In 2020 Seychelles is the most popular destination to easily get legally married among the UAE and other GCC countries residents

The simplest answer would be NO!

Here everything you need to know if you are an unmarried couple living in Dubai.

Dubai laws for the unmarried couples living together

Dubai and other emirates in the UAE are governed by Islamic laws known as Sharia laws which forbid two unmarried people of opposite sex to live together. The ‘Tawajed Clause’ prohibits indeed two people from opposite sex to live together without being legally married.

Dubai attracts many tourists and expats from all over the world. No matter if you are visiting UAE as a tourist or if you are a long-term expat, the same law applies for everyone.

Dubai is a regional hub which attracts many people from different countries, origins, orientations and religions. Depending on the reason for being in the city, if someone is inviting his girlfriend or boyfriend to live with, they need to know that it’s illegal. However, most people who are coming to Dubai for a short-stay, like tourists, have no issue at all. Yet, if someone complains or if a couple gets caught by law makers in Dubai, they will be in great trouble and face fine, jail or even deportation. In 2018, a 20 years old man and a 19 years old woman, both Pakistani, ‘were initially charged with having sex out of wedlock, but a medical examination found that they had not, Ajman Criminal Court was told.’

‘A young, unmarried couple have been jailed for a month and will be deported after completing the sentence after they were convicted of living together for three weeks and kissing’ Thenational.ae

What type of marriages are legal in Dubai?

Not every marriage is considered legal and is accepted by Dubai law. Same-sex people, even if legally married back home, will face great difficulty if found in an inappropriate situation in Dubai.

UAE’s laws only recognize heterosexual marriages which have been registered and can be verified with legal certifications if needed. However, no one is going to ask you for a marriage certificate, unless you caught the attention of Dubai’s legislators.

Back home, marriages or religious marriages are only considered legal if you have proper marriage certification in your possession. Same-sex marriages are not recognized in UAE due to the Shariah law, even if a proper and valid certification has been issued in your home country.  

What can you do to live with your boyfriend or girlfriend in Dubai?

Are you considering coming to Dubai ? Are you planning to bring your partner to UAE to live together? You definitely want to know what this would take.

No need to organize a lavish marriage to officialize your relationship in front of the UAE authorities, a marriage certificate is enough to abide by the law. You also do not need to get married in the UAE, if you have a marriage proof from your home country or any other country, this will be enough.

Do you know someone struggling to live in the UAE as an unmarried couple? You can always talk to our team to discuss and find a way out.

UAE & Dubai weddings are called off due to Covid-19 outbreak

As most of you may have already heard about it, wedding ceremonies are cancelled in Dubai because of the coronavirus. You can read more about it in thenational.ae.

This has a direct impact on a lot of people who were planning to tie the knot in Dubai in March & April 2020. As we can easily imagine, a lot of couples will be affected by it.

Is there a way to get married in Dubai during the corona virus?

Well, as you can imagine, Dubai authorities have completely banned wedding ceremonies previously, in an ongoing effort to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 in the UAE. Later it has been announced that couples can say their “I do” online via the conference call, but they have to submit all the required documents (including the medical screening) prior to the online ceremony. Grand wedding celebrations are prohibited as of today.

The embassies are slowly reopening for the civil weddings at the moment, however they still don’t work at full capacity and it’s going to take some time to register a marriage there.

Not being able to travel or to marry within the country, the UAE residents had to learn their lesson in a tough way. Not everything goes as it’s planned.

What alternatives are there to get legally married in Dubai during the corona outbreak?

But let’s be positive there is still hope!

Due to the current circumstances a lot of people have been looking for alternatives to get married in other countries.

Until mid-march, you could have flown from Dubai to Seychelles or Georgia. Then all the borders were closed for months. But now, as countries start reopening slowly but surely, the wedding solutions are getting closer.

Option A – Get married as soon as Georgia borders reopen

Step 1 – Make sure, you are allowed to travel from Dubai to Georgia

Get the latest travel updates from Georgia

Georgia has already opened its borders for 5 European countries. The UAE residents and citizens are currently not allowed to enter Georgia, however the country announced that they are going to open the borders for all nationalities and countries on September 1.

From the IATA website make sure to check the latest requirements and updates regarding travels to & from Georgia https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news.htm

Once the borders are open you are good to go! You will be able to travel to Georgia and Easy Wedding Georgia team will be handling all the paperwork to you after you leave. Do not hesitate to double-check directly on their Facebook chat https://www.facebook.com/tavgeorgia/

Get the latest travel updates from Dubai

As Dubai has officially opened its borders for residents and tourists on July 7th, there will be no problem coming back home after your wedding, following a certain procedure (applying for the permit if you are resident and presenting a negative COVID-19 PCR test for both residents and tourists). However, we suggest to check the updates regularly.

From the Dubai airport website, you will have the latest news regarding travels to & from Dubai https://www.dubaiairports.ae/alert . Alternatively, you can also contact Dubai airport directly on facebook https://www.facebook.com/DXB/

Get the latest travel updates directly from the IATA website

You can also directly have a look into the official IATA website https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/ they release regular updates regarding the travel bans and other restrictions.

Step 2 – Prepare yourself for an express wedding in Georgia

Marry in Georgia in 1 day only

Due to the regular changes from the UAE & Georgian authorities our best advice will be to go as soon as possible and stay as little as possible. Our recommendation is to reach Georgia on the first flight at 3am, and flying out on the same day at 11pm.

Get all the paperwork and process ready before you leave

Before you take any step, our team will make sure that all is safe for you to travel. Once we confirm that all is good, we will prepare the paperwork using only your passport copy. The day you land our team will be with you from the pickup until the drop off to the airport to make sure we do it in 1 or 2 days maximum.

Step 3 – Get ready to enter Georgia

What to bring if you want to marry in Georgia in 1 day during the corona outbreak

The Georgian border police is currently playing very safe and deporting anyone not able to justify their last trips. Before flying we strongly advise you to bring

• Entry and exit certificate in English made by the border police of your residence country
• Masks
• Gloves
• A health certificate issued by a doctor in the UAE and translated in English mentioning that you are corona free. If possible made 24h maximum before the flight http://www.dha.gov.ae/en/pages/dhahome.aspx

How to get an entry & exit certificate before flying from Dubai?

You can request an entry and exit certificate in English directly from the police office in the airport. Make sure to get it in English & stamped. This will be the official proof local authorities may ask before you enter Georgia.

Option B – Get married in Seychelles

Seychelles opened the borders for the UAE residents on August 1st. It is safe to fly there now as long as you follow all the necessary precautions, like:

• prepare negative COVID-19 PCR test
• book an accommodation, certified by the Public Health Authority of Seychelles
• submit all the travel documents to the Emirates airline (the only operating airline to Seychelles currently)

To help you get married in Seychelles our team will provide all the necessary documents and information. We strongly recommend to contact us before planning your trip as there is a certain procedure to follow, that can be done easily with the professional help, but can get very messy if you try to do it on your own.

Conclusion

As you can see, time is running against couples trying to marry this season. Nobody knows how the situation will evolve. All we can tell you is that getting married is already possible. So if you are in a hurry, you can fly to Seychelles and if you can wait – Georgia will be open soon too.