Civil Marriage for Non-Muslims in Dubai Introduced
Non-Muslim couples getting married in Dubai will be able to get their civil wedding licenses in just 24 hours, as part of a new federal decree-law that came into effect on 1 February 2023.
Tarish Eid Al Mansouri, General Director of Dubai Courts, stated that the "Civil Marriage" service comes within the framework of Dubai Courts' efforts to provide a civil law to regulate family matters for non-Muslims, in line with the new procedures established under Personal Status Law for Non-Muslim Foreigners, which supports the continuous efforts to develop the judicial system in light of the new procedures of the Personal Status Law for non-Muslim foreigners, and provides distinguished services to non-Muslim residents in Emirate of Dubai.
The new Federal Personal Status Law of 7 pages covers marriage, divorce, and inheritance of non-Muslim nationals and expats residing in the UAE. It will regulate marriage conditions and the procedures of contracting and documenting the marriage before the courts and specify the procedures of divorce that can be initiated jointly or unilaterally.
The new decree-law also organises the procedures for settling the financial claims after divorce, and the arrangement of joint custody for the children. Moreover, the decree-law puts in place the procedures for inheritance and testaments (wills) and proofs of paternity.
Read: Civil Marriage for Non-Muslims in Abu Dhabi
Civil marriage conditions for non-Muslim expatriates in Dubai:
- The parties to the marriage contract (the husband and wife) shall not be Muslims, and they shall be at least 21 years of age.
- One of them must have residency or a place of residence in Dubai.
- They must provide evidence of their social status and proof of being unmarried.
- Personal attendance or attendance through an authorised agent with a valid power of attorney is required, along with the presentation of original identity documents for the purpose of reading the identity details of the bride and groom.
All documents must be in electronic format, in PDF, and translated into Arabic by a legally recognised translator from the Ministry of Justice in UAE. If the documents are issued from outside the country, they must be verified by the official entities, including the foreign ministry of the relevant country, the UAE embassy in the relevant country, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation in the UAE.
