Marriage in the UAE according to the law:
The Personal Status Law No. (28) issued in 2005 regulates issues related to marriage in the United Arab Emirates.
This law contains 363 legal articles.
According to UAE law, the marriage contract is the legal framework for creating a new family and having children in the UAE.
The aim is to protect the rights of spouses and their children. All residents of the UAE can consummate their marriage, regardless of their nationality and religious beliefs.
Civil marriage is a marriage that is documented and registered with the court in accordance with the constitution and the law, provided that the two parties to the marriage are registered in the civil status records in the United Arab Emirates or are residents of the United Arab Emirates.
Documents required for marriage in the UAE?
1- Original birth certificates.
2- Original of the passport.
3- A copy of the valid residence permit for at least one of the betrothed.
4- Certificate of fitness for marriage.
5- Certificate of proof of the marital status of the girl (single, married, divorced) Or a no-objection certificate from the girl’s embassy in the UAE.
6- It must be attested by the UAE consulate if the certificate is issued outside the country.
7- The presence of the girl’s guardian in front of the authorized person (her father – her brother – or a legal representative). The judge may authorize an exception to this requirement. If the guardian is unable to attend for compelling reasons.
General conditions for a marriage contract in the UAE?
1- Satisfaction and consent of the wife and not to coerce her into marriage.
2- At least one of the parties to the marriage contract (the husband, wife, or guardian of the wife) must have a residence visa in the country.
3- And each of the spouses must bring their personal identification and passport to prove their identity and visa status.
4- In the rest of the Emirates, both parties must be residents of the United Arab Emirates.
5- Submit a certificate of health fitness for marriage issued by one of the medical centers approved by the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
What are the legal conditions for polygamy?
1- Financial and physical capacity, which is that the husband is able to provide for his wives and achieve justice between them and that he is sexually able to do so.
2- Justice between wives, and justice between wives is in dividing them with justice and equality without inclination to one and preferring her with some worldly pleasures over the other.
3- Not to combine more than four women at the same time. In the matter of polygamy, Islamic law specified the number of women with whom it is permissible to marry.
4- There should not be a condition in the marriage contract between a man and his first wife that stipulates not to marry another woman.
5- It is not permissible for a man on whom his wife has stipulated that he not marry another woman, to marry another woman, secretly or openly. Otherwise, the marriage contract is considered null and void due to the loss of one of its basic conditions.
What is the marriage ceremony for non-Muslims?
Marriage ceremonies for non-Muslims take place in:
1- The embassy or consulate of their two countries is located in the United Arab Emirates.
2- Places of worship for the couple such as a temple or a church.
The foreign resident of other religions must inquire about the ways to consummate the marriage through the embassy or consulate of his country located in the United Arab Emirates.
The marriage must also be registered in the embassies of the countries of the newlyweds and the judicial departments in the UAE.
New Muslim women must also submit a certificate of conversion to Islam, along with certificates from any Islamic center approved by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. For divorced women, they must provide an official certificate or divorce ruling. In addition, the widower, male or female, must present the death certificate of his deceased spouse.
It should be noted that all certificates not issued in the United Arab Emirates must be legally translated into Standard Arabic and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country and the UAE Embassy in that country.
It must also be approved by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice in the United Arab Emirates.