In the UAE, Abu Dhabi is the only Emirate that permits civil marriage among non-muslims and foreigners. The Decree No. 14 of 2021 was issued last year changing the landscape of family law in this gulf country. As highlighted earlier, more than 1000 couples tied their knot after the pronouncement of this new law.
However, some procedural difficulties still exist pertaining to the registration of civil marriage. In this article, we are going to discuss the procedural modalities while registering a civil marriage with the help of our best family lawyer of UAE.
Civil Marriage in AUH
One of the major highlights of the new law is that it introduces the concept of civil marriage, which is exclusively based on the will of both husband and wife. In the opinion of our best family lawyers of UAE, there is no need of taking consent from the women’s family. All the disputes provided under this new law shall be adjudicated by the Civil Family Court of the Emirate. Article 4 of the law has prescribed some conditions while entering into a civil marriage, which are as follows:
- Both the spouses must be above the age of 18 years;
- The consent of both the parties must be explicit;
- Both the spouses must sign the declaration form;
- Any other condition specified by the competent authority must be fulfilled.
- The civil marriage will not take place between siblings, children, grandchildren and uncles.
Procedure for contracting a civil marriage
Article 5 of the Abu Dhabi law provides for the procedure for contracting a civil marriage. The steps are as follows-
- Download the civil marriage application form available on Abu Dhabi Judicial Department website.
- Fill the form carefully and email it to nonmuslimfamilycourt@adjd.gov.ae along with requisite documents.
- After satisfaction with the documents, the court will give you a date for the marriage ceremony.
- On the scheduled date, the couple will visit the court to sign the marriage certificate and will get a stamped copy of the same.
Conclusion
The new law has made AUH a more inclusive region where even expats can tie their knots. This will further attract investors which will ultimately boost the investment. For registration, it is important to consult one of our best family lawyers of UAE.
BSB legal is a specialized family law firm of UAE. Our best lawyers will assist you in adoption, marriage, divorce, and doing other advisory work. To know more information, kindly contact one of our best family lawyers in the UAE. You can email us at info@bsb.legal or call +971 508014003.