How to Recover Unpaid Alimony in Dubai | Legal Guide

An alimony order is only as good as its enforcement. A payer who stops after three months, who pays half, or who leaves the country can leave a custodial parent or former wife without support, and the right response depends on what document you hold, how much is owed, and what the payer owns. This article follows the route for how to recover unpaid alimony in Dubai, in the order you will meet it.

Legal Basis: Articles 8, 98, 99, 100, and 111

Article 98 of Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 on Personal Status provides that continuous alimony due from the date of filing the case to claim it, for the wife, children, and parents, is a privileged debt that takes precedence over all other debts, unlike past alimony, which is subject to the ruling of the other debts. Article 100 allows the court to order temporary alimony during the hearing at the wife’s request, for her and her children, and provides that its decision is subject to immediate enforcement by force of law. Article 8(2) provides that a reconciliation reached before the Family Guidance Department, recorded in a report approved by the supervising judge, has the force of execution writs.

Article 99(3) provides that a claim for the wife’s maintenance is not heard for a period exceeding two years before the date of filing the claim, and Article 111(1) provides that a claim for a child’s maintenance from the father is not heard for a period exceeding one year before the judicial claim. Article 3(2) of the issuing Decree-Law allows the Cabinet to assign the implementation and collection of alimony rulings to a government authority or private legal person, which would pay judgment creditors and then collect from debtors.

Step 1: Calculate Exactly What Is Owed

• List each installment due, its date, and what was paid.
• Separate continuing alimony from past alimony, since Article 98 treats them differently.
• Keep bank statements and receipts showing every payment received.
• Add any other sums the order awards, such as the custodian’s housing costs or school fees, with their basis.

A precise schedule makes the demand and the execution request easier to act on and protects you if the payer disputes the figure.

Step 2: Send a Written Demand

Write to the payer stating the order, the arrears, and a date for payment. Keep proof of delivery. A demand does not replace execution, but it shows the court that the payer was told and sometimes produces payment without further steps. Do not threaten consequences you cannot deliver, and keep communication factual.

Step 3: Open an Execution File

Execution proceeds before the court’s execution judge on the enforceable document. The debtor is notified and generally has seven days to pay before compulsory measures follow. Measures that the execution judge can order, depending on the facts and the statutory conditions, include attachment of bank accounts, attachment of the payer’s salary within the limits the law sets, attachment of vehicles and other assets, and a travel ban where its conditions are met. Ask your lawyer which measures suit the payer’s situation, and keep the file active.

What If the Arrears Are Old?

If you have a judgment, past instalments under it are enforceable as arrears, though their ranking against the payer’s other debts differs from continuing alimony. If you never obtained an order for the period, Articles 99(3) and 111(1) limit what you can claim: two years before filing for the wife’s maintenance and one year for a child’s. File promptly to stop that period growing.

If the Payer Is Self-Employed or Has Moved Abroad

• Identify assets: accounts, vehicles, property, shares, and receivables owed to the payer.
• Ask the court to attach amounts third parties owe the payer, such as customers or tenants.
• Where the payer has left the UAE, enforcement depends on recognition and enforcement of the UAE judgment where he is, which requires advice from counsel there.
• Raise any travel ban before the payer leaves, since it is far harder afterwards.

A Collection Entity Under Article 3(2)

Article 3(2) of the issuing Decree-Law allows the Cabinet to assign payment and collection of alimony rulings to an authority or private legal person, which would pay the judgment creditor and then recover from the debtor, with the status of a judgment creditor. Whether and how a scheme operates depends on the controls and procedures issued. Check with the court or your lawyer whether one applies to your order.

Non-Muslim Couples

Alimony under the Civil Personal Status Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022, is decided under Article 9, and an order made under it is enforced through the same execution process. Confirm which framework your order was made under.

How Faris Raian Can Assist

Faris Raian can review the alimony order or settlement, calculate the enforceable arrears, and advise on the appropriate execution steps in Dubai. Depending on the debtor’s position, this may include pursuing salary, bank accounts, or other assets and assessing whether additional enforcement measures are legally available.

Frequently Asked Questions