‘Can a UAE employer refuse to provide a payslip?’

Question: I am about to apply for a mortgage to buy a property and have been asked to provide copies of my payslips. My company doesn’t provide us with monthly payslips as we have fixed salaries and the amount is just deposited in our bank accounts.

When I asked for copy of my payslips, my boss said I can just show my bank statements.

Does a company have to provide actual payslips to an employee? The company is in the Dubai International Financial Centre. PW, Dubai

Answer: All employees in the UAE should be provided with a payslip, even if in soft copy only.

The DIFC Court states: “Employees (except for short-term employees) are entitled to receive written payslips for each pay period. Each payslip is to include the remuneration payable, any deductions and the purpose of any deduction.”

PW’s employer must provide the payslip as requested. If they fail to comply, PW can point out the legal requirements in the DIFC labour law.

A payslip does not necessarily have to be provided as a hard copy as most employers will send them by email. That can be printed or forwarded as a record. A bank may request a letter from an employer on the company letterhead, with the company stamp affixed, to back up the payslip copy.

Q: I moved to Qatar last year to take on a role as a company accountant for a retail business. Two weeks ago, the store manager asked me to work behind the till in the shop for two or three days each week.

This is not listed as part of my job and it is insulting to be asked to do this work when I am a qualified accountant. Do I have to do this? RA, Doha

A: Qatar has formal labour laws, which were updated in 2024. Employment is overseen by the Ministry of Labour.

All employees must have a formal contract of employment and, among other things, this should include an outline of the role.

Article 43 states: “The employer may not ask the worker to perform other than the work agreed upon, unless necessity so requires for the prevention of an accident or repair of what arises therefrom or in case of force majeure provided that the worker shall be paid the entitlement accruing therefrom.

“As an exception from the foregoing, the employer may ask the worker to perform work other than the work agreed upon if it is temporary or if the work does not basically differ from the original work and if the request to perform that work does not entail an insult on the worker provided that the wage of the worker shall not be reduced.”

In this case, the work does differ and is not what RA was employed to do. However, if this is to be a purely temporary arrangement, it is within the law and will be considered acceptable. For example, if the business is short-staffed and this is just for a few weeks, and other employees are also helping out as needed.

If this is not the case, RA should raise the topic with his manager and come to an agreement on how to proceed.

If RA is not happy with the outcome, he has the option to file a formal complaint through the Ministry of Administrative Development and Social Affairs (MADLSA) unified platform either online, through one of the self-service kiosks, or in person at a MADLSA office.

Q: My residence visa and identity card are valid until August, but I just realised that my passport expires this week.

I am travelling to visit my family in Ireland soon and can easily get a new passport when I am there. Is it possible for me to exit the UAE on a return ticket with the recently expired passport? DW, Dubai

A: A passport is an internationally recognised document that proves a person’s identity. A valid passport is required to travel both out of a country and into another one.

An expired passport is no longer a valid travel document, so it is not possible to exit the UAE with it.

There are few exceptional circumstances where this is possible and they are usually due to the loss of a passport where emergency travel documents are obtained. This is not the situation here.

DW will need to obtain a new passport before he is able to leave the UAE and can apply online. The website has details of the requirements and fees.

The current turnaround time, according to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, is 10 working days from receipt of all documents plus delivery time. Upon receipt, DW must travel with both passports.

The Irish embassy in the UAE does not issue passports.

Contact Keren Bobker at keren@holbornassets.com or at www.financialuae.com

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only