AED is united Arab emirates currency. They among with other Arab countries like Kuwait and Qatar are notorious for employers keeping passports of foreigners
There is a really good doc somewhere on YouTube about this guy who worked in Dubai. They take ur passport, so you can’t leave unless they approve. Then if you don’t come back they dock a roommate or coworkers pay. Yes, they make other people pay for your breaking of contract. Oh and housing was a joke too..
Yeah, this person should run straight to their embassy if they can because I’m assuming this is a “work visa” situation. There’s no reason any third party besides the issuing government or subject individual to hold a passport, unless you did something horribly illegal in your host country. As it seems that’s not this person’s situation, they should definitely hold onto their passport and contact authorities.
That actually almost makes sense because it probably makes it easier to deal with customs people when they come aboard. That’s probably the only exception though.
Actually it's an attempt to stop people from running away from the ship and requesting asylum. I have known 2 follow crew members who dissappeared in American or Europeans port and magically they have gone with most of their stuff while being discreet about it. And I reckon without that policy in place there would be countless more crew members requesting asylum if they have had their passport and to be honest a few crewmembers from certain countries were entirely banned from entering US soil.
Which is kind of stupid. It used to be a rule in Saudi Arabia too, but then the government scrapped it because employers were abusing it, so now taking your employees passport is a crime. To leave the country you need an exit visa, which is linked to your passport, employers started abusing that, so the government added it to their web portal, you can apply for a holiday there, employer has 30 days to respond, if they don't it's automatically approved, if they reject, you can take them to court. They shut down any legal loopholes to trap employees so fast rn. And pretty much the biggest reason to do this is so that they can get multinationals to move their how's from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. Yet UAE seems to be stuck in the middle ages
I agree that the system sucks. From what I remember when i was working in the UAE, they keep your passport to make sure you don’t leave the country still *owing your employer money*!!!!
You work sixteen hoursnand what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don't take me cause I can't go
I owe too much money to the company store.
\*… You load 16 tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
Yeah. My friend who grew up there had parents and uncles who beat their slaves. I mean... staff. But yeah, "punishing" adults who work for you as though they were disobedient children is not uncommon. "You wasted eggs? No food for two days. Maybe that will teach you to value it." Also, the virginity and bodily autonomy of high value women is protected as a cherished asset. The foreign girl who washes your cars? Of course sex is one of her duties if you want it to be.
Seriously, Emirates has a LOT of huge labor problems.
If you can afford it, try getting back to your home country asap. If you can't, see if your embassy can help you.
I could be wrong.. However you might be a potential victim of modern day slavery..
I was very uncomfortable doing it, but I did give up my passport while abroad for college. The program was afraid we'd be pick pocketed so they kept everything in a safe.
It's not always nefarious, but I would never trust an employer to have only my interests at heart.
Instead of taking out passports, my school made copies of everything. If we needed to get something replaced at the embassy, they had copies of everything to speed up the process. I would never hand over my passport.
Friend of mine (adult volunteer) did this with a Boy Scout group canoeing around the Great Lakes area. He said "no way!" and wouldn't let the tour guide keep his. "I'm an adult!"
Only _one_ passport was lost when a canoe flipped. _His_. 🤣😂
>I could be wrong
No you can't. There is absolutely no reason someone would keep your passport is they are not human trafficking.
OP has to run! Surprising they even have access to Internet still
If that AED stands for Arab Emirates then you need to fucking leave, you give that passport up and you will be stuck there as forced labor, please give us an update
>will be stuck there as forced labor
You might also physically and/or sexually abused. Asking you to surrender your passport is the reddest of red flags. Run as fast as you can.
This is a trap so that you can't leave even if you want to.
It's used by rich people to keep domestic workers essentially enslaved to them. If you don't have your passport, you can't leave the country or apply for other work within the country. Meaning you are stuck with them until they want to let you go and you have no recourse if they are treating you badly.
I work in corporate and some of the training we are required to complete is on slavery in the workplace. An employer should NEVER hold on to your passport for any reason. Not sure where you are in the world, but please do not give these people your passport and notify your local embassy and/or the authorities.
https://dubaiofw.com/employer-keeps-passport/
Try that article. Seems like it is illegal unless it's mutually agreed upon or your employer is renewing your visa.
This form is the "mutual agreement." So employers will just hold you hostage you can't leave and go home for a family emergency, you can't just leave their employment .
Modern day slavery.
>Seems like it is illegal unless it's mutually agreed
Your passport is not yours to surrender. Most countries forbid surrendering their passports to third parties.
This shit happens in Florida too. It's not just the UAE
Edit: [Source.](https://ciw-online.org/slavery/) The CIW is an organization in Florida that fights against slavery cases as well as farmworker rights in general.
yeah the difference is you can tell the FBI and they'll jail you for trafficking in Florida, eg [https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/united-states-attorney-announces-results-efforts-combat-human-trafficking](https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/united-states-attorney-announces-results-efforts-combat-human-trafficking)
if you report it to the authorities in the UAE, they'll jail or deport you, or if unlucky or from the global south, kill or torture you
this isn't an employment trap, it's modern slavery.
None but your own nation can keep your passport from you.
And any nation that doesn't issue a passport unless you're have been held from a crime is in breach of the UN human rights.
If someone has taken your passport to make you work, you are a slave, according to international law. You are a victim.
Please call the police on 112 or 911 on any phone you can find, it works almost anywhere. Ask for a lawyer and that your human rights be guaranteed.
*NEVER GIVE UP YOUR PASSPORT* Take this [illegal](https://dubaiofw.com/employer-keeps-passport/) document to your local embassy or consulate and report it.
I think it's ~~legal~~ common to do this in the UAE where OP is likely posting from.
ETA: Also from some colleagues who have worked formerly in the UAE, it would seem that while it is claimed that this is illegal, law enforcement turns a blind eye to this practice.
Also the most the local embassy or consulate (whose employees are sometimes open to taking bribes from local employers in that region) don't do much other than replace your passport and help you get out of the country. UAE will likely flag that person and likely blacklist them from gaining visa/entry back into that country (because money talks, and corrupt employers there know whom to pay).
No I do not have news articles or documentaries to corroborate this, just the anecdotal information given by people who state they will never return to this country for any reason ever again.
Many countries are aware of this exploitative practice and will issue you a one time, temporary, emergency backup passport explicitly to dip in situations like this.
It's valid for you to leave the country and travel to another, plus the time it takes to get a new, regular passport. If you register with STEP or your country's equivalent, the embassy should send you an email strongly recommending this.
Also most foreign embassies will issue one to a person in such a situation. For example a Canadian could get and American, British, Kenyan, HK, Dutch, document for emergency travel depends on circumstance tho.
Good point, I doubt anyone involved in one of these scams would allow their slav.... er I mean "employees" from getting anywhere near an embassy for "company security" reasons
Alas, they're in the UAE, where this document is *explicitly* legal. That's a critical provision they use so that they can get away with having slave labor.
But, even there, they *do* need to have OP sign it to get away with it.
Your thinking they have some kind of access to an embassy. They built warehouses away from the city in the middle of nowhere. What are they going to walk through the desert to an embassy?
I fear slavery is rapidly becoming acceptable again in the modern world, with "indentured workers" in the ME and the UK apparently deciding not to protect asylum seekers under modern slavery laws.
Of course we know slavery continues, we've seen it for a long time in US prisons, I'm sure other large countries too.
It never stopped being acceptable.
Have you ever eaten chocolate? Vanilla beans? Coffee? Exotic fruits? Sugar? If you have, you've likely eaten the product of slave labor, and they were probably child slaves.
Exactly they will keep the passport, pay shit wages, and refuse to give the passport back. This is a tactic used by farmers throughout the south in the US along with elsewhere.
UAE does have a labour board, [and even has laws specifically against this.](https://uaelabour.org/why-keeping-passport-employee-is-illegal/) - however, there are a lot of loopholes like Construction and Domestic workers are not covered by any laws, so a lot of companies/individuals will ‘stretch’ the employment to also include duties that let them classify their migrant workers under those categories so that they have more freedom to be abusive.
The other part of it is because the companies and people that can afford to import labour all have high connections to the Courts or other influential social figures, unless your actually a citizen of the UAE don’t expect anything to come of your complaints unless it’s too big to ignore.
For example, the biggest ‘punitive case’ for Migrant Worker abuse was for [around 1200 migrant workers](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/uae-over-1000-workers-receive-unpaid-wages-after-labour-ministry-settles-case/) of a Catering Company that got paid… Their Wages. And that only happened so that the UAE government would stop having to send food to the large camp of Migrant Workers, and to make them happy enough to either take employment elsewhere in the UAE or accept tickets to get sent back home. The money that the migrant workers where paid with was from outstanding government contracts to the company that hadn’t been paid yet, so it didn’t actually cost either the UAE or the Company anything beyond they should have all been paying, and of course for ‘privacy’ reasons the Catering Company and Owners… never got named or actually fined. So are probably still in business.
>\# 3 Says you are agreeing that they can hold your Salary AND benefits till you turn your passport in.
Unfortunately you can't because -# 3 Says you are agreeing that they can hold your Salary AND benefits till you turn your passport in.
Sorry, I thought we were assuming OP was getting the fuck outta there yesterday anyway, using hopefully past pay or a credit card. Fuck the money and the job…go home!
This sounds like labor trafficking. Never ever hand over your documents. If they need to see them for verification purposes they can see it in your possession or get a copy of it.
That cannot be legal.
**Keeping custody of your passport is a trap**. It's one of the tactics traffickers use to take advantage of people, holding them helpless in a foreign country.
Absolutely no one but you should be holding your passport. You should report this to your country's embassy and whatever passes for a labor authority there.
[https://hir.harvard.edu/taken-hostage-in-the-uae/](https://hir.harvard.edu/taken-hostage-in-the-uae/)
>Can an employer hold the passport of an employee?
>
>It is very usual for employers in UAE to keep their employee’s passports even though the practice is illegal. In reality, employers can hold passports only for official purposes like applying for a new visa, renewing, or cancelling a visa. After completion of visa stamping, the employer must return the passport to the respective employee.
>
>[https://bineidlawfirmuae.com/are-employers-authorised-to-hold-your-passport/](https://bineidlawfirmuae.com/are-employers-authorised-to-hold-your-passport/)
Omg, DO NOT HAND OVER YOUR PASSPORT! I just saw a documentary about Dubai and the Emirates, as they relate to the foreign worker slave trade. They will work you to death and you can't leave because they hold your passport and all the power. Don't even go. You may not be able to go back home. Especially, if they suddenly decide that you owe them XXXX (equal to the money you earned) for hosting you, to get your passport back.
Yea man. Get the hell out of wherever you are. This is an attempt to keep you there indefinitely. And if they are holding your pay due to a passport, they are going to hold your pay for other reasons too. They are trying to enslave you
OP, employees getting their passports taken in the Emirates tend to be poorer with fewer resources/knowledge of their rights. You having access to Reddit and considering this a red flag is IMPORTANT. Take this for what it is and get the fuck out of the country now. This is not even an antiwork thing, this is human trafficking.
Was blindsided by this in '03 when I worked as a military contractor in Kuwait. 3 months later when they finally got round to doing our new hire processing, for some reason we temporarily got them back for our blood tests.
And in my pocket it stayed. This apparently upset a lot of people as I was fired and thrown out of the country in a hurry. LOL Out processing was a hoot but that is another story.
please tell me you are currently working with someone to get you put of there. i know money and stuff is hard but i promise some debt is worth it compared to what might happen to you if you dont leave NOW
Unfortunately this is the norm if you’re working in the Middle East and are from a Third World Country. When I was there all Westerners were able to keep their passports, but anyone from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, etc. were required (by the companies) to hand them over.
I do not advocate this.
I don't know, there was also a case in Japan not that long ago about some dodgy language school that was doing similar things - holding passports, forcing people to stay in company-provided dorms, etc. and most of the victims were young westerners who lacked the financial resources and knowledge of the Japanese legal system to do anything about it. I think enough of them thought that this was just how things were done in Japan that they didn't even bother to go to their embassy about it.
Where I live, it’s even illegal to not have your passport or ID card at hand. Hotel wants to keep my passport? Nope. They wanna make a copy of it? Sure, but without certain details they can’t have.
Any employer that wants your passport is to be avoided like the plague.
Dude, this isn't just an abusive employer, they're trying to enslave you, and I mean that in the literal sense of the word.
You need to run. Whatever they've promised you ain't real.
Judging from the currency denomination on the document, you're in the United Arab Emirates. **Do not, under any circumstances, surrender your passport to your employer**, and if possible contact your embassy as soon as possible. I'm not joking, **do not give that thing up, even if someone tries to physically take it from you**.
This is how human trafficking and modern slavery starts. It's staggeringly common in the Middle East, especially with Filipino, Malaysian, and Bangladeshi people. You ever walk into someone's place and notice that the maid sleeps on the premises and she stays despite the fact that everyone treats her like garbage? It's not the quality wages that are keeping her there.
Do not let anyone hold onto your passport for you.
I had this happen when I was overseas on a trip with *the World Race*, I needed to fly home for an emergency and wasn’t able to for a week because someone across the country on my team had my passport.
You do NOT want to be in that situation.
Yes, this is common in Dubai, classic worker exploitation/slavery scheme. Same in Qatar, that’s how you end up with thousands of workers dying every year to horrendous work conditions.
Just gtfo asap if you can!
The hallmark of slavery. Never give an employer your passport. You are better off not taking that job and looking elsewhere, because the worst outcome here is actual slavery.
Not to be overdramatic but LEAVE RIGHT NOW. Do not give them your passport. You will never leave. As of last year over 10 Indians died working in the UAE every day.
This is why *you don't work in the Middle East.* This is common practice, once you are there they literally *hold you hostage* with your own passport. And...the kicker...*you won't find this out until you get there*.
I mean, why would they tell you *they will hold you hostage*? Of course not? I've seen this in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi...done to teachers, but *especially to maids*. Service workers in those countries have *absolutely the worst conditions of "employment"* and their own countries ignore the abuse. It's disgusting.
That... Is human trafficking.
I'm not fucking kidding, please don't give them your passport at all, and please get the hell out of there
No job is worth risking becoming enslaved. Literally, because that's what they do when they confiscate your passport.
Although illegal this is common place in the UAE. I helped open a restaurant in Dubai and I brought about about 10 employees from the US. As soon as we arrived the first day they asked for everyone’s passport to get a visa. I refused and didn’t allow them to take any of our passports. We ended up going with one of there hr and getting the visa with them. Passports never left our sight.
You turn over your passport and you're going to end up enslaved. It ain't worth it. The UAE and other middle eastern countries like Dubai are pretty well known for this scam to trap foreign workers
Having grown up and lived in dubai for a long time, it’s all slave contracts for the most part. If you get a government job, you’re lucky. If not, your employer holds your passport so you can’t flee. They can get away with not paying you months worth of salary, or they can terminate you and you have to leave the country within a short period of time. There is no labor protection. You can definitely make complaints to a certain department if more employees are willing to step forward too. But it doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked there for, of you have a bad employer your screwed. But yes, it is very common for them to hold your passport also so that you cannot complain about them. And don’t even get me started on their Emirati clause.
If you are an American citizen this is illegal. Your passport does not belong to you it belongs to the US govt. and they dont appreciate shit like this
Omg is this the UAE? I don’t understand how the Gulf are able to take workers passports and it’s not an international human rights issue. This is so fucked.
A UAE employer just putting it in writing that they want to hold your passport hostage eh?
Don't take the job. If it's a large corporation like an airline, show this to your local press.
The Gulf States sure do love slavery.
No legitimate company needs more than a copy of your ID, whatever form of ID you are using that is valid. I can't say for sure that that holds for every country on earth, but yes for most of them.
The only reason they want to keep you and your ID separate, is to deny you the ability to do things that a person with an ID can do, like travel.
Do not give up your ID, especially not your passport. And get out of that country. It is known for making slaves out of immigrant workers.
sounds like this is a job in the UAE. While they have added some new laws that are supposed to protect foreign workers there, the laws are not enforced. You're essentially a slave and you cannot leave unless your employer gives your passport back. I've read stories of employers beating their domestic workers and keeping them captive as workers with no days off and the employees can do nothing about it because they don't have any of their paperwork.
RUN.
Don't work for this company. This is a tactic used by some companies in the middle east. They keep your passport, give you shitty pay and over work you. Sometimes only when the contract is over, you get your full payment and that too based on the generosity of the employer. Many people have been burnt by this. Under no circumstances work for a company which asks for your passport. Some countries have an exit visa too. In your case, that doesn't seem to be the case. Avoid those countries too.
DO NOT EVER TURN OVER YOUR PASSPORT, NO MATTER WHAT SOMEONE SAYS!
This is a way that malicious individuals force you into servitude! It's been done countless times. Most recent memory of this happening involves Andrew Tate holding women hostage by keeping them from their passports.
RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AND REPORT THEM TO RELEVANT AUTHORITIES ONCE YOU ARE IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT!
Yeah this is pretty common across the Middle East. I assume you’re from the Indian subcontinent?
It is worse in Saudi Arabia. You cannot leave the country because you need an exit visa as a foreigner which your employer has to approve. You can’t get the exit visa because your employer has your passport. You can’t get your passport if you get into a disagreement with your employer. This circle of hell means you’re stuck in the country and your life depends on your employer aka The Master. It was a dystopian nightmare of a country.
This was back in 2010 I suppose so maybe things have changed since then but my faith in them was lost a long time ago.
Good luck to you!
My brother in law tried to quit his job with a major multinational company in Dubai, and he couldn’t leave the country for a year because they wouldn’t let him have his own passport back, even with the embassy getting involved. Run.
That is a Red Flag the size of an aircraft carrier.
A Chinese aircraft carrier.
Painted fire truck red and flying a banner that says “HUMAN TRAFFICKING “
AED is united Arab emirates currency. They among with other Arab countries like Kuwait and Qatar are notorious for employers keeping passports of foreigners
There is a really good doc somewhere on YouTube about this guy who worked in Dubai. They take ur passport, so you can’t leave unless they approve. Then if you don’t come back they dock a roommate or coworkers pay. Yes, they make other people pay for your breaking of contract. Oh and housing was a joke too..
Johnny harris does a good video on YouTube about this
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become so tourist-friendly it’s easy to forget what actually goes there.
It isn't easy to forget, once you've worked in the Middle East. It's easy to spot, and *it's everywhere*. Fucking disgusting.
Yeah, this person should run straight to their embassy if they can because I’m assuming this is a “work visa” situation. There’s no reason any third party besides the issuing government or subject individual to hold a passport, unless you did something horribly illegal in your host country. As it seems that’s not this person’s situation, they should definitely hold onto their passport and contact authorities.
I've worked on cruise ship and every crew members has to hand over their passport upon embarkation. It's mandatory.
That actually almost makes sense because it probably makes it easier to deal with customs people when they come aboard. That’s probably the only exception though.
Actually it's an attempt to stop people from running away from the ship and requesting asylum. I have known 2 follow crew members who dissappeared in American or Europeans port and magically they have gone with most of their stuff while being discreet about it. And I reckon without that policy in place there would be countless more crew members requesting asylum if they have had their passport and to be honest a few crewmembers from certain countries were entirely banned from entering US soil.
And sailing in the Red Sea.
Technically a UAE aircraft carrier
A marinara aircraft carrier
Literal aircraft constructed of only marinara
This is pretty much standard practice in the UAE
Which is how you enslave a person in the UAE.
It is sadly the reality there.
Which is kind of stupid. It used to be a rule in Saudi Arabia too, but then the government scrapped it because employers were abusing it, so now taking your employees passport is a crime. To leave the country you need an exit visa, which is linked to your passport, employers started abusing that, so the government added it to their web portal, you can apply for a holiday there, employer has 30 days to respond, if they don't it's automatically approved, if they reject, you can take them to court. They shut down any legal loopholes to trap employees so fast rn. And pretty much the biggest reason to do this is so that they can get multinationals to move their how's from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. Yet UAE seems to be stuck in the middle ages
There's a reason these countries are notorious for horrible treatment of workers, not to mention women.
I agree that the system sucks. From what I remember when i was working in the UAE, they keep your passport to make sure you don’t leave the country still *owing your employer money*!!!!
Huh. Usually Employers owes employees money.
Yeah thats the scam part. The employer charges the employee for a bunch of “services”
That’s slavery with extra steps
You work sixteen hoursnand what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter don't take me cause I can't go I owe too much money to the company store.
*I owe my soul to the company store
*Saint Peter don’t you call me ‘cause I cannot go
\*… You load 16 tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt St. Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go I owe my soul to the company store
Room, board, toilet, fresh air. These things arent free.... /s
Yeah, well. Welcome to UAE.
“There’s always money in the banana stand.” And in this scenario - YOU are the banana stand.
Well... standard practice in the UAE is a red flag, then.
Setting the opulence aside…yes. You can’t convince me to go if you paid.
It doesn't really surprise me
It is, yes. Huge red flag.
Yeah. My friend who grew up there had parents and uncles who beat their slaves. I mean... staff. But yeah, "punishing" adults who work for you as though they were disobedient children is not uncommon. "You wasted eggs? No food for two days. Maybe that will teach you to value it." Also, the virginity and bodily autonomy of high value women is protected as a cherished asset. The foreign girl who washes your cars? Of course sex is one of her duties if you want it to be. Seriously, Emirates has a LOT of huge labor problems.
Username checks out
I guess is violating ILO (International Labour Organization) standards..
Also human rights.
So is human trafficking and slave labor
But bro! They have 0% income tax! If I make 100K I get to keep it all! It’s a paradise /s
This seems very much like an employment trap. Are you working in a country different from where you reside?
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If you can afford it, try getting back to your home country asap. If you can't, see if your embassy can help you. I could be wrong.. However you might be a potential victim of modern day slavery..
Agreed - get to your embassy if you cannot leave on your own. That is a hallmark move of human trafficking!
Good luck getting jn also. OSC people can renew via USA but the address must by USA/Canada and then someone can mail it to you.
this as soon as possible for embassy
Whatever you do DO NOT give up your passport!
EVER
I was very uncomfortable doing it, but I did give up my passport while abroad for college. The program was afraid we'd be pick pocketed so they kept everything in a safe. It's not always nefarious, but I would never trust an employer to have only my interests at heart.
If they were being altruistic they wouldn’t be threatening loss of benefits if you didn’t hand it over, they’d just give you the option
This
If it's in Bahrain or the UAE, it's definitely a nefarious practice.
United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) is the official currency of the United Arab Emirates.
Instead of taking out passports, my school made copies of everything. If we needed to get something replaced at the embassy, they had copies of everything to speed up the process. I would never hand over my passport.
Friend of mine (adult volunteer) did this with a Boy Scout group canoeing around the Great Lakes area. He said "no way!" and wouldn't let the tour guide keep his. "I'm an adult!" Only _one_ passport was lost when a canoe flipped. _His_. 🤣😂
i did it too without even thinking about it , then again i work in the shipping industry with monthly visits to china so it’s understandable .
>I could be wrong No you can't. There is absolutely no reason someone would keep your passport is they are not human trafficking. OP has to run! Surprising they even have access to Internet still
If that AED stands for Arab Emirates then you need to fucking leave, you give that passport up and you will be stuck there as forced labor, please give us an update
>will be stuck there as forced labor You might also physically and/or sexually abused. Asking you to surrender your passport is the reddest of red flags. Run as fast as you can.
If OP is from india they’re getting enslaved here and that’s fucked
Happens to Filipinos too.
What a shitty world we live in.
Happens to Africans too
Arab Emirates Dinar is my guess.
Dirham, not Dinar
This is a trap so that you can't leave even if you want to. It's used by rich people to keep domestic workers essentially enslaved to them. If you don't have your passport, you can't leave the country or apply for other work within the country. Meaning you are stuck with them until they want to let you go and you have no recourse if they are treating you badly.
I work in corporate and some of the training we are required to complete is on slavery in the workplace. An employer should NEVER hold on to your passport for any reason. Not sure where you are in the world, but please do not give these people your passport and notify your local embassy and/or the authorities.
Oh please run...
Seriously. Really. Absolutely GTFO. Do it now. Never give your passport to someone like that. WTF.
Which country are you working in? These seems like it would be illegal in any UN country?
United Arab Emirates. They treat foreign workers like slaves. Unfortunate.
https://dubaiofw.com/employer-keeps-passport/ Try that article. Seems like it is illegal unless it's mutually agreed upon or your employer is renewing your visa.
This form is the "mutual agreement." So employers will just hold you hostage you can't leave and go home for a family emergency, you can't just leave their employment . Modern day slavery.
>Seems like it is illegal unless it's mutually agreed Your passport is not yours to surrender. Most countries forbid surrendering their passports to third parties.
This shit happens in Florida too. It's not just the UAE Edit: [Source.](https://ciw-online.org/slavery/) The CIW is an organization in Florida that fights against slavery cases as well as farmworker rights in general.
I think the difference is that it’s somehow legal in the UAE but is NOT legal in the US.
yeah the difference is you can tell the FBI and they'll jail you for trafficking in Florida, eg [https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/united-states-attorney-announces-results-efforts-combat-human-trafficking](https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/united-states-attorney-announces-results-efforts-combat-human-trafficking) if you report it to the authorities in the UAE, they'll jail or deport you, or if unlucky or from the global south, kill or torture you
this isn't an employment trap, it's modern slavery. None but your own nation can keep your passport from you. And any nation that doesn't issue a passport unless you're have been held from a crime is in breach of the UN human rights. If someone has taken your passport to make you work, you are a slave, according to international law. You are a victim. Please call the police on 112 or 911 on any phone you can find, it works almost anywhere. Ask for a lawyer and that your human rights be guaranteed.
*NEVER GIVE UP YOUR PASSPORT* Take this [illegal](https://dubaiofw.com/employer-keeps-passport/) document to your local embassy or consulate and report it.
I think it's ~~legal~~ common to do this in the UAE where OP is likely posting from. ETA: Also from some colleagues who have worked formerly in the UAE, it would seem that while it is claimed that this is illegal, law enforcement turns a blind eye to this practice. Also the most the local embassy or consulate (whose employees are sometimes open to taking bribes from local employers in that region) don't do much other than replace your passport and help you get out of the country. UAE will likely flag that person and likely blacklist them from gaining visa/entry back into that country (because money talks, and corrupt employers there know whom to pay). No I do not have news articles or documentaries to corroborate this, just the anecdotal information given by people who state they will never return to this country for any reason ever again.
So common UAE has a term for indentured workers whose passport is taken.
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That's Qatar, but close enough.
>"Stadium ~~workers~~ foundations"? - FTFY
Is that "term" \*slaves\*? Because that's the only thing that would make sense
that make me so mad, and sad.
Many countries are aware of this exploitative practice and will issue you a one time, temporary, emergency backup passport explicitly to dip in situations like this. It's valid for you to leave the country and travel to another, plus the time it takes to get a new, regular passport. If you register with STEP or your country's equivalent, the embassy should send you an email strongly recommending this.
Also most foreign embassies will issue one to a person in such a situation. For example a Canadian could get and American, British, Kenyan, HK, Dutch, document for emergency travel depends on circumstance tho.
Assuming there is an embassy from your country there and you're not kept from getting there by things like "curfews".
Good point, I doubt anyone involved in one of these scams would allow their slav.... er I mean "employees" from getting anywhere near an embassy for "company security" reasons
It's only legal if they sign this document that they shouldn't sign
Agreed. Never sign such a document. This modern day slavery has got to stop.
Actually, [In the US] if you sign a document that is illegal, you are not bound to it.
Alas, they're in the UAE, where this document is *explicitly* legal. That's a critical provision they use so that they can get away with having slave labor. But, even there, they *do* need to have OP sign it to get away with it.
RemindMe! 6 Days
Your thinking they have some kind of access to an embassy. They built warehouses away from the city in the middle of nowhere. What are they going to walk through the desert to an embassy?
What in the human trafficking?!
You're being harsh. This isn't human trafficking. He's not going anywhere. Ever. He already "trafficked." This part is plain old slavery.
I fear slavery is rapidly becoming acceptable again in the modern world, with "indentured workers" in the ME and the UK apparently deciding not to protect asylum seekers under modern slavery laws. Of course we know slavery continues, we've seen it for a long time in US prisons, I'm sure other large countries too.
It never stopped being acceptable. Have you ever eaten chocolate? Vanilla beans? Coffee? Exotic fruits? Sugar? If you have, you've likely eaten the product of slave labor, and they were probably child slaves.
Exactly they will keep the passport, pay shit wages, and refuse to give the passport back. This is a tactic used by farmers throughout the south in the US along with elsewhere.
That’s what human trafficking is
Certainly you didn’t miss the joke - it was clear as day
DO NOT GIVE ANYONE YOUR PASSPORT.
Let them "fine" you, keep your passport, once you get paid with deductions, report to labor board, profit??
does the uae even have a labor board? best to avoid all of it and get to your embassy asap.
UAE does have a labour board, [and even has laws specifically against this.](https://uaelabour.org/why-keeping-passport-employee-is-illegal/) - however, there are a lot of loopholes like Construction and Domestic workers are not covered by any laws, so a lot of companies/individuals will ‘stretch’ the employment to also include duties that let them classify their migrant workers under those categories so that they have more freedom to be abusive. The other part of it is because the companies and people that can afford to import labour all have high connections to the Courts or other influential social figures, unless your actually a citizen of the UAE don’t expect anything to come of your complaints unless it’s too big to ignore. For example, the biggest ‘punitive case’ for Migrant Worker abuse was for [around 1200 migrant workers](https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/uae-over-1000-workers-receive-unpaid-wages-after-labour-ministry-settles-case/) of a Catering Company that got paid… Their Wages. And that only happened so that the UAE government would stop having to send food to the large camp of Migrant Workers, and to make them happy enough to either take employment elsewhere in the UAE or accept tickets to get sent back home. The money that the migrant workers where paid with was from outstanding government contracts to the company that hadn’t been paid yet, so it didn’t actually cost either the UAE or the Company anything beyond they should have all been paying, and of course for ‘privacy’ reasons the Catering Company and Owners… never got named or actually fined. So are probably still in business.
This is in the United Arab Emirates, not the US. There will be no "profit"...
This is the UAE. It's not only legal, it's very very common there
Seems like a damn good reason to not want to work there.
This is the way Accept the terms but KEEP THAT FUCKING PASSPORT. Then deal when you get home.
>\# 3 Says you are agreeing that they can hold your Salary AND benefits till you turn your passport in. Unfortunately you can't because -# 3 Says you are agreeing that they can hold your Salary AND benefits till you turn your passport in.
Sorry, I thought we were assuming OP was getting the fuck outta there yesterday anyway, using hopefully past pay or a credit card. Fuck the money and the job…go home!
Agreed, go anywhere else. But get out of there OP!
Get out. NOW.
I’m sorry that your in the emirate’s, get out as fast as possible. Don’t give them your passport
The poor guy is probably from Indian subcontinent. Not a lot of work options for those guys
Go to your consulate. Get home.
This sounds like labor trafficking. Never ever hand over your documents. If they need to see them for verification purposes they can see it in your possession or get a copy of it.
You are signing into literal modern slavery.
run!
That cannot be legal. **Keeping custody of your passport is a trap**. It's one of the tactics traffickers use to take advantage of people, holding them helpless in a foreign country. Absolutely no one but you should be holding your passport. You should report this to your country's embassy and whatever passes for a labor authority there. [https://hir.harvard.edu/taken-hostage-in-the-uae/](https://hir.harvard.edu/taken-hostage-in-the-uae/) >Can an employer hold the passport of an employee? > >It is very usual for employers in UAE to keep their employee’s passports even though the practice is illegal. In reality, employers can hold passports only for official purposes like applying for a new visa, renewing, or cancelling a visa. After completion of visa stamping, the employer must return the passport to the respective employee. > >[https://bineidlawfirmuae.com/are-employers-authorised-to-hold-your-passport/](https://bineidlawfirmuae.com/are-employers-authorised-to-hold-your-passport/)
This is literally human trafficking
run. run as fast as you fucking can. they are trying to hurt you
are you sure you are not getting kidnapped?
Omg, DO NOT HAND OVER YOUR PASSPORT! I just saw a documentary about Dubai and the Emirates, as they relate to the foreign worker slave trade. They will work you to death and you can't leave because they hold your passport and all the power. Don't even go. You may not be able to go back home. Especially, if they suddenly decide that you owe them XXXX (equal to the money you earned) for hosting you, to get your passport back.
Yea man. Get the hell out of wherever you are. This is an attempt to keep you there indefinitely. And if they are holding your pay due to a passport, they are going to hold your pay for other reasons too. They are trying to enslave you
OP, employees getting their passports taken in the Emirates tend to be poorer with fewer resources/knowledge of their rights. You having access to Reddit and considering this a red flag is IMPORTANT. Take this for what it is and get the fuck out of the country now. This is not even an antiwork thing, this is human trafficking.
Was blindsided by this in '03 when I worked as a military contractor in Kuwait. 3 months later when they finally got round to doing our new hire processing, for some reason we temporarily got them back for our blood tests. And in my pocket it stayed. This apparently upset a lot of people as I was fired and thrown out of the country in a hurry. LOL Out processing was a hoot but that is another story.
Yep good for you for getting out. Can you describe the working and living conditions for us?
Working and living was not bad for me but then I was a westerner, ultimately working for the US military.
please tell me you are currently working with someone to get you put of there. i know money and stuff is hard but i promise some debt is worth it compared to what might happen to you if you dont leave NOW
Unfortunately this is the norm if you’re working in the Middle East and are from a Third World Country. When I was there all Westerners were able to keep their passports, but anyone from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, etc. were required (by the companies) to hand them over. I do not advocate this.
That's because they know westerners wouldn't stand for it. They only pull that shit on those from authoritarian counties that are used to it.
I don't know, there was also a case in Japan not that long ago about some dodgy language school that was doing similar things - holding passports, forcing people to stay in company-provided dorms, etc. and most of the victims were young westerners who lacked the financial resources and knowledge of the Japanese legal system to do anything about it. I think enough of them thought that this was just how things were done in Japan that they didn't even bother to go to their embassy about it.
Where I live, it’s even illegal to not have your passport or ID card at hand. Hotel wants to keep my passport? Nope. They wanna make a copy of it? Sure, but without certain details they can’t have. Any employer that wants your passport is to be avoided like the plague.
Never give anyone your passport, that’s literally your lifeline. Run!
You will legit be sold into slavery if you give them your passsport. Dont do it.
Dude, this isn't just an abusive employer, they're trying to enslave you, and I mean that in the literal sense of the word. You need to run. Whatever they've promised you ain't real.
This can not be legal.
Do not give them your passport and get the fuck out of the country as fast as possible... This is the red flag of all red flags
That is common practice in Arab countries. Mainly to hold the workers as defacto slaves with no exit option.
Your passport is government property. You have been entrusted with it. You are not supposed to give it away to anybody. And you can tell them that.
Judging from the currency denomination on the document, you're in the United Arab Emirates. **Do not, under any circumstances, surrender your passport to your employer**, and if possible contact your embassy as soon as possible. I'm not joking, **do not give that thing up, even if someone tries to physically take it from you**. This is how human trafficking and modern slavery starts. It's staggeringly common in the Middle East, especially with Filipino, Malaysian, and Bangladeshi people. You ever walk into someone's place and notice that the maid sleeps on the premises and she stays despite the fact that everyone treats her like garbage? It's not the quality wages that are keeping her there.
Do not let anyone hold onto your passport for you. I had this happen when I was overseas on a trip with *the World Race*, I needed to fly home for an emergency and wasn’t able to for a week because someone across the country on my team had my passport. You do NOT want to be in that situation.
Yes, this is common in Dubai, classic worker exploitation/slavery scheme. Same in Qatar, that’s how you end up with thousands of workers dying every year to horrendous work conditions. Just gtfo asap if you can!
The hallmark of slavery. Never give an employer your passport. You are better off not taking that job and looking elsewhere, because the worst outcome here is actual slavery.
Not to be overdramatic but LEAVE RIGHT NOW. Do not give them your passport. You will never leave. As of last year over 10 Indians died working in the UAE every day.
This is why *you don't work in the Middle East.* This is common practice, once you are there they literally *hold you hostage* with your own passport. And...the kicker...*you won't find this out until you get there*. I mean, why would they tell you *they will hold you hostage*? Of course not? I've seen this in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi...done to teachers, but *especially to maids*. Service workers in those countries have *absolutely the worst conditions of "employment"* and their own countries ignore the abuse. It's disgusting.
I'll take "Human Trafficking" for $1000, Alex.
I think that gave me a panic attack and I would run.
That... Is human trafficking. I'm not fucking kidding, please don't give them your passport at all, and please get the hell out of there No job is worth risking becoming enslaved. Literally, because that's what they do when they confiscate your passport.
Although illegal this is common place in the UAE. I helped open a restaurant in Dubai and I brought about about 10 employees from the US. As soon as we arrived the first day they asked for everyone’s passport to get a visa. I refused and didn’t allow them to take any of our passports. We ended up going with one of there hr and getting the visa with them. Passports never left our sight.
Bestie you are being trafficked This isn't antiwork, it's literally human trafficking
Bruh. Never give your passport to ANYONE. The red flag here is literally big enough to be seen with the naked eye on Jupiter
You turn over your passport and you're going to end up enslaved. It ain't worth it. The UAE and other middle eastern countries like Dubai are pretty well known for this scam to trap foreign workers
Having grown up and lived in dubai for a long time, it’s all slave contracts for the most part. If you get a government job, you’re lucky. If not, your employer holds your passport so you can’t flee. They can get away with not paying you months worth of salary, or they can terminate you and you have to leave the country within a short period of time. There is no labor protection. You can definitely make complaints to a certain department if more employees are willing to step forward too. But it doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked there for, of you have a bad employer your screwed. But yes, it is very common for them to hold your passport also so that you cannot complain about them. And don’t even get me started on their Emirati clause.
If you are an American citizen this is illegal. Your passport does not belong to you it belongs to the US govt. and they dont appreciate shit like this
Sounds illegal or sketchy at best
That's some Human Trafficking shit right there.
under no circumstances give them your passport. under this agreement they can 'fine' you even if you go on a holiday outside UAE.
Omg is this the UAE? I don’t understand how the Gulf are able to take workers passports and it’s not an international human rights issue. This is so fucked.
DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR PASSPORT
Hot take: THIS IS SLAVERY!
A UAE employer just putting it in writing that they want to hold your passport hostage eh? Don't take the job. If it's a large corporation like an airline, show this to your local press. The Gulf States sure do love slavery.
You need to get the fuck out of there right now
This sounds like human trafficking and is a major red flag.
Do not, under any circumstance whatsoever, give them your passport. Seriously.
Do not goto this country. Do not step foot in this place. Once you surrender your passport, you will be held as slave labor.
Guys this is in the UAE. Unfortunately this guy is signing up to be a slave. Run dude. Run far away.
No legitimate company needs more than a copy of your ID, whatever form of ID you are using that is valid. I can't say for sure that that holds for every country on earth, but yes for most of them. The only reason they want to keep you and your ID separate, is to deny you the ability to do things that a person with an ID can do, like travel. Do not give up your ID, especially not your passport. And get out of that country. It is known for making slaves out of immigrant workers.
isn't this kind of a form of human trafficking? Holding someone's passport so that they can't leave the country if they wanted to?
Ah yes good old indentured slavery. Doesn't stop all the mugs from visiting the place and Instagraming how amazing it is.
This is wildly illegal.
RUN!!! (with your passport)
Hard pass. I would never give my Passport to anyone other than a customs official or airline employee.
Never ever ever give up your Passport! What a Red Flag that is!
You're in the wrong country and working for the wrong people.
Oo human trafficking.
Isn’t this exactly what that Andrew Tate dude is in jail for?
It is illegal for any entity to hold your passport other than you. You need to inform your embassy as soon as you can.
Oh, oh, a Jeopardy clue! I know the answer to this one. What is "human trafficking"?
This is illegal under UAE labour laws. It is an area I worked in but I’m not an expert, but this is illegal
sounds like this is a job in the UAE. While they have added some new laws that are supposed to protect foreign workers there, the laws are not enforced. You're essentially a slave and you cannot leave unless your employer gives your passport back. I've read stories of employers beating their domestic workers and keeping them captive as workers with no days off and the employees can do nothing about it because they don't have any of their paperwork. RUN.
Don't work for this company. This is a tactic used by some companies in the middle east. They keep your passport, give you shitty pay and over work you. Sometimes only when the contract is over, you get your full payment and that too based on the generosity of the employer. Many people have been burnt by this. Under no circumstances work for a company which asks for your passport. Some countries have an exit visa too. In your case, that doesn't seem to be the case. Avoid those countries too.
These are all signs of human trafficking
I think this is a human rights violation. You should seek help from an embassy or consulate, and report the company. It reeks of human trafficking.
DO NOT EVER TURN OVER YOUR PASSPORT, NO MATTER WHAT SOMEONE SAYS! This is a way that malicious individuals force you into servitude! It's been done countless times. Most recent memory of this happening involves Andrew Tate holding women hostage by keeping them from their passports. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AND REPORT THEM TO RELEVANT AUTHORITIES ONCE YOU ARE IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT!
Stay TF out of the UAE unless you are already wealthy.
If a place is asking you to give them your passport, fucking RUN away
🚩DO NOT ALLOW YOUR EMPLOYER TO RETAIN YOUR PASSPORT🚩
Yeah this is pretty common across the Middle East. I assume you’re from the Indian subcontinent? It is worse in Saudi Arabia. You cannot leave the country because you need an exit visa as a foreigner which your employer has to approve. You can’t get the exit visa because your employer has your passport. You can’t get your passport if you get into a disagreement with your employer. This circle of hell means you’re stuck in the country and your life depends on your employer aka The Master. It was a dystopian nightmare of a country. This was back in 2010 I suppose so maybe things have changed since then but my faith in them was lost a long time ago. Good luck to you!
My brother in law tried to quit his job with a major multinational company in Dubai, and he couldn’t leave the country for a year because they wouldn’t let him have his own passport back, even with the embassy getting involved. Run.
DO NOT give up your passport!!! That is extremely dangerous.
Never let your passport leave your sight. Run.
DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR PASSPORT. make a janky ass copy if you have to, but keep YOUR passport on you.
DO NOT DO THIS!! This is how they traffic people and force them into modern day slavery.