Recognition of Foreign Marriages/ Divorces
In order for a marriage contracted outside the UAE to be recognized, the marriage certificate should be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country in which the marriage took place, and then attested by the UAE embassy in that country. Further attestations should take place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
In certain circumstances even a validly attested marriage certificate would not be sufficient to allow a marriage to be recognized in the UAE. This is because in Islam, certain marriages are not capable of recognition. These are as follows:
- A marriage between a Muslim man and a woman who is not Muslim, Christian or Jewish.
- A marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.