Liability letter and clearance letter in the UAE — what each one is, how to get it, and what it costs

A liability letter lists what you owe a UAE bank today, a no-liability letter says you owe it nothing, and a clearance letter confirms one specific loan or card is settled and closed. The bank must issue any of them within 7 working days of your request, under the Central Bank's rules, and the Central Bank caps the fee at AED 50 to 60 for most of them, before VAT. You need one when another bank wants to lend to you, when an employer or embassy asks, and above all when you are leaving the country, because it is the document that tells you the settlement figure.

The three letters, and which one you need

Emirates Islamic describes its liability letter as "an official document that lists and confirms your current financial obligations such as finance and credit cards with the Bank", valid for 15 days once issued. Emirates NBD draws the same line between the two: a clearance letter is for a specific product, a no-liability letter declares you have no liabilities at all.

How to request one

Most banks now take the request in the app. The routes we read on 2026-10-06:

• HSBC: log on to the HSBC UAE app, tap the Profile icon, tap "Request a liability or no liability letter", then choose an all-products, mortgage or no-liability letter.
• Emirates NBD: the liability and no-liability request sits under Help and Support; the credit-card clearance letter is a self-service form, processed within 7 working days, collected from the branch you choose, free of charge, and available 45 days after the card is cancelled. You can track it on 600 54 0000 by saying "Track Clearance Letter".
• Emirates Islamic: a no-liability letter through the call centre; a liability letter at a branch, collected with your Emirates ID or passport.

If your bank's app has no route, the branch is the route. Take your Emirates ID, ask what the letter will cost before you sign, and note the date.

What it may cost

The Central Bank publishes the maximum fees in Appendix 2 of its regulation on loans and services to individual customers. All figures are before VAT.

These are ceilings, not prices. The Central Bank's own introduction to the table says banks must not default to the maximum where their cost is lower, and some charge nothing: Emirates NBD's credit-card clearance letter is free.

The 7-working-day rule, and the fine behind it

The Central Bank's financial-sanctions regulation has an article for exactly this. It says a routine function of all UAE banks is to provide liability statements and clearance letters within 7 working days of the customer's application, that the purpose is to let the customer rely on the confirmation or move their account to another bank, and that a bank which fails is fined AED 10,000 for each violation plus AED 10,000 for each further working day of delay, up to AED 100,000. The rule applies to retail customers.

So the date you apply matters. Write it down. If day eight arrives without the letter, you are not asking a favour; you are pointing at a deadline the bank is fined for missing. The complaint guide has the two steps and the template.

When the bank says no, or says wait

• "You have missed payments." A liability letter cannot be refused on that ground; it will show the arrears, which is the point of it. What you cannot get while anything is owed is a no-liability or clearance letter, because they would be false.
• "Wait 45 days." For a cancelled credit card, Emirates NBD issues the clearance letter 45 days after cancellation. That is the window in which a late transaction can still post. Plan the card cancellation that far ahead of a departure.
• "Settle first." A clearance letter follows settlement. If the settlement figure in the liability letter is more than you have, the settlement guide and the settlement offer calculator are the next step, and the early-settlement fee is capped at 1 percent of the balance or AED 10,000, whichever is less.

If you are leaving the UAE: the order

1. Liability letter first, from every bank you owe, as early as you can. It is the settlement figure.
2. Settle or arrange. Pay off, or agree a plan in writing with the bank, with the deferment guide's email as a starting point if you need time.
3. Cancel the card, then wait for the clearance window (45 days at Emirates NBD).
4. Clearance letters, one per product, and a no-liability letter if the bank will give one.
5. Keep copies of every letter, with dates, somewhere that is not the phone you might lose in transit.

Before any of that, run the travel-ban check, and read what actually happens when you leave with debt.

Frequently asked questions

Does a liability letter affect my credit score?

No. It is a document the bank produces about your existing position; it is not an enquiry on your Al Etihad Credit Bureau file. The new bank reading it may then run a check, which is an enquiry.

Can I get a liability letter if my account is frozen after a visa cancellation?

Yes; the obligations exist whether or not the account operates. Ask at a branch with your Emirates ID or passport. The visa-cancelled guide explains what the freeze is and what to arrange around it.

Is a no-liability letter the same as closing the account?

No. The letter states your position. Closing the account is a separate request, and the same Central Bank rule says an account must be closed and an appropriate certificate issued within 7 days of the application, without a penalty if the account is more than a year old.

What if the letter has a mistake in it?

Ask the bank to reissue it, in writing, the same day. A liability letter with the wrong balance will be relied on by the next bank, the car buyer or the immigration officer, and the error is cheaper to fix now than at the airport.

Do I need a lawyer to get one?

No. Any retail customer can request their own. A lawyer or a person with your written authorisation can collect one for you if you are already outside the country.

Sources, and when we last read them

Every figure in this guide comes from one of the sources below. The date is when we last read the guide against them. Rules and fees change without notice, so if a number matters to a decision, open the primary page before you rely on it.

When three letters become one number

Every bank's letter is a line; what you need is the total and the order to clear it. Hisab holds every balance with its due date and legal status, tells you which to settle first, and drafts the email to each bank. Free, no account, records on your phone.

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