UAE, Jan 8: Getting married in the UAE has become more convenient, thanks to the streamlined process of remote weddings offered by the country’s courts. Couples can now tie the knot from the comfort of their homes and receive their marriage certificate digitally.
In October 2023, the Dubai Courts introduced innovative services, including the ‘Remote Civil Marriage’ and ‘Digital Attestation.’ The remote civil marriage service specifically caters to non-Muslim residents in Dubai, enabling them to obtain an officially recognized and authenticated electronic marriage contract. This contract, if used within the UAE, does not require further attestations, provided that one of the parties is a resident of Dubai, and both parties are at least 21 years old.
For those interested in an online wedding, there are specific documents to be submitted and conditions to be met. Here are the details for individuals looking to exchange vows online:
Remote Civil Marriage by Dubai Courts:
- Both parties must be unmarried.
- Both parties must be non-Muslims.
- At least one of the parties must be a resident of Dubai, holding an Emirates ID card.
- The age of the couple must be at least 21 years old.
- Authenticated certificate of the social status of both parties (single) from the embassy of their respective countries.
- If the documents are issued outside the country, they must be certified by the relevant official authorities.
- All documents must be in PDF format.
- Documents in a language other than Arabic must be translated into Arabic by a certified legal translation entity from the Ministry of Justice in the UAE.
- Documents issued from outside the UAE must be duly certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the relevant country, the UAE embassy in that country, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE.
Dubai Courts have implemented an automated system for contract stages, including authorization, certification, and correction. This streamlined approach simplifies the process for clients, involving communication with accredited centers via phone or personal visits, submitting an electronic request, paying the required fees, and receiving the approved electronic contract.
