Sanadak Handles UAE Bank and Insurance Complaints. The Current Wait Is 15 Days, Not 30

Updated 10 September 2026: Sanadak remains one of the most useful UAE consumer-protection tools for financial disputes. But the original Robius guide is stale on a key procedural point: the current Sanadak eligibility test requires you to first complain to the relevant licensed financial institution or insurance company and then wait 15 calendar days, not the 30 days stated in the old article.

There is also an important fee distinction. Initial complaints are free for consumers and SMEs. An appeal is not free: Sanadak’s current FAQ lists an AED 500 appeal fee, refundable when the appeal determination is in favour of the appellant.

What Sanadak Actually Covers

Sanadak’s current FAQ says complaints can be filed against Licensed Financial Institutions and Insurance Companies licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE.

That can include disputes involving banks, finance companies, exchange houses and other institutions within the CBUAE complaint perimeter, as well as insurance-company disputes.

The exact product still matters. A complaint involving an offshore broker, a VARA-regulated virtual-asset firm, a DFSA-regulated DIFC firm or an FSRA-regulated ADGM firm should not be pushed into Sanadak merely because it is “financial.” Use the complaint route for the regulator and legal entity that actually cover the product.

The Current Eligibility Test

Sanadak’s live complaint form currently asks five threshold questions. The key ones include whether you are filing as a natural person, sole proprietor or SME; whether the matter is already before a court; whether the same issue has been submitted before; whether you first filed an official complaint with the institution; and whether 15 calendar days have elapsed.

On the current site, you can proceed where 15 days have passed and either no written response was sent or you received a response but are not satisfied with it, subject to the other eligibility criteria.

That directly replaces the old Robius sentence saying the institution “typically” had 30 days before escalation.

Keep the Institution Complaint Formal

Do not rely on three phone calls and assume the clock started. Submit a formal complaint through the institution’s recognised complaint channel and keep the reference number or written acknowledgement.

• save the complaint reference and submission date;
• keep the contract, Key Facts Statement, policy, statements or transaction evidence;
• save emails and written chat records;
• record what remedy you asked for; and
• keep the institution’s written response if one arrives.

Those records help establish both eligibility and the substance of the dispute when Sanadak reviews it.

Initial Complaint: Free. Appeal: AED 500

The old headline called the dispute-resolution service “free.” That is broadly useful for the first complaint, but incomplete for the full process.

Sanadak’s current FAQ says initial complaints are free for consumers and SMEs. If a party appeals a decision, the current appeal charge is AED 500 per appeal. Sanadak says the appeal fee is refunded when the appeal determination is in favour of the appellant.

There Is Also a Filing-Time Limit

Sanadak’s FAQ currently says a complaint may generally be filed up to three years from the conduct that generated the complaint or two years from when the consumer became aware of the conduct, whichever is longer, with possible exceptions depending on circumstances.

That is another reason not to let an unresolved complaint drift indefinitely.

Insurance and Court Proceedings Need Extra Care

The current eligibility test asks whether the complaint is already being handled by a court. Sanadak lists a court-handled matter among its rejection criteria.

Its FAQ also distinguishes financial-institution and insurance disputes: for complaints against Licensed Financial Institutions, complainants can go directly to court; for complaints against insurance companies, Sanadak says complainants must first complain to Sanadak rather than going directly to court.

Anyone considering litigation should check the current procedural position before filing in more than one forum.

What Happens After Submission

Sanadak says it acknowledges a complaint and begins review, may request further information, and then determines whether the complaint is upheld, partially upheld or rejected. If upheld, corrective action may be directed to the institution.

Its current resolution timeline says acknowledgement should occur within three business days and lists an initial response stage of up to 15 calendar days. Complex complaints can require more work beyond those early stages, so Robius would not turn the published milestones into a promise that every dispute finishes in a fixed number of days.

How to File

Use Sanadak’s official website and complaint portal. The current site also lists 800 SANADAK (800 72 623 25) and its Abu Dhabi Consumer Happiness Center.

Use the official domain directly rather than a paid “complaint recovery” intermediary unless you independently choose professional representation for a complex case.

The Bottom Line

Sanadak remains a strong practical escalation route for eligible disputes with CBUAE-licensed financial institutions and insurance companies.

The current procedure is clearer than the old Robius guide: complain to the institution first, wait 15 calendar days, then check Sanadak eligibility if there is no satisfactory resolution. The initial complaint is free; an appeal currently costs AED 500.

Most importantly, use Sanadak only for the institutions it covers. “UAE regulated” is not one complaint system.

Sources

• Sanadak — Complaint Eligibility: current 15-calendar-day prerequisite, eligibility questions and rejection criteria — sanadak.gov.ae

• Sanadak — FAQ: covered entities, free initial complaints, AED 500 appeal fee, filing-time limits and court/insurance guidance — sanadak.gov.ae

• Sanadak — Resolution Process: current published complaint stages and timelines — sanadak.gov.ae

Checked 10 September 2026. Complaint eligibility and procedure can change. Verify the live Sanadak criteria before filing. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Robius.news — Dubai, UAE — 2026 | Built to be first. Built to be trusted.