Fees
What debt collection actually costs in Dubai
Nearly every agency in this market advertises "no win, no fee" and then stops explaining. This page sets out the whole structure — how commission is calculated, when it becomes payable, what is excluded, and what happens to the cost if a case has to escalate.
The short version
You pay nothing to place a claim with us and nothing while we work on it. If we recover money, we take an agreed percentage of what was actually collected. If we recover nothing, you owe us nothing.
That is the entire commercial arrangement for amicable recovery. The only costs that ever sit outside it are court fees and advocates' fees on a case that escalates to formal proceedings — and those are never incurred without your written approval first.
The commission rate on your file is confirmed in the engagement letter before any work begins. It is not adjusted afterwards, and it does not change because a debt turned out to be harder than expected.
How the commission is calculated
Commission is charged on the amount actually recovered and remitted to you — not on the face value of the invoice, and not on the amount claimed. Three things move the rate:
| Factor | Effect on the rate | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size of the debt | Larger claim → lower % | The work involved in a claim does not scale linearly with its value. |
| Age of the debt | Older debt → higher % | Contacts leave, entities restructure and evidence goes cold. A four-year-old invoice takes materially more work than a four-month-old one. |
| Volume | Ledger placement → lower % | A batch of accounts placed together carries less per-file overhead than a single claim. |
What is not included
Two categories of cost sit outside the commission. Both only arise if a matter escalates past amicable recovery, and neither is ever incurred without your written approval.
- Court and filing fees. Payable to the court, not to us. In the UAE these are calculated as a percentage of the claim value and are subject to a cap. The exact figure for your claim is confirmed before anything is filed.
- Advocates' fees. We are not a law firm. Where formal proceedings are required the file is referred to our associate advocates in the UAE, who quote their own fee. You see that quote and approve it before the referral proceeds.
Translation, notarisation, expert reports and enforcement-stage disbursements are also charged at cost where a case requires them, again only with prior approval.
When commission becomes payable
Commission is invoiced on recovery, not on promise. A signed settlement agreement or an instalment plan does not by itself trigger a fee — the fee follows the money as it arrives. On instalment settlements, commission is charged proportionally against each payment received rather than as a lump sum at the outset.
If a debtor pays you directly after we have made contact, that recovery is still commissionable. This is standard across the industry and it exists for an obvious reason: the demand is what produced the payment. It is set out plainly in the engagement letter rather than buried in it.
What you get before you commit to anything
- An assessment of whether the debt is documented well enough to be worth pursuing.
- Which recovery route applies — and whether an alternative would be faster or cheaper.
- The commission rate for your specific file, in writing.
- An honest view on likelihood. If we do not think a debt is recoverable, we say so rather than take the file and bill you nothing while it goes nowhere.
None of that costs anything, and none of it obliges you to instruct us.
Why we publish this at all
Because almost nobody in this market does, and the silence is doing the industry no favours. A creditor comparing three agencies that all say "no win, no fee" and none of which explains what that means has no basis on which to choose. Publishing the structure is not a competitive risk — it is the reason to call us rather than the agency that would not tell you.
Fee questions
Questions creditors actually ask about cost
Is there really nothing to pay up front?
For amicable recovery, no. No registration fee, no retainer, no monthly charge and no minimum term. The only costs that can arise before recovery are court and advocates' fees on a case that escalates, and those require your written approval first.
What if the debtor pays only part of what is owed?
Commission is charged on what is recovered. If a settlement lands at sixty per cent of the claim, commission is calculated on that sixty per cent — not on the original invoice value.
What if we accept a settlement you did not recommend?
That is your call to make, and we will document our view before you make it. Commission applies to the recovered amount either way.
Do you charge to review a claim before we instruct you?
No. The assessment is free, including our view on whether the debt is realistically recoverable and which route fits. There is no charge and no obligation to proceed.
Is VAT charged on the commission?
UAE VAT is applied where it is due under the applicable rules. The engagement letter states the position for your file so the total cost is clear before you sign.