Banking, debt & insolvency

Personal bankruptcy in the UAE

For individuals and traders whose debts have grown beyond what they can pay: a lawful way to settle, reorganise and start again.

In short

The UAE has a personal insolvency law for individuals, including non-traders, who cannot pay their debts. It allows a court-supervised settlement or repayment plan, and liquidation of assets where a plan is not possible.

We help you decide whether the process suits your situation, prepare the application and supporting financial information, deal with creditors and petitions, and explain what discharge means for you afterwards.

What we handle

How we can help

Personal bankruptcy filings and defence

We prepare applications for individuals and traders, and respond when a creditor petitions against you.

Debt settlement and repayment plans

Where your income can support it, a court-approved plan can spread repayments over time and stop creditors acting individually while it runs.

III

Challenging bankruptcy petitions

If a creditor files a petition that is wrong in amount or basis, we prepare the response and the evidence to challenge it.

Consequences and discharge

We explain plainly how the process affects your assets, your income, travel and future credit, and what discharge does and does not wipe out.

How it works

From first call to resolution

List every debt
Loans, cards, guarantees, rent and personal debts, with the amounts and any cases or bans attached.
Compare the options
A negotiated settlement may still be better. We compare it honestly with a formal process.
Prepare the application
Income, expenses, assets and creditors, set out in the form the court expects.
Follow the plan
We deal with creditors and the court through the process, and with the steps to discharge at the end.

When a formal process makes sense

Personal insolvency is a serious step and it is not right for everyone. If you have one or two debts and some ability to pay, a negotiated bank settlement is usually faster and simpler. A formal process tends to make sense where there are many creditors, the total is clearly beyond your means, and cases or travel bans are multiplying faster than you can settle them.

What the process can do

A court-supervised process brings all creditors into one place, which can stop individual enforcement while a plan is considered. It can lead to a repayment plan based on what you can genuinely afford, or to an orderly sale of assets where that is the only route. Each case turns on its facts, and some obligations are treated differently from ordinary debts, so we explain which of your debts the process will and will not affect.

FAQ

Bankruptcy: your questions

Yes. The UAE has a personal insolvency law that applies to individuals who are not traders, as well as rules for traders. Eligibility and the best route depend on your debts and income.

Not automatically. The process can affect how creditors enforce, but bans are lifted through the court that imposed them. We look at every ban as part of the plan.

Often, when there are few creditors and you can pay something. A formal process suits larger, multiple debts. We compare both for your situation.

Fees are quoted after the first consultation, once we understand the number of creditors and the stage of any cases, and agreed in writing before we start.

Your team