Question: You recently wrote about credit scores in the UK, but I have a question about credit scores and records in the UAE. I think a system to keep details was set up a few years ago but is it used and does it make any real difference?
I was late making a few payments on a loan four years ago during Covid but am hoping to take out a mortgage before long. GN, Ras Al Khaimah
Answer: The Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB) was set up in 2012 and started providing credit reports in November 2014.
It holds information from banks, credit card and financial companies, lending houses, telecom and utility companies, the UAE courts and more.
It is now used by banks and other lenders to assess applications for credit, that is for mortgages, loans and credit cards, alongside other information such as a salary. As well as payments missed or made late, it records any bounced cheques and has information on credit card usage.
Each person has a credit score, a three-digit number, that is a prediction of how likely they are to meet their credit commitments on time.
The number ranges from 300 to 900. The higher the score, the lower the risk rating. You want a high score to obtain credit and at the best rates of interest. A score of 700 is considered good and 300 to 540 is poor.
Everyone can check their own credit score by requesting a credit report at a cost of Dh84 for an individual. It can be obtained through the website or by downloading the AECB app.
The records are held for a period of three years so it may be that the late payments from 2021 may not be relevant, but it would be sensible to check your personal report.
It should be noted that if there are any errors, there is a system in place for reporting and correcting them.
Q: I have a golden visa as my husband and I own a property in Dubai. I haven’t worked for a while, since before the visa change. I think I can work with this visa but is it possible to work for two companies? I have an option to do two days’ work each week for two different companies, but I don’t know if I can or how. PH, Dubai
A: A person must have a residence visa to undertake any employment in the UAE. PH has a golden visa, so that means an employer does not need to arrange one for her. The other requirement is to have a work permit, also known as a labour card. All employers must provide this for every single employee, whether they are sponsored or not.
PH can work part-time for two employers, or even more, but each one must provide her with a work permit for the relevant work and a contract of employment that will be registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, or the relevant free zone.
Both an employer and the employee are protected in law by doing this properly. Failure to obtain and provide the right work permit can lead to substantial fines for both parties.
Q: I have been offered a job in Abu Dhabi and it has a probation period of three months. The offer letter says the company can extend that for another three months.
I heard from a friend that the rule changed when the labour law changed, so is it legal for the company to keep me on probation for six months or longer? I want to bring my family with me but this is very uncertain and it worries me. RM, Canada
A: Federal Decree-Law Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationship, Law No 33 of 2021 came into force in February 2022. It contained a number of changes but the laws regarding probationary periods were unchanged.
Article (9) of the law refers to probationary periods: “The employer may appoint the worker under a probationary period not exceeding six months from the date of commencement of work.”
A company is permitted to have a probationary period of three months and then to extend that to six months but no longer than that.
The law goes to clarify: “It is not permissible to appoint a worker under probationary period more than once at one employer, and if the worker successfully passes the probationary period and continues to work, the contract shall become valid according to the agreed terms.”
Having a probationary period is standard practice across all areas of business and I would hope that companies have a robust recruitment system in place to minimise disruption for all parties.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
Contact Keren at keren@holbornassets.com or at www.financialuae.com
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Honeymoonish
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
GAC GS8 Specs
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Price: From Dh149,900
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
