Dubai is one of those places that is known to being melting pot of cultures that witnesses people come from different parts of the world because of the wide array of opportunities. Having said that, every country comes with its set of norms and it is important to abide by the rules of the place where you choose to live. However when it comes to a pregnant woman getting married; the UAE does have some strict rules to follow.

Although Dubai is amongst one of the most secular Islamic countries it is highly recommended that if you have met the love our life and are planning on starting a family, get married first. Just incase you are already expecting then the next best option would be not to fall victim to existing laws of the land and you must marry as soon as possible to avoid a few legal hassles.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR AN EXPECTANT MOTHER TO GET MARRIED IN THE UAE?

Technically speaking, it is possible for someone who is in the early stages of pregnancy to get married in the UAE but the chances of you risking this in front of local authorities is quite high.

It is important to note that its mandatory for every couple to undergo a premarital screening test. This is done to ensure that the wedded couple do not have any genetic disease or STD. There is no rule which test the bride for its pregnancy so one might even get away with it. But it is crucial that the couple decide on this decision very early on to avoid any further complications that might arise.

Dubai has even recently passed a law that the birth of the child happens to be in less than five months into the couple marriage, the child could be denied on having a birth certificate.

Lets have an open mind, when a woman is pregnant her hormones and other chemicals go haywire. There could be a possibility that the early stage pregnancy could somewhat show up in the reports which might get the unmarried couple into lots of trouble.

Even if one does get away with the medical test of the unnoticed pregnancy, the whole process of marrying is still remaining.

PLANNING A WEDDDING DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF PREGNANCY IS MORE THAN JUST GETTING THROUGH THE PREMARITAL TEST!

One must always note that depending on your nationality and waiting period; getting a date for marriage in the UAE can easily take a multiple weeks. In some cases, especially due to Covid-19; shipping of certain documents from your home country might take longer than expected which might further delay the wedding process.

In the meanwhile, during the early stages of pregnancy expected mothers are often expected to make frequent visit to their doctors and check on the well-being of the unborn child which might get you into a tricky situation given that hospitals register patients with a marriage certificate. That is why is it becomes even more important to not risk this any further and ensure that you have all the right documents and mindset to get you started on the right foot.

On health insurance, current Dubai Health Authority (DHA) policy directives state that “females unmarried at time of enrolment and females without child bearing capacity should not be offered [maternity insurance] cover”.

Reuters, 2021

CONCLUDING HOW TO GET MARRIED IF I’M PREGNANT WOMAN IN THE UAE?

Well, if luck is by your side then you could always consider the risk of getting married without the early days pregnancy showing up. However, if you have the slightest fear and wouldn’t want to take a chance there are always other avenues such as opting for destination wedding or even an online wedding that has become very common these days.

Feel free to share this information if you know of someone in a similar situation.