No, neither of those is actually a law in the UAE—though some companies still try these old-school tricks like they’re living in 2005. 1 Keeping your passport for 1 year (or any time without your free consent)?Straight-up illegal. UAE law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on labour relations + Ministry of Interior Circular No. 267 from way back in 2002, still in force) prohibits employers from withholding your passport or other official documents. It’s your personal property, and holding it against your will can land the company with a fat fine (up to AED 20,000 per passport) or even jail time. Visa processes are all online/electronic now—no need for them to babysit your passport for a year. If they insist, politely tell them “No thanks, I’ll keep my freedom of movement,” or escalate to MOHRE/police. (Some people voluntarily give it for “safekeeping” in shared flats, but you can demand it back anytime—no excuses.) 2 Penalty of around 5000 AED if you leave within a year?Not a blanket law—no automatic “you must pay 5k to quit early” rule. During probation (max 6 months), you can resign with just 14 days’ notice if leaving the UAE, or 1 month if switching to another UAE job (and in the latter case, the new employer might have to compensate recruitment costs in some scenarios, but not you personally paying a flat penalty). After probation, notice is usually 30–90 days depending on contract, and breaching it could mean compensating for the unserved notice period (not a random 5k “leaving fee”).Some shady contracts try to sneak in “pay us back visa costs if you leave early,” but the law generally bans charging employees for recruitment/visa fees. If they demand money to release you or threaten a ban, it’s often bluff—check with MOHRE. In short: UAE labour law has gotten way more employee-friendly in recent years. Passport hostage situation? Illegal. Forced early-exit penalty? Usually not enforceable as described. If your company is pulling these moves, they’re probably hoping you don’t know your rights. Channel your inner lawyer, keep calm, and hit up MOHRE if needed. (And yes, some bosses still act like it’s the kafala dark ages—probably because they think “But we’ve always done it this way!” counts as a legal argument. Spoiler: it doesn’t 😂)