Getting Married in Dubai: What are Legal Requirements for Expatriates
There has been an increase in people marrying in the UAE, which may be why the number of marriage lawyers in Dubai is also going up. Also, it is also even essential that couples should seek marriage counselling services before they take the step in the new chapter of their lives together to get Dubai court marriage certificate.
Marriage
Marriage, in general, is a legal bond between two people. It is bound by a contract between the two parties. This is celebrated through a ceremony that is called a wedding. There can be a
· civil marriage in Dubai or
· Register marriage in Dubai
wherein a government official performs the ceremony and a religious marriage wherein a pastor/clergy performs it on the other hand.
Although there is a general meaning of marriage, it still somehow varies from one country to another in terms of some details because of different cultures in the world.
Different kinds of Marriage as listed below:
- Monogamy—this is a type of marriage that is most common in the world and is practiced in societies. This is a marriage that involves one partner at a time. It is believed that this kind of marriage proves to be more stable and has fewer conflicts.
- Polygyny—This second type of marriage is when, at a given period of time, a man marries more than one woman. In ancient civilizations, this was common. To this day, it is still quite popular but not quite as monogamy.
- Polyandry—This one is quite similar to the first one but it is the woman who marries more than one man. Marquesan Islanders of Polynesia is one of the people who practice this kind of marriage.
How to Get Married in Dubai
If you are planning to Dubai? Knowing about all the legal procedures of getting married in Dubai is as important as any other thing to you when planning your wedding.
In the UAE, the laws are all based and founded on Sharia Law. This an Islamic religion legal system that regulates all aspects of the country (public or private). With this, there is a strict law in this nation with regard to marriage and a man and woman living together. Regardless of the couple’s religion and nationality, it is prohibited for them to live together unless they’re married.
According to the law, the only two ways that a man and a woman can be together in one house are (a) if they are married or (b) family members. If they are not family members and they live under the same roof, it can be punishable by law. Only marriage can give them the right to share a space together, build a family, and have their and their children’s rights be protected.
Requirements for marriage in Dubai – Expats Should Prepare for Getting Married in Dubai
Getting married in Dubai follows a set of procedures like in any other country. It mostly depends on the couple’s residency status, citizenship, and even nationality. There are documents that are required and some that are needed to be attested.
Non-Muslim Expats
To be firstly approved to be legally married / court marriage in Dubai, the couples must be both at least 18 years old. Second, they should have two witnesses with IDs with them.
There are several requirements for marriage in Dubai that an embassy or a church requires, which depends on the above-mentioned factors (nationality, citizenship, etc.).
However, the usual Dubai court marriage documents that are required by them are the ones below:
- Original and photocopies of the passports of the couple
- Birth certificates of the couples to be married
- Original and photocopies of the passports of the witnesses
- Medical fitness certificate and a blood test was taken at the Ministry of Health
- Former marriage certificates and final divorce papers if one or both of the parties are divorcees
- Previous Spouse’s death certificate if one or both of the parties are widows
There are countries in that would ask couples who wish to marry in the UAE to submit an intention to marry application. This will then be filed at the concerned embassy or consulate in the country. To be sure, it is important that the couples check with their respective embassies.
You may want to know: civil marriage in Dubai for foreigners
Muslim Expats
There is also a different procedure for Muslim expats who wish to be married in UAE through a Sharia marriage.
The couple needs to visit the website of Dubai Courts. Registration is needed wherein a form will be submitted afterwards. A token number will be given.
These are the requirements that are needed to be prepared by the couple to get married in Dubai:
- There should be at least one person who has an employment or residence visa in Dubai.
- On the day of marriage, both parties should be there at the Dubai Court.
- The national ID of the couple
- Passports of the couple
- Visa status of the couple
- Pre-marriage medical certificate
It should be noted that Muslim women should have a guardian and two male witnesses. They cannot be alone and represent themselves.
In the event that the father of the bride has passed away, his death certificate should be presented. The closest male guardian of the bride will then be required.
In a circumstance that the father of the bride is allowed yet cannot possibly be present on the day of marriage, a proxy guardian can be delegated by him. This proxy must have the same religion as the father. A certified power of attorney should be shown as well.
Dubai Court Marriage – How Souzan El Kayaji Legal Consultancy Marriage lawyers will help you?
There are a lot of Law firms in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi UAE that offer Dubai marriage counselling services that also have marriage lawyers in Dubai to handle some affairs for you. Souzan El Kayaji Legal Consultancy Lawyers and Legal Consultants is one of them, a leading firm that doesn’t simply handle a team of family lawyers in Dubai but also provides certificate attestation in UAE for the marriage certificates and other documents that couples need to be attested.
