Video: Abu Dhabi court receives 10,000 marriage applications
40 filed per day on average since new civil law came into force
Abu Dhabi: A family court here has received an average of 40 civil marriage applications per day, thanks to a digital-driven application process and the passage of a new law, according to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD).
This has resulted in more than 10,000 civil marriage applications filed at the Civil Family Court for Foreigners — since Law No. 14 of 2021 on Civil Marriage and its Effects came into force early last year.
Pioneering model
Yousef Saeed Alabri, Undersecretary of the Judicial Department, said the ongoing role of the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court for Foreigners as a pioneering model for civil family courts stems from the implementation of the ambitious vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and in response to the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to develop a leading judicial system that strengthens the competitive position of the emirate.
That’s the equivalent of four civil marriage files processed per hour.
Alabri said statistics from the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court for Foreigners show that the figures cam following the launch of the ‘Express’ civil marriage service.
Services include civil marriage, no-fault civil divorce, joint custody of children, civil wills and inheritance, and proof of parentage.
Express civil marriage service
This allows marriages to be concluded in 24 hours only, in order to cater for the large number of tourists coming from all over the world to contract a civil marriage in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Al Abri explained that the Abu Dhabi courts is committed to excellence in the provision of judicial services electronically.
Digital courts
The process starts from the registration of applications, to the completion of proceedings and attendance at hearings — following the paperless electronic courts system.
In addition to being the only bilingual court in the Arab region, Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court for Foreigners, provides forms and judgments in both Arabic and English.
Thus, it guarantees the right of foreigners to understand the litigation procedures in a simplified manner, without any language barrier that might hinder the understanding of the decisions handed down by the courts in the cases.