Non-Muslims who want to marry in Dubai must follow the rules of their home country. Both spouses must either have a valid visa or reside in Dubai. If one of the spouses is in Dubai on a visitor's visa, they must get a medical examination before marrying in the UAE and the marriage must be legally recorded with the appropriate courts or embassies.

The new Abu Dhabi family law, which governs foreigners' personal status issues such as civil marriage, no-fault divorce, joint child custody, and financial rights, is applicable to all expats, non-residents, and visitors, regardless of religion. This will be the case as long as their own country does not apply sharia law to family problems. Law Number (14) of 2021 establishes a secular, substantive personal-status legal system that applies exclusively to non-Muslim foreigners, as well as a separate judicial institution to administer it. It contains 20 clauses that govern civil marriage and divorce, as well as child custody, alimony payments, and inheritance issues. In family disputes involving non-Muslim foreigners, the law does not apply Islamic law. It also creates a separate family-law court for non-Muslim foreigners. This means that any non-Muslim foreigner, male or female, who has a domicile, residence, or place of business in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi shall be subject to this law.

Civil Marriage

According to this Law, a Civil Marriage is a perpetual marriage of a foreign non-Muslim man and woman. As a result, both spouses must be non-Muslims in order to implement this rule in a civil marriage. To contract a Civil Marriage, the spouses must declare their unambiguous approval by filling out a declaration form in front of the Authentication Judge, and they must be at least eighteen years old. 

Divorce

A divorce is the end of a marriage contract due to the spouses' unilateral or consensual decision. The divorce between non-Muslim foreigners requires simply that one of the spouses declare his or her willingness to separate and discontinue the marriage partnership before the Court, with no need to justify or demonstrate any harm or blame the other party. For divorce, they should seek legal advice from well-experienced family lawyers. The divorce will be finalized once the parties have communicated their willingness to divorce. The procedure of divorce is one of the biggest disparities between Muslims and non-Muslims. Non-Muslim foreigners' divorces will be referred straight to the court, bypassing the Family Guidance Committee, which Muslim divorces will still have to go through.

Following a request for alimony, financial support for the wife will be provided after the divorce judgment. A variety of variables will be considered in making such a request, including the length of the marriage, the age of the wife, and the financial situation of the divorced couple, among others.

Child Custody

Parents have the right to maintain and exercise their roles in raising and caring for their children upon separation, on an equal and common basis, and children have the right not to be deprived of any of their parents as a result of the divorce, according to the general rule applicable to divorcing non-Muslim foreigners. The goal of Joint Custody is to accomplish and safeguard the best interests of the children, as well as to limit the effects of divorce on the children of the couple. By producing information demonstrating the reasonableness of the deprivation, the parents can ask the court to forgo the other parent's claim to custody. Any disagreement between parents over their children may be addressed by the court, who has the authority to make any decisions he or she sees fit.

Wills And Inheritance

A will is a declaration made by a foreigner regarding his desire to dispose of all or part of his assets upon his death, in accordance with the provisions of the Personal Law. While signing the marriage contract, the spouses can fill out the Form of Registration of Non-Muslim Wills to specify how the monies will be distributed if one of them dies. The foreign testator has the right to make a Will to whomever he or she deems appropriate (free will) about all of their assets in the State. If there is no Will, half of the inheritance is given to the husband or wife, and the other half is divided equally among the children, with no distinction made between men and females. If the dead had no children, the inheritance would be divided evenly between the parents, or half of the inheritance would be given to one of the parents if the other was not present, and the other half would be given to the siblings. If neither parent is alive, the inheritance is divided equally among the siblings, with no distinction made between males and girls.

Parentage

The paternity of a child should be established by marriage or a declaration from the father or mother. Despite the fact that, according to UAE law, marriage is the sole legal relationship through which a man and a woman can obtain legal recognition for their kid. It has lately been established that a single mother who meets the conditions and submits a custody Verdict of Court, Certificate from Local Authority, or Affidavit can apply for sponsorship of her children in the UAE.