Weddings & Marriage in Dubai

Getting Married In Dubai

The best thing to do is to speak to the embassy of your country or your place of worship for the full and current details. Wedding blessings can be held at some of the 5 star hotels, so some couples opt for a smaller church wedding and a larger blessing ceremony at a hotel venue. Most 5 star hotels offer wedding packages and you can also employ a wedding planner to help you with all the organisation of your wedding. There are wedding dress shops in Dubai, so your dress can be purchased locally and party store shops have wedding supplies which means you can organise your whole wedding locally. If you need extras you can always order online- there are many great wedding supply websites out there. Many people choose to take advantage of the great tailors here and have the suits and dresses made in the UAE.

The wedding "season" in Dubai runs from September to May- largely due to the weather being too hot and people want to take advantage of the outdoors! Popular days are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Legal papers you will need:

• Full birth certificates
• Ten year passports and photocopies
• Passports and photocopies of two witnesses
• UAE Medical fitness certificate and blood test undertaken at Ministry of Health affiliated medical centres
• If you have been divorced then the final divorce papers and your former marriage certificate must be shown.
• If you are widowed then the death certificate of your previous spouse must be shown.
• More documents may be required dependant on your nationality or situation.

If you are from the UK and don't have certain certificates you can order them online from this site www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

Here is the information from the British Embassy:

Marriage in the Church

British nationals who are resident in Dubai and are Anglican Christians may be able to marry at Holy Trinity Church (Tel = 04 337 0247), or Christ Church, Jebel Ali, (Tel = 04 884 5436)
Roman Catholics may be able to marry at St Mary's Church, (Tel = 04 337 0087)
The Churches will provide details of documentation, fees and other requirements.
This may involve making a sworn affidavit and posting Notice of Marriage at the Embassy in Dubai.
A Date for the marriage must be obtained before posting Notice.

Pre-requisites for Anglican Marriage:

• At least one partner is Anglican
• Neither partner is Muslim
• At least one partner is resident in Dubai, (unless prior permission is obtained from the Church and all necessary legalities met in both partners places of residence in the UK.)
• The ceremony must take place in the Church; (Blessings only may be possible at other locations by arrangement with the Reverends).
• Official attested proof from the Embassy that the British partner is free to marry.
• Minimum age = 18

Pre-requisites for Roman Catholic Marriage:

• At least one partner is Roman Catholic
• Neither partner is Muslim
• At least one partner is resident in Dubai.
• Official proof from the Home church that each partner is not married.
• Minimum age: Female = 18, Male = 21

After the ceremony has taken place in either the Anglican or Roman Catholic church, in order to ensure that the marriage is recognised in Dubai, the couple must take a signed copy of the entry in the Church Marriage register for accreditation to:

i. The Dubai Courts, near Maktoum Bridge and Rashid Hospital
ii. The Ministry of Justice
iii. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Muslim Marriage:

A marriage between two Muslims can be conducted in the Sharia'a Court in Dubai, as can a marriage between a Muslim man and a non-Muslim woman. However, the court will not allow a non-Muslim man to marry a Muslim woman. The man must first convert to Islam. More information on this can be obtained from the Sharia'a Court (Tel = 04 303 0406).

Pre-requisites:

• Groom is Muslim
• Bride is Muslim or Christian
• At least one partner resident in Dubai
• Approval of Bride's father or closest male relative has been given
• Proof Groom is Muslim- i.e. Birth Certificate or Conversion document
• The father or relative must either be present, or give official approval i.e. Power of Attorney or approval in writing which must be attested and names of bride and groom clearly mentioned in the document.

If the bride has no Father or brothers, an application will need to be made to the judge at the Sharia'a court to allow the marriage to proceed.

Although officially a Muslim man can marry a woman whose religion is 'from the Book' (the Bible), the local courts strongly encourage the bride to convert to Islam first.

If the bride does not wish to convert, there will be many hurdles to overcome, particularly in terms of paperwork.

If the Bride is a British Citizen she may be required to provide a letter stating she does not need the permission of any UK authority to marry overseas. This can be provided by the British Embassy in Dubai.

Marrying a non British Citizen

British citizens marrying a non British citizen should have their partner verify with their own Embassy/Consular as to the validity of the marriage in their own country.
Marriage at the British Embassy.

A marriage at the British Embassy can only be conducted under very exceptional circumstances and will require additional permission from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Anybody who is unable to return to the UK to marry or cannot marry in the Church or Sharia'a Court should contact either the Consular Section for further information about marrying at the Embassy.

The information in this document on marrying in Dubai is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the Embassy by the relevant local authorities. The information in this leaflet is therefore only up to date and accurate to the extent that such authorities provide us with timely and accurate information. Accordingly the FCO and the British Embassy does not guarantee that this information is accurate and will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. British nationals wishing to obtain information about marriage must also contact the relevant local authority to be sure of the requirements that they need in order for their ceremony to go ahead.

http://ukinuae.fco.gov.uk/en/new-pages/information-on-marriage-in-dubai

For an Abu Dhabi specific Guide please click here