What are the procedures of getting married in Dubai?

Marriage contracts between Muslims in Dubai should be registered in a Sharia court in the UAE to ensure the marriage meets legal requirements.

For Emiratis, the process of getting married includes a few simple steps. Both the groom and the bride along with their legal guardians and two Muslim witnesses must be present to complete the marriage contract ceremony. An approved and certified pre-marriage medical certificate issued from a Dubai government hospital or government clinic to rule out diseases such as thalassaemia or HIV/AIDS, must be obtained by anyone who wishes to get married in the UAE.

In the case of Emiratis marrying non-Emiratis in Dubai, the UAE law permits the marriage given that certain conditions are met.
Getting the guardian (walli) who is usually the father to agree to the marriage of his Emirati daughter to a non-Emirati man
In the case of an Emirati woman marring a non-Emirati man, the groom must be a Muslim, and should provide his legal documents. In this case, any children the couple may have will not receive the Emirati citizenship until they are 18 years of age, and meet the eligibility requirements.

Expats Marriage in Dubai

For Muslim expats, several conditions must be met in order for them to get married at the Dubai Courts through a Sharia marriage.

• The process starts by registering and submitting a form on the Dubai Court’s website, after which the couple is given a token number.

• At least one party to the marriage contract (husband, wife or wife’s guardian) should have employment or residence visa in Dubai.

• Both spouses should be present at the Dubai Court on the day, along with them their national ID, passports, and visa status for proof of their identity.

• A pre-marriage medical certificate is also required. 

• Muslim women cannot solely represent themselves at the Dubai Court when getting married. A guardian known as a ‘walli’ is must.

• The bride’s guardian and two Muslim male witnesses should also be present.

• If the bride’s father has passed away, a relevant death certificate should be shown and the presence of the closest male guardian such as brother, uncle, cousin, is required. If the bride’s father is alive but unable to come in person, he can delegate a proxy guardian, who must be of the same religion as that of the bride’s father, to complete marriage procedures through an officially certified power of attorney.

• Click here for the specimen copy of Marriage Document issued by Dubai Courts.

Non-Islamic marriages

For non-Islamic marriages, the procedure and paperwork varies depending on each spouse’s nationality.

• Non-Muslim couples are no longer allowed to get married at Dubai Court. A Muslim man however, can get married to a non-Muslim woman in Dubai Court, while a Muslim woman is prohibited from getting married to a non-Muslim in the UAE. In this case, the marriage is considered void.

• Non-Muslim residents in the UAE can only get married through their Embassies/ Consulates. A lot of non-Muslim couples get married in the church in Dubai and what follows the church procedure is the attestation of documents of their respective embassies along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice.
Each embassy follows the laws and procedures applicable in their country, and the duration of paperwork differs accordingly.
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