Federal Judiciary issues five regulatory decisions implementing the UAE’s new personal status law

The Federal Judicial Council has announced the issuance of five new regulatory bylaws implementing Federal Decree–Law No. 41 of 2024 on Personal Status, marking a significant milestone in advancing the family justice system and standardizing procedures across federal courts.

The new package covers regulations governing the work of arbitrators, family guidance, child visitation, attestations and certifications, as well as the licensing and operation of Sharia marriage registrars.

These bylaws focus on expediting procedures, expanding digital services, and developing the systems for marriage, visitation, and Sharia documentation, while ensuring higher levels of child protection and promoting amicable settlement of family disputes—reflecting a more flexible and efficient judicial approach.

The regulations include Decision No. 66 of 2025 on the Rules for the Work of Arbitrators, which specifies the conditions for their appointment and the mechanisms governing their role in resolving marital disputes and submitting reports to the court.

Also issued is Decision No. 67 of 2025 on the Family Guidance Regulation, granting family guidance counselors broader authority in resolving disputes amicably and giving their agreements the force of an executive instrument.

The package further includes Decision No. 68 of 2025 on Child Visitation Regulations, providing a clear legal framework for enforcing visitation rulings in a manner that safeguards the child’s psychological and social well-being.

Additionally, Decision No. 69 of 2025 on Attestations and Certifications enhances reliance on electronic documentation, ensuring the highest levels of reliability and ease of access to data. This is complemented by Decision No. 70 of 2025 regulating the work of Sharia marriage registrars, which defines licensing conditions and governs the electronic execution of marriage contracts with digital signatures, including the option to complete contracts remotely.

Abdullah Sultan bin Awwad Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Federal Judicial Council and Minister of Justice, affirmed that this step represents a pivotal advancement toward building a modernized family justice system that meets the needs of Emirati society. He highlighted its alignment with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE—may God protect him—to designate 2026 as the “Year of the Family,” supporting the national agenda to strengthen family cohesion and reinforce its values and developmental role.

These bylaws reflect the aspirations of the federal judiciary to enhance personal status procedures, improve the quality of judicial services, and advance digital transformation within the courts. They also align with the objectives of the “We the UAE 2031” vision to build a more cohesive society and more efficient institutions, while supporting Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals related to justice and strong institutions.

The bylaws emphasize streamlining procedures, expanding digital services, and developing marriage, visitation, and Sharia documentation frameworks, while ensuring stronger child protection and promoting amicable resolution of family disputes—embodying a more flexible and efficient judicial model.