Abu Dhabi approves implementation of expat civil marriage, divorce law

  DUBAI – Abu Dhabi has approved the implementation of the Civil Marriage and Divorce Law for expatriates in the emirate, it was announced on Monday (February 7). Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, approved regulations for the implementation of Civil Marriage and Divorce Law No. 14 of 2020 in Abu Dhabi. Youssef Saeed Al Abri, Undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, said the regulations cover claims and disputes related to expat civil marriages, civil divorce, joint custody of children, alimony, wills, inheritance, proof of parentage, adoption and other personal status issues of expatriates. Under the new law, civil marriages can be conducted without the need of a tutor or guardian for the wife, or witnesses. The law also covers civil divorce for tourists and individuals residing outside Abu Dhabi or the UAE. The service is provided by Abu Dhabi authorities exclusively in the region. The new law also allows civil divorce or “no fault divorce” where the spouses no longer need to prove prejudice or justify the reason for their separation. Authorities said this will make the divorce easier and less stressful for the spouses, particularly if they have children. In filing a civil divorce application, the applicant will fill out a bilingual application form without the need of a lawyer’s assistance. Civil divorce cases will get court decisions at the first hearing, 30 days from the date of approval of the application. The law also covers regulations on financial rights resulting from civil divorce and the discretionary power of the court to require a spouse to pay alimony to the other party after divorce. The alimony is decided based on the number of years of marriage, the age of the spouses and the extent to which one of them contributed to the breakdown of the marital relationship, the material or moral damage suffered by any party or a previous or subsequent loss of profit. On joint custody of children, the court systematically grants custody on an equal basis to the father and mother, unless in cases of exclusion where either spouse forfeits his or her right to joint custody, either temporarily or permanently, in the event that the court decides that custody is detrimental to the child’s interest. The new law also includes special rules for the consideration of civil family matters as its procedures differ from those provided for in the Civil Procedure Law. The case is brought directly before the court for determination at the first hearing without going through the Family Guidance procedure. The court proceedings and forms will be bilingual and the court has the discretion to conduct court proceedings in English if both parties are not familiar with Arabic. The new law also covers appeal proceedings against judgments and enforcement proceedings. The judgement of the court is considered final if the amount of alimony and post-divorce financial rights is less than Dh500,000. ICA/Expat Media
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