Guide · updated 31.07.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

Employer Filed a False Absconding Case Against You — How to Prove It's Not True

You were on the job, resigned properly, or already left the country the right way — and then find out an absconding case (also called an Unexpected Work Abandonment report) has been opened against you. The short answer: this kind of case can be cancelled — Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 lists specific grounds for cancellation, and an employer who files knowingly false reports faces a fine of their own. Often it's not a mistake but a calculated move: retaliation for a salary complaint, a stalling tactic to avoid paying end-of-service dues, or a way to keep leverage while holding your passport. This is a narrower, more specific situation than absconding in general — for the full rundown on what an absconding case is, its consequences, and how to check one, see our main UAE absconding guide. Here we focus on the false-case scenario: what evidence you need, where to file, what deadlines apply, and what the employer risks. A lawyer should confirm the exact fines and deadlines for your specific case — sources disagree on some of the numbers.

When it looks like retaliation, not a real disappearance

Typical scenarios where an absconding case clearly doesn't hold up:

• You recently filed a MOHRE complaint over unpaid salary or passport confiscation, and a "disappearance" case shows up shortly after — the timing lines up too neatly to be coincidence.
• You resigned properly — with notice, having served the required period, or by mutual agreement — and the employer still marked you as absent without notice.
• You were on approved leave, sick leave, or physically at work on the days the report lists as "absence."
• The 7 consecutive days of absence required by law before an absconding report can be filed hadn't actually accumulated when the employer submitted it.
• The employer never tried to reach you — no call, no message, no notice to your address — even though the procedure requires that attempt before filing.

Any of these is more than just unfair — it's formal grounds for cancellation if you can document it.

The legal basis for cancellation

Cancellation is governed by Ministerial Resolution No. 47 of 2022 ("Cancellation of Unexpected Work Abandonment Report"). Under Article 7, the ministry cancels a case, on request from either the worker or the employer, if at least one of the following is proven:

• 7 consecutive days of absence hadn't actually passed since the last working day or the end of approved leave;
• there's evidence the worker was present or on lawful leave during the period in question — even if the employer wasn't aware of it at the time of filing;
• the employer agrees to settle the dispute and either reinstate the worker or pay applicable compensation;
• the termination was by mutual agreement between the parties.

Separately, under the same resolution: an employer cannot file an absconding report against a worker who already has an open labour complaint or lawsuit with MOHRE or the courts. This is a particularly useful argument in retaliation cases — if the case appeared after your salary complaint, that's a direct procedural violation on the employer's part, and it's worth stating explicitly in your submission.

How to verify the case is actually open

Checking runs through two independent systems, and you need to check both separately:

1. MOHRE — via the app or mohre.gov.ae, logging in with UAE Pass or your passport number; you can also call the hotline 800 60.
2. GDRFA — via your emirate's immigration app or website, usually by passport number.

For a detailed walkthrough of how checking works in both systems and how a labour ban differs from an immigration one, see our main UAE absconding guide — we won't repeat it here.

Evidence to gather

The more specific and dated your evidence, the faster your case gets reviewed:

• Correspondence with the employer and HR — email, WhatsApp, SMS from the disputed period and before it, especially if you gave notice of leave or resignation.
• Timesheets, access logs, badge records — proof you entered the workplace on the days the report calls "absence."
• Bank statements and receipts — payments, rent, utility bills showing you were physically in the UAE during the period in question.
• GDRFA entry-exit report — if you never left the country, or if you left legally after resigning.
• Medical certificates — if the absence was due to sick leave.
• A copy of your resignation notice or mutual termination agreement — if you left properly, this is the key document against the whole case.
• Your earlier MOHRE complaint number — if the absconding case appeared after it, this proves motive and a procedural violation by the employer.
• Witnesses — colleagues willing to confirm in writing that they saw you at work.

Where to complain and how to file

1. Try a voluntary withdrawal first. The fastest route is for the employer to submit a withdrawal request through the MOHRE portal or a Tasheel centre themselves. If the relationship isn't fully broken, sometimes a letter warning of a counter-complaint is enough.
2. File directly with MOHRE if the employer won't cooperate — via the app, website, hotline 800 60, or the labour disputes centre at 04 665 9999, attaching your evidence and, if you have one, your earlier salary complaint number.
3. Check your GDRFA status in parallel — a MOHRE cancellation doesn't automatically update the immigration system, so that needs checking separately.
4. If unpaid salary or a withheld passport is also in play, that's a separate complaint track worth running alongside your absconding dispute — the process and channels are covered in how to file a MOHRE complaint.

Deadlines for disputing it

According to several sources, MOHRE reviews a cancellation request in roughly 14 working days, but cancellation isn't automatic — the ministry examines the evidence and issues a decision on the merits. If you disagree with the outcome, it can be appealed to the labour court — and here sources disagree: one cites a 15-working-day appeal window from notification, another 30 days. Confirm the exact deadline for your decision with a lawyer or directly with MOHRE rather than relying on a general figure from an article.

What the employer risks for a false report

Liability for a knowingly false report is split between two agencies, and sources don't always describe it the same way:

• GDRFA — a fine of around AED 5,000 for a false report; some sources cite a range up to AED 10,000 depending on the circumstances.
• 2024 labour law amendments — mention fines of up to AED 1,000,000 for serious violations, including knowingly false complaints and illegal employment, though the exact classification for a specific false-absconding case requires legal assessment.
• Beyond the fine, the worker can separately file a claim for damages — from delayed re-employment to reputational harm — as its own claim, not an automatic consequence of the case being cancelled.

The figures vary noticeably between sources, so in an actual dispute it's worth relying on what a lawyer says about your specific case rather than a specific number from this article.

If the employer is also withholding your salary

A false absconding case often comes paired with unpaid end-of-service dues or delayed salary — the employer is betting you'll be more focused on your visa status than on the money. These are two separate claims worth pursuing in parallel, not one after the other: the deadline for a salary complaint doesn't extend while the visa issue is being resolved. What counts as lawful termination and what compensation you're entitled to is covered in employee rights when terminated in the UAE; for unpaid salary specifically, see salary not paid in the UAE.

When you definitely need a lawyer

• The employer refuses to withdraw a knowingly false case, and filing with MOHRE yourself hasn't resolved it.
• The absconding report was filed as direct retaliation for your salary or passport complaint — citing the resolution's ban on filing absconding cases against workers with an open complaint is a strong move, and easier to make with a lawyer.
• You need to appeal a MOHRE decision in court and the appeal deadlines vary by source — a lawyer will confirm the current one and file it correctly.
• Your visa, deportation risk, and unpaid money are all on the line at once — it's easy to lose money by rushing to fix only the visa side.

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.