Getting married in Dubai

Expat as well as Emirati couples can and do get married in Dubai. The rules and procedures vary depending on nationality and/or religion. Generally, two people of the same religion can marry without difficulty. People of different religions might face some problems organising a wedding.

• A common situation is when a Muslim man and Christian woman wish to get married. That's ok (cultural and/or family considerations notwithstanding) but a Christian man will have to convert to Islam before marrying a Muslim woman.
• Emirati men sometimes marry non-emirati women but the reverse is rare (although not completely unknown).
• The Dubai Courts oversee procedures and regulations pertaining to marriages. Their website is mostly in Arabic and it is difficult to find relevant information in English. The marriage section tel is +971-4-3347777.
• The court will not perform a civil service for Christian weddings - you have to go to a church or your embassy or both.
• Both partners are likely to need a residence visa to get married in Dubai and UAE. It might be possible if only one person has one, we're not sure. But if neither person has a residence visa then it's not possible to get married in Dubai as far as we know. Try Cyprus instead ...
• Cyprus appears to have a relatively straightforward civil marriage procedure with minimum fuss and no residency requirements, which might be useful for those unmarried residents of the UAE finding themselves unexpectedly pregnant, or in trouble with the law for having sex outside marriage (if you still have your passport and can get yourselves to Cyprus before the court appearance - you might be lucky and get the case dismissed if you can produce a marriage certificate). Or even for those wanting a wedding celebration with less risk of getting sand in their champagne glasses. See the Union of Cyprus Municipalities website at www.ucm.org.cy for more information (link to Civil Marriages information at the bottom of the first page).