Legal notice services for individuals and companies in Dubai
Legal Notice in Dubai: Drafting, Notarisation and Service
At Instant PRO we handle your legal notice in Dubai from start to finish. A team specialised in drafting legal instruments prepares it, we submit it to the notary public for notarisation, and we then follow up its service on the recipient until you receive whatever proof of delivery, and of its date, is issued. You do not have to split the process between different offices: you tell us what happened, we work out what the notice must contain and the period the law or your contract requires, and we then draft it, submit it and follow up its service, observing at every stage the official procedures that govern the sending of legal notices.
A legal notice that you intend to rely on later is not a letter of complaint written in haste. In several situations the notice, together with proof that it was served, forms part of the documents filed with the next step, such as an eviction application before the Rental Disputes Center or an application for an order for payment before the court. That is why we make sure the notice states exactly what is being demanded, gives the correct period, and is issued by the person with standing to issue it to the person who is actually bound.
Send us the contract, the invoice or a description of what happened, tell us what you want from the other party, and we will come back to you with the type of notice, its period, the documents required and the cost before you pay any fee.
- Drafted, notarised and served
- Statutory periods checked
- Fees set out upfront
What is a legal notice, and what is its effect under UAE law?
A legal notice is an instrument notarised by the notary public and served on the recipient, requiring them to do something or to refrain from doing something, or informing them that a power of attorney has been revoked. It is one of the notary services that Dubai Courts provide through their Smart Electronic Notary system and through private notary offices licensed by the Courts. In Arabic it is called inzar adli and is also referred to as a notarial notification, while many people simply know it as a legal notice. Notarisation establishes the notice itself and its date before the notary public; proving that it has been served on the other party is a separate matter that must be completed whenever the legal effect you are seeking depends on the notice being received.
One of the main functions of a legal notice is to prove formal notice (i’dhar), that is, to place the debtor officially in default. The Civil Transactions Law issued by Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2025, in force since 1 June 2026, provides in Article (337) that compensation is not due until the debtor has been given formal notice, unless the law or the agreement provides otherwise. Article (234) allows a party to a bilateral contract to ask the court, after giving the debtor formal notice, to order performance of the contract or its termination, and Article (331) makes formal notice a precondition to compelling the debtor to perform in kind. Article (235) provides that an agreement that the contract will be deemed terminated automatically does not dispense with formal notice, unless the parties have expressly agreed to waive it.
The law does not prescribe any particular form for formal notice, and a legal notice is a means of proving that it was given, what it said and when. Article (338) lists cases in which formal notice is not required at all, including where performance has become impossible or pointless through the debtor’s own act, and where the debtor has stated in writing that they do not intend to perform; whether your case falls within one of them is the first thing we examine. Note also that, under Article (4), the new law does not apply to facts and transactions that preceded its entry into force unless it provides otherwise, so contracts and events dating from before 1 June 2026 may still be governed by the previous law, depending on the case.
A legal notice is one of the notary public services in Dubai that we handle, but it differs from the others in one respect: the work is not finished at notarisation; it continues until service has been followed up.
Cases in which we handle legal notices
Financial claims
For example, demanding payment of a due debt evidenced in writing, whether a loan, the price of goods sold, sums owed under a contract or commercial invoices. If the creditor intends to apply for an order for payment, Article (144) of the Civil Procedure Law issued by Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2022 requires the creditor first to call on the debtor to pay within a period of at least five days, and the amount stated in that demand may not be less than the amount claimed in the application for the order. We therefore draft the demand so that it matches the application that will follow it.
Tenancies in Dubai
This is where legal notices require the most care, because for some situations the law fixes both the period and the method of notification. We handle landlords’ notices demanding payment of rent or compliance with an obligation the tenant has breached, notices to vacate at the end of the lease on one of the grounds exhaustively listed in the law, and notices to amend the lease terms or the rent on renewal. We also handle tenants’ notices where the tenant is the party with the claim.
Performance or termination of contracts
For example, notices to a contractor or supplier to perform, deliver or remedy a defect, notices to a buyer to pay the price, notices to the other party that a contract is being terminated or will not be renewed in accordance with the agreed notice period, and the notice that must precede a request for termination of a bilateral contract.
Demands to stop an act
A notice requiring the recipient to refrain from an act that harms you, such as using property, a trade name or confidential information without permission, continuing conduct that breaches an existing agreement, or requiring a partner or manager to stop conduct that breaches the company’s memorandum of association.
Revoking a power of attorney and informing the agent
Dubai Courts’ Smart Electronic Notary system allows a single legal notice that both revokes a power of attorney and notifies the agent of the revocation. The principal may dismiss the agent at any time, unless a third party’s right is attached to the power of attorney or it was issued in the agent’s favour, as Article (898) of the Civil Transactions Law provides. A revocation notice establishes the date on which the agent learned of it, and this matters because Article (144) of the same law attributes to the principal the effect of a contract concluded by the agent where both the agent and the other contracting party were unaware, at the time of contracting, that the agency had ended. The available routes for revocation are explained on our power of attorney cancellation in the UAE page.
Replying to a notice you have received
A legal notice should not be answered automatically before its content and supporting documents have been reviewed. A reply can be useful to record a defence or a fact, it may serve no legal purpose in other cases, and in certain situations the law attaches consequences to silence. We therefore read the notice you have received and advise you on your position before a single word is written.
Statutory periods a legal notice must respect
In some situations the law does not leave the period to the sender’s discretion and also prescribes how the notice must be given. An error in the period, in the standing of the parties or in the method of notification may affect whether the notice can be relied on, or the legal application based on it, depending on the case.
| Situation | Period | Method of notification |
|---|---|---|
| Demand for payment before applying for an order for payment (Article 144, Civil Procedure Law) | At least five days | Any of the methods of service set out in the Civil Procedure Law |
| Demanding rent from the tenant before applying for eviction (Article 25/1/a) | Thirty days from the notice, unless otherwise agreed | Notary public or registered post |
| Requiring the tenant to comply with a breached obligation (Article 25/1/h) | Thirty days from the notice | Notary public or registered post |
| Eviction at the end of the lease for demolition, major renovation, personal use or sale (Article 25/2) | At least twelve months before the eviction date, stating the grounds | Notary public or registered post |
| Amending the lease terms or the rent on renewal (Article 14) | At least ninety days before the lease expires, unless otherwise agreed | Written notice by any of the methods listed in the law, including the notary public |
The tenancy provisions referred to are those of Law No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai, as amended by Law No. (33) of 2008.
How we handle your notice
Drafting. We begin by establishing the capacity of the sender and of the recipient: a notice issued by a company is signed by the person authorised to represent it, and a notice to a company is addressed to the company itself, not to one of its employees. We then set out the facts only to the extent necessary, without digressions that could be used against you, identify the contractual or legal basis of the claim, specify what is demanded, whether an amount, an act or an abstention, give the period required by law or by the contract, and state the step that will be taken when it expires. The notice is drawn up in Arabic and may be accompanied by a text in the recipient’s language, with a certified translation where the authority requires one.
Notarisation. Once you have approved the draft, the notice is submitted for notarisation through Dubai Courts’ Smart Electronic Notary system or before a licensed private notary, depending on your case and your identity documents.
Service. Before submission we collect full contact details for the recipient, including address, telephone number and email, and we then follow up service by the approved method and hand you whatever report of service is issued. A notice that has been notarised but whose service has not been followed up may fail to produce the effect for which the law requires the notice to be received, such as starting the period or supporting an eviction application. If the recipient cannot be reached, we explain the options available under the rules, without promising an outcome that depends on others.
Steps
Step 1 - Send us the facts
You send us the facts, the supporting documents and the recipient's details.
Step 2 - Define the notice
We determine the type of notice, its statutory period and who must sign it.
Step 3 - Draft and approve
We draft the notice and send it to you for approval.
Step 4 - Notarisation
We submit it for notarisation before the notary public.
Step 5 - Service
We follow up its service on the recipient.
Step 6 - Delivery
You receive the notarised notice and any proof of service issued, together with our view on the next step if the period expires without a response.
Legal notice fees in Dubai
Government fees for notary transactions in Dubai are set by Executive Council Resolution No. (4) of 2014, as amended by Resolution No. (72) of 2025, and private notary fees are set by Decision No. (312) of 2025 of the Director of Dubai Courts.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notarisation of a notice or notification | AED 200 |
| Electronic entry of the transaction data, where carried out by the notary | AED 100 for registering the data of each party |
| Certification of the translator’s signature, where the notice is accompanied by a translation | AED 25 per page of the original instrument |
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Notarisation of a notice or notification | AED 100 per signature |
| Electronic registration of the parties’ data in the Dubai Courts system | AED 100 per party |
| Certification of the translator’s signature | AED 100 per signature |
Please note: the amounts above are government fees and private notary fees set by published decisions. They do not include any other fees that may be due, the cost of service, Instant PRO’s fees, or legal translation where required. We set out each of these separately, and our fees are balanced and explained to you before you start.
Documents required
For notarisation before the notary public
- A valid Emirates ID or passport for each signatory.
- Proof of the signatory’s authority where they sign on behalf of someone else: a power of attorney for an individual, or, for a company, the trade licence together with the memorandum of association, a partners’ resolution or a power of attorney, whichever establishes the signatory’s authority.
For drafting the notice
- The document on which the claim is based: the contract, invoice, statement of account or correspondence, and in tenancy matters the lease.
- The power of attorney to be revoked, in a revocation notice.
- The recipient’s details: their name as it appears on their documents, address, telephone number and email if available, and for a company its name, licence number and address.
How long a legal notice takes
The time required depends on whether the documents are complete, on the approval of the transaction and on whether the recipient can be reached; we give you an expected timeframe once we have reviewed your case. If your statutory period is about to run out, for example a lease-renewal notice due before the ninety days or an eviction notice due before the twelve months, tell us the date in your very first message.
Mistakes that weaken a legal notice
What most often weakens a notice is claiming an amount lower than the one that will later be sought in the order for payment, giving a shorter period than the law or the contract requires, addressing the notice to a person who is not party to the obligation or having it signed for a company by someone without authority to represent it, or sending an eviction notice by a method other than the one the law prescribes, or without stating the grounds the law requires. All of these can be identified and avoided before notarisation, not after.
Why Instant PRO?
Specialised drafting, not ready-made templates
Your notice is drafted by a team specialised in legal instruments, which reads the contract and the facts before writing.
The whole process in one place
Drafting, notarisation and service are connected stages with us. We do not treat a notice as complete once it is notarised, but once its service has been followed up and you have received the proof issued.
Compliance with official procedures
For every notice we observe the period required by law or contract, the method of notification the law prescribes, and the capacity of both the signatory and the recipient.
A nearby office and a channel for urgent cases
Our office is Office 805, Opal Tower, Business Bay, open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, and we have a contact channel for urgent cases available around the clock.
Legal notice FAQs
What is a legal notice in the UAE?
An instrument notarised by the notary public and served on the recipient, requiring them to do or refrain from doing something, or informing them that a power of attorney has been revoked. It is used in many cases to prove formal notice, and its date, before a claim is brought.
Is a legal notice required before filing a case?
Not always. Formal notice is a condition for compensation unless the law or the agreement provides otherwise, and for asking the court to enforce or terminate a bilateral contract; a demand for payment is a condition for an order for payment; and notification is a condition in eviction cases. There are also cases in which the creditor is exempt from formal notice, and we will tell you where your case stands.
Can a legal notice be sent by WhatsApp or email?
In the eviction cases covered by Article (25) of the Dubai tenancy law, the law requires notification through the notary public or by registered post. In other cases other methods may be accepted, depending on the provision governing the case and on how receipt can be proved.
What is the legal notice period in Dubai?
There is no single period for every notice; the period is set by the provision governing the case or by the contract. Examples are at least five days for a demand for payment before an order for payment, thirty days when demanding rent from a tenant, and twelve months for an eviction notice at the end of the lease, as shown in the table of statutory periods above. Where no provision sets a period, it is assessed as what is reasonable for the nature of the obligation.
What happens after a legal notice is sent?
If the period expires without a response, the next step depends on the case: an application for an order for payment, a lawsuit, or an eviction application before the Rental Disputes Center, with the notice and proof of its service attached where they are required.
Do I have to reply to a legal notice?
A reply is not required in every case, but a notice should not be ignored without review. A documented reply can be useful to record a defence or a fact, and in certain situations the law attaches consequences to silence. Send it to us before you reply by any means.
Does the notice have to be in Arabic?
The notice is drawn up in Arabic in Dubai. It may be accompanied by an English text or a text in the recipient’s language, with a certified translation where the authority requires one, in which case the translator’s signature certification fee applies.
How much does it cost to send a legal notice in Dubai?
The government notarisation fee is AED 200. Private notary fees apply if the transaction is completed before a private notary, together with any other fees that may be due, the cost of service and our fees. We set each of them out separately before you start.
Next step
Start your legal notice with the right drafting
If someone owes you something, or you want to terminate a contract, revoke a power of attorney or recover a property, send us the facts and your documents now, and we will come back to you with the type of notice, its statutory period, the documents required and the full cost before any step is taken.
WhatsApp: +971 56 232 7778
Office 805, Opal Tower, Business Bay, Dubai
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm
Urgent cases: contact channel available around the clock
- Type of notice and its period
- List of documents
- Full cost before you start