Bank by bank
FAB: who to contact when you can't pay, and what to say
The Debt Counselling exists to agree a plan with you. Contacting them before a payment is missed keeps every option open.
Checked on the banks' own websites on 26 August 2026.
Contacts for FAB
- The team
- Debt CounsellingCovers conventional and Islamic products
- Debt team phone
- 600 53 2232
- Hours
- Monday–Thursday: 9:00am–5:00pm
- Friday: 9:00am–12:30pm and 2:30pm–5:00pm
- Saturday: 9:00am–1:00pm
- Worth knowing
- The same number, email and hours are printed on FAB's conventional and Shariah product pages, so one team covers both.
What happens if you don't pay FAB
Reminders first, then a recovery officer, then a report to the Etihad Credit Bureau, and only for larger unresolved debts a civil claim. A travel ban needs a court order for a debt of AED 10,000 or more; a bank cannot impose one on its own.
Read what happens, stage by stage →What to say
Ask in writing, be specific about what you can pay and from when, and keep the reply. Our deferment guide has a copy-and-adapt email that UAE banks recognise.
Get the email template →Work out what you can offer first
Put your balances and payments into the calculator to see what a realistic plan looks like before you write.
Open the calculator- How do I contact FAB's hardship team?
- Email Debtcounsellors@bankfab.com. You can also call 600 53 2232. Every detail here was verified on FAB's own website on 26 August 2026; the bank's page is the final word.
- Can FAB put a travel ban on me?
- No bank can impose a travel ban on its own. Under the 2022 Civil Procedures Law a creditor must ask the Execution Court, generally for an established debt of AED 10,000 or more, and a judge decides.
- Will FAB restructure or defer my loan?
- Hardship teams can offer deferments, restructured instalments or settlement plans instead of legal action. Nothing is guaranteed, but asking early and in writing, with a realistic figure, is what makes an arrangement likely.
Other banks
Hisab drafts the email to FAB for you, in your language, and keeps every debt in one place on your phone. Free, no account.