An employer in the UAE shouldn’t keep your passport against your wishes. Handing it over briefly for residence-permit processing is different, but once that’s done you’re entitled to have it back. If it isn’t returned, you can report it to MOHRE, and in some situations to the police or your embassy.
Your safety comes first, so don’t confront your employer if doing so could put you at risk. Start by identifying the correct authority, keeping evidence, and clearly explaining that you need your original passport returned.
Is an Employer Holding Your Passport Breaking UAE Law?
The Rule on Keeping Workers’ Documents
The UAE Government’s worker-rights guidance states that passport confiscation is prohibited. It also says workers don’t need their employer’s permission to leave the country.
If you’re asking about passport law in UAE, the answer depends on which employment rules cover you. For employees covered by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 13(2) requires employers not to withhold workers’ official documents under UAE labor law.
A company policy doesn’t override this obligation. If HR says your passport is kept for “security” or “passport safekeeping,” explain that you want it returned. If you previously agreed to storage, record your request to take it back.
Temporary Residence-Permit Processing Is Different
MOHRE guidance recognises that an employer may obtain identification documents for the time needed to complete residence-permit processing. The documents should be returned once the permit is issued.
Ask which application requires your original passport, who has it, and when it will be returned. Request the application reference number.
Don’t accept “visa processing” as an open-ended explanation. Residence permits are often issued electronically, so confirm the actual document requirement rather than assuming every application needs prolonged passport custody.
Before You Report: Protect Yourself and Keep Evidence
Avoid a Confrontation That Could Put You at Risk
If your employer has threatened you, restricted your movement, or made you fear violence, seek help before requesting your passport directly. If you’re concerned the situation may involve illegal passport holding, get advice before taking action. For an immediate police emergency in the UAE, call 999.
Don’t force open a drawer, enter a restricted office, or try to take the passport through a physical confrontation.
Use a personal phone or email where possible. Keep important records somewhere your employer can’t access. If you depend on employer-provided accommodation, tell the authority about that concern when seeking advice.
Build a Simple Record of What Happened
Save your passport copy, Emirates ID details, employment contract, work-permit information, and the employer’s legal name and address.
Keep a record of passport retention by noting when you handed over the passport, who received it, and when you asked for it back. Preserve WhatsApp messages, emails, handover receipts, and any demand for money.
If it’s safe, send a factual written request asking for your original passport and a collection date. Avoid insults or accusations.
Don’t publish private documents online or secretly record conversations without checking UAE privacy rules.
How to Report an Employer Holding Your Passport to MOHRE
MOHRE is the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Its private-sector complaint service applies when your employment falls within its jurisdiction.
Use the official labour complaint service to file a MOHRE complaint, rather than relying on an agent’s reporting link.
- Confirm the correct route. Check the authority shown on your work permit and contract. If you’re unsure, ask the labor authorities which jurisdiction and reporting route apply.
- Prepare your identifying details. Have your passport number, Emirates ID information, contact details, employer name, and employment records ready.
- Explain the passport issue clearly. When contacting MOHRE, explain the issue and ask how passport law in UAE applies to your situation. State who holds the original, when it was taken, and whether your requests were refused or ignored.
- Submit through the advised channel. Follow the current website or MOHRE app instructions, and provide evidence when requested.
- Save the complaint reference. Keep screenshots, submission confirmations, and any instructions or deadlines you receive.
You can call the Labour Claims and Advisory Center on 80084. MOHRE’s general call centre is 600590000. Check MOHRE’s official contact details for current availability, procedures, and assistance.
If a form doesn’t offer a passport-specific category, ask which option applies. Don’t select an unrelated issue simply to complete the form.
If you don’t have a passport copy or can’t access your employment file, explain this when calling. Ask what alternative identification is accepted.
Tell the adviser about urgent travel, threats, accommodation risks, or a demand to pay for the passport’s return.
When to Contact the Police or Your Embassy
Police Can Assess the Passport Issue
You can approach the police in the emirate where the passport is being withheld, particularly when threats, confinement, or demands for money are involved.
Explain the facts, including that your employer is keeping your passport, and ask how the passport law in UAE applies to your situation. In Dubai, use Dubai Police’s official channels for current services and directions. If needed, verify the appropriate official police reporting channel through the Ministry of Interior.
Bring copies of your identification and supporting messages, if available. Tell officers if a MOHRE complaint is already open and provide its reference.
A report doesn’t guarantee a particular police case classification or outcome. Officers may assess the matter or direct you to another procedure.
Your Embassy Can Provide Consular Guidance
Contact your home country’s embassy or consulate using its verified official contact details.
Explain that your employer has the original passport and won’t return it. Ask about consular assistance and what documents are needed if urgent travel is involved.
An embassy can’t guarantee recovery or decide a UAE employment dispute. Don’t report the passport as lost if you know who holds it.
Check the Route for Free-Zone and Domestic Workers
As an expatriate worker, your workplace address alone doesn’t identify the correct complaint authority. Check the employer’s licence, work permit, and authority named in your employment contract.
For many free-zone employees, the relevant free-zone authority is a starting point for reporting a labor dispute. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) have separate employment frameworks and dispute routes.
Domestic workers have a separate legal and service framework. Contact MOHRE to confirm its domestic-worker complaint process rather than using the ordinary private-sector form.
Government employees should check the applicable government employment and grievance procedures.
These differences concern where and how you report. They don’t mean a free-zone employer or a particular profession has a general right to confiscate passports. Verify the current route with the responsible authority before filing.
What Happens After You Submit a Complaint?
MOHRE may contact you and your employer, request more information, and try to resolve the dispute. Depending on the case, it may issue a decision or refer the matter to the competent court.
MOHRE’s general individual complaint process follows a 14-day framework for attempting resolution. This doesn’t guarantee your passport will be returned within 14 days. For more information about employee rights and labour complaints, see MOHRE’s employee-rights guidance.
Keep your phone active and check messages regularly. Missing a request for information can delay your case.
If you receive a referral or decision, check the next step and deadline immediately. A referral doesn’t necessarily mean a court case has already been registered.
Once your passport is returned, check that it’s yours and hasn’t been damaged. Keep a record of its collection and ask the authority whether any further action is required.
Retaliation, Job Changes, and Visa Status
Report New Threats or Employment Problems
If your employer threatens dismissal, withholds salary, or pressures you to withdraw the complaint, preserve the messages and update the authority.
Ask for advice before resigning, stopping work, or signing a settlement. Never sign a statement saying you received your passport or salary when you haven’t.
For unpaid wages, the MOHRE salary complaint guide explains the records to prepare. Keep passport recovery and financial claims clearly identified, even when they involve the same employer.
Passport Recovery Doesn’t Authorise a Job Transfer
A complaint doesn’t automatically cancel your work permit, extend your residence permission, or allow you to start another job.
If you plan to leave, confirm notice obligations, permit cancellation, and the new employer’s approval requirements. The guide to UAE job changes and NOCs covers these separate questions.
For immigration concerns, Dubai-issued residence files generally involve GDRFA Dubai, while other emirates generally use ICP services. Verify your actual file and any deadline with the responsible authority.
Before Handing Over Your Passport Again
Check the employer and legitimate job offer letter before sharing sensitive documents. You shouldn’t leave your original passport with a recruiter at an interview.
Review the UAE offer letter and contract differences, including any document-storage wording. A company policy or document-storage wording doesn’t by itself give an employer the right to keep your original passport. Ask for unclear terms to be corrected before signing.
When an original is genuinely required for residence-permit processing, request a dated receipt naming the recipient, purpose, and expected return date.
A handover receipt records who received your passport. It doesn’t give an employer an ongoing right to keep it.
Retain a clear copy and the application reference. Never share UAE Pass passwords, PINs, or verification codes with an employer or agent.
Keep copies of these records in a personal account, not only on a company device.
If the dispute ends with you leaving the job, check what your final settlement should include with our gratuity calculator.
Can an employer in the UAE keep your passport?
What Fine Can an Employer Face for Keeping a Passport?
If you’re asking, “What fine for holding passport can an employer face?”, don’t assume a fixed fine or prison term applies to every case. The official complaint guidance cited here doesn’t establish one fixed passport-specific penalty for every case.
Ask MOHRE or a UAE lawyer how the passport law in UAE applies to your facts. Filing a complaint doesn’t automatically establish an offence or penalty.
Can an Employer Keep My Passport Until Visa Cancellation?
Don’t treat visa cancellation as a general exception allowing continued passport retention. Ask which official step requires the original and verify that requirement with the responsible authority.
If your employer refuses to return it or attaches payment conditions, explain those facts when reporting.
What If the Employer Claims There Is a Court Order?
Ask for the order’s details and a copy, if safe. Verify the claim with the issuing authority or a qualified UAE lawyer.
An employer’s statement isn’t proof that an order exists. Don’t ignore an actual court or prosecution instruction, and don’t assume ordinary passport recovery procedures override it.
