Marriage is a virtually universal celebration, but the bureaucracies for the act are particular to each country, related to tradition and legislation. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, Dubai, the matter is taken seriously and everyone from any country in Dubai is subject to rules that are closely linked to local religious culture.
In Dubai, arranged marriages are still common and Western habits are often seen with evil eyes. Therefore, it is important that everyone know the marriage rules of Dubai.
According to Sharia (the law of Islam), a couple is forbidden to live together without being married. You can only live with a person of the opposite sex if she is your spouse or a member of your family. So even people who do not have a loving relationship, but who share the same roof – usually for financial reasons – are subject to penalties.
On the other hand, there is no “moral police” in Dubai that knocks on the door behind your marriage certificate. However, if your behavior catches the attention of neighbors, usually for party, noise and alcohol reasons, they can report you and then the police will have to investigate. The penalty is 1 to 6 months of detention followed by deportation.
If a woman gets pregnant outside of marriage, this can become a police matter and bring serious complications to the life of the couple and, especially, of the woman. When a pregnant woman arrives at the hospital to perform the prenatal care, she is charged with the marriage certificate in addition to the passport and visa. If she is not married and does not do so until the date of delivery, she will be deported to the country of origin.
Sex outside marriage is equally illegal, even if it is consensual, including for foreigners. What is important to understand is that Sharia is the country’s code of conduct and it is the Penal Code that decides the penalty regardless of nationality or religion. The severity in the application of the rules varies from Emirate to Emirate, as well as the bureaucracy for the accomplishment of the marriage.
As Dubai is a Muslim origin state, if you’re a non-Muslim you need to arrange a wedding ceremony at your embassy or church. If you’re a non-Arabic person, your marriage certificate will be issued in English then, it will be translated into Arabic to be recognized in Dubai. It also must be certified by the Notary Public department and validated by marriage registrar in Dubai at the Ministry of Justice. If you are not Dubai national, the marriage certificate needs MoJ authentication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
No matter, you are Dubai or other nationality holders, you need to go through a lot of bureaucracies and it needs a lot of time as well. The most recommended tip is to hire the wedding experts at Wedding Champs who will deal all official process at marriage registrar in Dubai for marriage certification for you.
The Ministry of Justice is the official government body in Dubai responsible for issuing marriage certificates to residents of the country, whether local, expatriate, Muslim or otherwise. To be married here, the couple must have a residence permit; present a birth certificate, passport and a document proving that there is no legal impediment to the union. Expatriate men wishing to marry will have to present a certificate of good conduct issued by the Dubai Police General Directorate.
