Is it safe to return to the UAE if a police case was opened while I was abroad?

Do not board that flight until you know what the case is — this is solvable from abroad, but only in that order. A complaint filed after you left could be anything from a minor money matter to something serious, and what happens at the airport depends entirely on whether it produced an arrest warrant or a flag against your name. Finding out is the manageable part. Dubai Police offer an online service to check the criminal status of financial cases using your personal details, which covers the most common scenario — cheques, loans, unpaid cards. For anything beyond that, a lawyer in the UAE can act under a power of attorney, which you can execute from abroad through a UAE embassy, and check directly with the police and Public Prosecution what the file contains and what stage it has reached. Many such cases can then be resolved remotely: financial matters are often settled and closed, and some complaints can be withdrawn by the complainant before you ever travel. What you should not do is fly in hoping it is nothing. Engage a licensed UAE criminal lawyer now — verifying and clearing a file before your new job starts is usually faster than people expect.