I have a Dubai employment visa. Can I also have a Kuwaiti employment visa? Is it permitted to have employment visas of two countries on the same passport at the same time? Should I cancel my UAE visa to take up a job in Kuwait?

Federal law No. 6 for the year 1973 has not excluded holders of other countries’ residency visas from entering the UAE. The laws in the UAE are enacted with the knowledge that many of its residents may need to reside in more than one country. Hence, there is no conflict of interest in having more than one residency visa on a person’s passport.
Annual leave cannot be denied for two years

I have been working in a company in the food industry for four years. I am eligible for my annual leave now. Last week, I applied for the leave, but my application was rejected by the office, saying that there are not enough staff at the moment. I would like to know if my company has the right to deny my annual leave.

According to Article 78 of the federal labour law, if the work requires your stay in the country and prevents you from taking your leave, and if your leave is not carried forward to the next year, the employer has to pay you remuneration plus a leave allowance for the days you worked at a rate equal to your basic wages. Furthermore, this exception is not allowed more than once in two successive years.
Carry both passports if visa is on expired one

I am a UAE resident under my wife’s sponsorship. I want to know whether changing my passport before its expiry date due to employment opportunities abroad will affect my UAE residence visa or not.

You have to renew your passport in case its validity period is going to expire. If your passport has already expired and your residency visa was stamped on it, you have to carry the expired passport along with the new one or stamp a new visa on the new passport.
Driving without licence punishable

What are the legal consequences if someone is driving a car perfectly but the police find out that he does not have a driving licence? What will happen if the same driver is underage, less than 18 years old?

According to Article 51 of the traffic law, anyone who drives a vehicle without a valid licence shall be sentenced to jail for a period not exceeding three months and a fine not exceeding Dh6,000, or any one of these punishments. On the other hand, if the driver is less than 18 years, the judge may consider his age and reduce the punishment.
Cheque is proof of money lent

I lent Dh200,000 to one of my friends in November 2008 and got an undated cheque against it from him. After promising me that he would repay the amount for the past two years, he has now refused to do so. Can I initiate a criminal case against him?

To initiate a criminal case against the debtor, you have to produce a bounced cheque to the police. Hence, you have to deposit this cheque to your account and if it returns bounced, then you are entitled to report this to the police. Alternatively, you can proceed with a civil suit directly based on the cheque as it is a proof of debt.

Nasser Ahmed Al Osaiba is an Emirati partner and lawyer at Global Advocates and Legal Consultants, and a legal member in the Rent Dispute Committee, Umm Al Quwain, with a master’s degree in commercial law, Melbourne University, Australia. Readers may email their questions to news@khaleejtimes.com or mail to: Legal View, Khaleej Times, P.O. Box 11243, Dubai