Passport Retention by Gulf Employers: Your Rights in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar (2026)

No Gulf country permits an employer to keep your passport against your will. UAE law explicitly prohibits employers from retaining workers' passports, Saudi regulations forbid the practice, and Qatar's Law No. 21 of 2015 makes passport confiscation punishable by fines and imprisonment. Your passport is your personal document, and you have the right to hold it. If an employer refuses to return it, you can file a complaint with the labour authorities or the police.

Some employers, particularly smaller companies and household employers, still ask workers to hand over their passports 'for safekeeping' or as a guarantee the worker will complete the contract. In practice this is about control: a worker without a passport cannot easily travel, change jobs or prove identity, which makes it harder to leave an abusive situation. The request often comes framed as routine company policy or a visa-processing formality.

Knowing the law matters because the request is presented as normal. When you know that retention is prohibited, the request loses its power: you can refuse politely, cite the law, and keep your documents without escalating into a confrontation. Many large, compliant employers in the Gulf already return passports after copying them for visa processing, which is how the process is meant to work.

UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and related Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation rules prohibit employers from retaining a worker's passport. The passport is the property of the issuing government and the holder; an employer may take a copy for administrative and visa purposes but must return the original. Workers who are asked to surrender their passports can file a complaint with MOHRE, which operates a multilingual helpline and an online complaint system.

If your employer refuses to return your passport, you can also approach the police, because holding another person's identity document without consent is a criminal matter. Keep evidence: a written request for the return of your passport, and the employer's refusal in writing or witnessed, makes the complaint straightforward.

Saudi labour regulations prohibit employers from retaining workers' passports or iqamas. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) treats passport retention as a violation, and workers can report it through the ministry's complaint channels. The iqama (residence permit) card itself is sufficient for most day-to-day identification needs in the Kingdom, so there is no administrative reason for an employer to hold the original passport beyond the visa stamping process.

Saudi reforms in recent years have also expanded worker mobility, making it easier for workers to change employers or exit the country without employer consent in many cases. These reforms reduce the leverage that passport retention used to give bad employers. If your passport is being held, you can raise the matter with MHRSD or approach your country's embassy, which can issue guidance and, where needed, emergency travel documentation.

Qatar has some of the clearest penalties in the region. Law No. 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates prohibits the confiscation of passports, and violations are punishable by fines and imprisonment. Employers who hold passports can be prosecuted. Qatar also runs labour dispute committees and a Workers' Support and Insurance Fund that pays unpaid wages when employers default.

If an employer in Qatar refuses to return your passport, you can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour or report to the police. Qatar's National Human Rights Committee also accepts complaints. Because the penalties are criminal, most employers in Qatar comply once a formal complaint is filed; the law is designed to make retention more costly for the employer than for the worker.

Keep the original passport, Emirates ID or iqama copies, and your signed employment contract in your own possession, ideally in a secure personal locker or with a trusted person. Photograph or scan every document and store copies in cloud storage and with family back home, so you are never dependent on a single physical copy. When an employer needs your passport for visa processing, hand it over against a signed receipt stating the reason and the expected return date, and follow up in writing if it is not returned.

Never hand over your passport as a deposit for a loan, a phone, or accommodation. If a company policy document asks you to surrender your passport, ask for the clause in writing and keep a copy; a written retention policy is itself evidence of a violation if you need to complain later. Workers who keep their documents rarely face the worst outcomes, because document control is the lever that enables most other abuses.

Start with a polite written request. Send your employer a short message or letter asking for the return of your passport by a specific date, and keep a copy. Many disputes end here, because the employer knows the law and backs down once the request is documented. If there is no response, send a second request referencing the relevant law in the country you work in.

If the written requests fail, file a formal complaint. In the UAE, use the MOHRE complaint system; in Saudi Arabia, the MHRSD channels; in Qatar, the Ministry of Labour or the police. You can also contact the Indian embassy or consulate, which has a community welfare function and can intervene, issue an emergency certificate, or help you travel home. Embassy welfare cells in Gulf capitals handle passport-retention cases routinely and know the local process.

Some workers fear that complaining will lead to termination, a false absconding report, or unpaid wages. These fears are real, but the law anticipates them. In the UAE, filing a false absconding report is itself an offence, and MOHRE investigates such reports before acting on them. In Qatar, the Workers' Support and Insurance Fund exists precisely for cases where employers stop paying. In Saudi Arabia, unjust termination claims can be raised with the labour courts.

Document everything from the start: contracts, payslips, messages about your passport, and any threats. Do not sign resignation letters or 'final settlement' papers under pressure, and do not accept cash settlements without a written record. If you feel unsafe, the Indian embassy's welfare officers and local worker-support hotlines can advise on shelter and legal aid options in your city.

Compliant employers have moved past passport retention entirely. Standard practice is to copy the passport and visa page for the personnel file, return the original the same day, and use the residence ID card for daily identification. Some companies provide secure lockers or safes in accommodation for workers who prefer not to carry documents, which is a genuinely helpful service as long as access is in the worker's control.

When evaluating a job offer, ask directly: will I hold my own passport after visa processing? A recruiter or employer who answers clearly and in writing is signalling a compliant workplace. Evasive answers, or insistence that 'all our workers deposit passports,' are a red flag worth taking seriously before you board the flight.

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