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Police complaint needed in case of lost passport

I lost my passport while on the Dubai Metro and have not found it. I informed the police of the loss immediately, but no one has come forward to return the document. Now, I’m without a valid document. What do I do?

It is understood that further to the loss of your original passport within the UAE, you have not been able to recover the same as yet.

Pursuant to your questions, it is advised that before you consider applying for a new passport to the Consulate General of India, you should first make a police complaint and obtain a letter from the police addressed to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner’s Affairs which will state that you have lost your passport. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs should provide you a printout of your visa status. Once you have secured this letter, you may contact the Consulate General of India in Dubai and apply for a new passport. Upon issuance of a new passport you should return back to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs for them to stamp a visa on your passport.

Residence visa renewal

My brother was living in Sharjah since 2000. Last year he failed to renew his residence visa and overstayed for a year, and was in police custody in Dubai. He told me he paid Dh8,000 as penalty. He has since returned to Afghanistan. Can he return to the UAE? Will he be blacklisted?

It is understood that your brother had been detained by the police in Dubai for overstaying his visa period for about a year and that he had subsequently paid a fine of Dh8000 as penalty for overstaying and then he returned to Afghanistan.

Further to your questions, it is assumed that your brother (i) was not detained for or in connection with any other offence in the UAE other than for overstaying his visa period and (ii) does not have any restriction imposed on him to return to the UAE by the authorities at or after his departure from the UAE. Pursuant to this, we are of the view that your brother may return to the UAE subject to obtaining an appropriate visa from the authorities.

However, in this regard, you may also enquire about your brother’s current immigration status in the UAE at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs or the immigration departments in any of the emirates in the country to ascertain if he is prohibited to return.

Ashish Mehta, LLB, F.I.C.A., M.C.I.T., M.C.I.Arb., is the founder 
and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is qualified to practise law in Dubai, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India. He manages a multi-jurisdictional law firm practice, providing analysis and counselling on complex legal documents, and policies including but not limited to corporate matters, commercial transactions, banking and finance, property and construction, real estates acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, arbitration and mediation, family matters, general crime and litigation issues. Visit www.amalawyers.com for further information. Readers may e-mail their questions to: news@khaleejtimes.com or send them to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.