Your Wedding Guide to the UAE: What is the Process to Get Married on Visit Visa

Dubai is known to be the home of many expats, with magnificent tailored destinations and world-class tourism. Often enough one partner ends up inviting the other for a short trip and might end up popping the questions. One might wonder how magical; but in the real sense can the two tie the knot in Dubai ?

This leads me to one of the most frequently asked questions we get is can anyone marry on a visit visa in UAE. And the answer is yes; as long as you meet certain criteria’s then both expats and Muslims can both get married here.

THINGS YOU NEED ABOUT GETTING MARRIED IN DUBAI ON A VISIT VISA!

Any Islamic country has strict laws when it comes to marriage and Dubai is no different. According to the Islamic norms, a marriage certificate issued is a biding contract to safeguard the rights of both the man and the woman.

In general circumstances, a resident Muslim can get married in a Sharia court however if you on a visit visa you cant do it. If you are a Non Muslim you are required to get in touch with your respective embassy under the Foreign Marriage Act and figure out all the requirements of getting married here.

These requirements differ from one country to another other and depending on your spouses nationality too.

UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN A VISIT VISA WORK FOR GETTING MARRIED ?

Lets have a look overlook into where a visit visa could work.

• If the couple have a valid and legal residency visa then it would be easier for them to get married.

• If the male has a residence visa and the woman is entering Dubai on a visit visa with her legal guardian (in this case we can assume her father); then the couple could go ahead with the process of getting married.

Every couple that decides to get married in the UAE is suppose to undergo a premarital screening test; and hence it would also be essential for the spouse (woman in this case) to provide their medical screening report.

• However, if the male is on a visit visa and the woman has a valid residence visa then the legal guardian of the woman (any family member) will be needed for the medical of the spouse. If the woman happens to be divorced or a widow then the documents of the ex-husband or deceased husband would be required to complete the wedding formalities.

OTHER UNIQUE CASES OF GETTING MARRIED WHILST ONE PARTNER IS A FORGEIGNER IN THE UAE

The laws also states, that if a woman marrying is a Muslim and her legal guardian is Non-Muslim, then a no objection certificate needs to be issued from her embassy or consulate. Furthermore, the couple is also required to provide another no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs with a legal Arabic translation.

If the woman is from another religion like Jewish or a Christian, then the legal guardian of the woman which might be parents, brother, must also be present. For any circumstances if the guardian cannot be present then the judge getting them married can also act as a legal guardian. Along with this the couple would be requiring two witnesses.

The couple would also go through other formalities and documents such as authorization of marriage, social status proof from their home country and any other paperwork that might be required by the UAE authorities. The best place to get this information would be from the UAE embassy and the respective embassy consulate.

CONCLUDING ABOUT GETTING MARRIED ON VISIT VISA – CAN THEY?

As long as the couples work together to meet with the criteria of the UAE laws; if either one of the couple has a legal residence visa; then yes getting married in the UAE is most possible.

If you or your partner is a foreigner and you require assistance with your case, please do not hesitate to book a consultation with us.