Privacy Policy

1Introduction

Al Safawi Accounting and Book Keeping LLC ("Al Safawi," "we," "us," or "our") is an accounting, bookkeeping, tax, and business compliance firm established in 2022, headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and serving clients across all seven Emirates.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal data when you visit alsafawi.ae (the "Website"), contact us through the Website, WhatsApp, telephone, or email, or engage us for accounting, bookkeeping, VAT, corporate tax, payroll, audit, financial reporting, business compliance, advisory, or liquidation support services (the "Services").

We process personal data in accordance with UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data ("PDPL") and its Executive Regulations, as applicable.

2Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Name, job title, and company name
• Email address, phone number, and WhatsApp contact details
• Details of your enquiry, the service(s) you are interested in, and any messages you send us through our contact form, WhatsApp, phone, or email
• If you engage us as a client: financial records, bank statements, invoices, payroll and employee data, trade licence and company incorporation documents, VAT and corporate tax registration details, and other documents reasonably required to perform accounting, bookkeeping, tax, payroll, audit, or compliance Services

Information collected automatically

• IP address, browser type and version, device information, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on the Website, referring website, and click behaviour
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 6)

We do not knowingly collect more personal data than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy.

3How We Use Your Information

• To respond to enquiries and provide requested information about our Services
• To prepare proposals, engagement letters, and quotations
• To perform bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax compliance, payroll and WPS processing, audit and assurance, financial reporting, ESR/UBO/AML compliance support, advisory, and liquidation-support Services for our clients
• To communicate with you about your enquiry, ongoing engagement, or account, including via WhatsApp where you have contacted us on that channel
• To comply with our obligations to UAE regulators and authorities, including the Federal Tax Authority ("FTA"), the Ministry of Economy, and other competent authorities, where required by law or by an engagement
• To maintain records as required under UAE commercial, tax, and anti-money-laundering laws
• To improve and secure the Website, and to understand how visitors use it (including via analytics)
• To send administrative communications; we do not send marketing communications unless you have opted in, and you may opt out at any time

4Legal Basis for Processing

Under the PDPL, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases to process your personal data:

• Consent — where you have given clear consent, for example by submitting our contact form or messaging us on WhatsApp
• Performance of a contract — where processing is necessary to provide Services under an engagement letter or contract with you
• Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to comply with UAE tax, anti-money-laundering, company compliance, or other applicable laws
• Legitimate interests — where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests (such as Website security and service improvement), provided this does not override your fundamental rights

Where our Services require us to process financial, tax, or other sensitive client data, this is processed strictly for the purpose of delivering the engaged Services and meeting our regulatory obligations.

5Sharing of Information

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data with:

• Regulatory and government authorities in the UAE (including the FTA and other competent authorities), where required for the Services or by law
• Auditors, banks, and other professional third parties directly involved in delivering an engagement, on a need-to-know basis
• Service providers who support our operations, such as website hosting, IT support, email, accounting/practice-management software, and WhatsApp Business, under confidentiality obligations
• Professional advisers (legal, insurance) where necessary
• Any party to whom we are legally required to disclose information, including in response to a valid request from a UAE court or regulator

Any third party processing personal data on our behalf is required to protect it in a manner consistent with this Policy and applicable law.

6Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our Website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, and analyse traffic (for example, via analytics tools). You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings; doing so may affect some Website functionality. We do not use cookies to sell your data to third parties.

7Cross-Border Data Transfer

Personal data is generally stored and processed within the UAE. Where personal data is transferred outside the UAE (for example, to a cloud service provider or software vendor located abroad), we ensure such transfers take place only to jurisdictions recognised as providing an adequate level of protection, or subject to appropriate safeguards such as contractual clauses, consent, or another basis permitted under the PDPL.

8Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including to satisfy legal, accounting, tax, or reporting requirements. UAE law requires certain accounting, tax, and compliance records to be retained for a minimum period (generally five years, and longer in specific cases such as VAT records or real-estate-related records). Enquiry data from visitors who do not become clients is retained only as long as reasonably needed to respond to the enquiry, unless you ask us to delete it sooner.

9Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure, including access controls, secure storage of client financial records, and confidentiality obligations for our staff. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10Your Rights

Subject to the PDPL and its Executive Regulations, you may have the right to:

• Request confirmation of whether we process your personal data, and access a copy of it
• Request correction or completion of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request erasure of your personal data, subject to our legal and regulatory retention obligations
• Request restriction of, or object to, certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests
• Request a copy of your data in a portable, machine-readable format, where technically feasible
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal
• Lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office if you believe your personal data has been processed unlawfully

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 13.

11Children's Privacy

Our Website and Services are directed at businesses and individuals over the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

12Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

13Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us: