insolvency proceedings are also available options. It is important to have a local lawyer handle any legal actions. The UAE has a legal system based on Civil Law and Sharīah Law with different types of courts, and the cost of hiring a lawyer may vary. In cases of insolvency, bankruptcy law provides for two types of proceedings and may involve clawbacks.

How much does debt collection cost in United Arab Emirates?

Debitura offers a no-cure-no-pay model for pre-legal debt collection in United Arab Emirates, with a success fee between 10-20%. Legal actions pricing varies based on your specific case and desired actions. Debitura can provide you with 3 quotes from the best debt collection lawyers in United Arab Emirates.

How long does debt collection take in United Arab Emirates?

The timeline for debt collection in United Arab Emirates depends on factors like the debtor's willingness to cooperate and the complexity of the case. If it can be resolved in the pre-legal phase, it normally takes around 3-6 months. However, if legal action is required, the process can generally take 12-18 months.