Over 10,000 foreigners marry under new rule in UAE

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has received more than 10,000 civil marriage applications before the Civil Family Court for foreigners, at a rate of 40 civil marriage applications per day, since Law No.14 of 2021 on Civil Marriage and its Effects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi came into force early last year.

Yousef Saeed Alabri, Undersecretary of the Judicial Department, said that the ongoing role of the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court for Foreigners as a pioneering model for civil family courts stems from the implementation of the ambitious vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and is a direct response to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-President, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to develop a leading judicial system that strengthens the competitive position of the Emirate.

The statistics from the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court for Foreigners, he said, show that more than 10,000 civil marriage applications had been registered since the law came into force, at a rate of 40 civil marriage applications per day, equivalent to 4 civil marriage files processed per working hour, particularly after the launch of the "Express" civil marriage service, which allows marriages to be concluded in 24 hours only, in order to cater for the large number of tourists coming from all over the world to contract a civil marriage in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Alabri explained that the Abu Dhabi courts are committed to excellence in the provision of judicial services electronically, starting from the registration of applications to the completion of proceedings and attendance at hearings, as they are paperless electronic courts, in addition to being the only bilingual court in the Arab region, since it provides forms and judgments in Arabic and English, thus guaranteeing the right of foreigners to understand the litigation procedures in a simplified manner, without any language barrier that might hinder the understanding of the decisions handed down by the courts in the cases.

The Civil Family Court for Foreigners offers a wide range of services to tourists and residents of all nationalities, such as civil marriage, no-fault civil divorce, joint custody of children, civil wills and inheritance, and proof of parentage.

WAM