Is a cheque bounce over a signature mismatch treated as an offence in the UAE?

A signature mismatch is not treated the same way as bouncing for insufficient funds — and on your facts it should be far less serious. The conduct the law targets is deliberate: intentionally signing a cheque in a way designed to prevent it being paid is an offence, but a signature that has naturally drifted over the years, with the money sitting in the account, is a banking problem rather than a criminal one. Intent is the dividing line, and your account balance on the presentation date is your best evidence of good faith. Fix it practically and fast. Update your specimen signature at the bank so this never repeats, get a bank letter or statement confirming the funds were available and that the return reason was a signature mismatch, and pay the rent immediately by transfer or a reissued cheque. Send the landlord the proof along with the payment — most talk of filing a case evaporates once rent arrives with an innocent explanation attached. If he files something anyway, that paper trail is your defence, and remember unpaid rent has its own consequences at the Rental Disputes Centre, so do not let the dispute delay payment. A licensed UAE lawyer can respond formally if the landlord persists.