The number of foreign marriages in the United Arab Emirates started to increase.

Abu Dhabi's new civil family court receives 4 marriage applications per hour and registers over 2,200 marriages in 8 months.

The number of foreign marriages in the United Arab Emirates started to increase

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, registered 25 expatriate marriages a day, a new express service allowing marriages to be completed within 24 hours, and more than 2,200 marriages registered at the new Civil Family Court in the first 8 months of the year. have gone According to a report by The National, the Family Court is part of legislation introduced in November to better support residents in the emirate. The court hears all cases related to marriage, custody, divorce, paternity, inheritance, and personal status. , the new law includes equal rights for men and women, joint custody, and measures to speed up all procedures.

Releasing the data, the department said the number of marriage registrations has increased over the past three months following the unveiling of the Express Civil Marriage Service, which allows marriages to be solemnized within 24 hours of making the first application to the court for approval. May be complete, a British couple married in Abu Dhabi for the first time under the new marriage law.

The express service is said to have been introduced in response to the large number of tourists seeking to take advantage of the low cost of marriage in Abu Dhabi, where it costs Dh300 for couples of the same faith before the law came into effect. could marry in the emirate, who had the option of marrying in a synagogue and later registering their union in court with a legal guardian if they chose to marry in court. And two witnesses would be required, in both cases, it was considered a religious marriage but the new court does not require witnesses or lawyers.

Abu Dhabi's Civil Family Court said 95 applications for no-fault divorce and joint custody were filed, a 40 percent increase since May, under rules introduced this year requiring spouses to prove Have the right to divorce without the marriage having been damaged or going through a lengthy mediation process, the civil divorce judgment is pronounced within 30 days of the filing of the divorce petition at the first hearing, the case is referred to the Family Guidance Division. This process is completed without the need for submission.

When it comes to children, parents are automatically awarded joint and equal custody after divorce, with mechanisms in place to resolve disputes. 820 applications for probate of wills, 145 applications for proof of parentage and applications for birth certificates for foreign children, and 65 civil inheritance cases were received, an increase of 125% during the last three months.

The law provides for the distribution of the property of expatriates residing in Abu Dhabi by providing 50 percent of the assets to the surviving spouse while the remaining half is distributed equally among the children regardless of gender, the court said in the case. It also decides the distribution of property in Arabic and English within 30 days from the date of registration.