UAE issues law to safeguard children without known parents

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Government has issued Federal Decree-Law No. (12) of 2025, amending provisions related to children of unknown parentage. The move underscores the nation’s commitment to child protection and places the best interests of the child at the centre of all decisions regarding care, custody, and upbringing.

The law aligns with the UAE’s ongoing efforts to enhance child welfare legislation, ensuring that legal frameworks keep pace with societal developments. It aims to provide a stable, safe, and supportive environment that addresses children’s psychological, educational, health, and social needs.

The Decree-Law establishes an integrated system for comprehensive care, protecting the rights, identity, and privacy of children of unknown parentage, while facilitating their positive integration into society.

Granting custody to families residing in the UAE under defined conditions

The amendments provide that custody may be granted to families residing in the United Arab Emirates, subject to specific conditions, foremost that the application must be jointly submitted by both spouses and that each must have completed 25 years of age. These requirements ensure maturity, responsibility and the capacity to provide a stable family environment that fulfils the child’s developmental needs.

The amendments refer the detailed conditions and controls governing residency within the UAE to the executive regulations, ensuring that the custodial family environment conforms to approved standards for custody and provides the highest levels of care for the adopted child.

The Federal Decree-Law establishes a comprehensive framework regulating the role of custodial families, including responsibilities related to education, health and psychological follow-up, and compliance with rules designed to protect the child’s interests, privacy and identity.

Empowering eligible women to obtain custody of a child of unknown parentage in line with the child’s best interests

In an effort to expand custody options and in line with the UAE’s commitment to promoting women’s social role and their involvement in family care, the amendments allow custody of a child of unknown parentage to be granted to an eligible woman who resides in the UAE, has completed 30 years of age, and is financially capable of supporting herself and the adopted child. This ensures that custody decisions prioritise the child’s best interests and empower women to fulfil their social and humanitarian roles.

The amendments also include mechanisms for periodic monitoring and evaluation of custodial families and women custodians by a specialised committee, ensuring the continuity and quality of care, strengthening accountability, and verifying that the environment remains consistent with approved custodial standards.

Comprehensive measures to ensure the highest standards of child protection

In cases where any of the custody conditions are no longer met, or where legal obligations have been breached, the amendments permit the removal of the adopted child from the custodial family or woman custodian.

Where the specialised committee determines that the breach is not serious, it may impose a corrective plan that the custodial family or woman custodian must implement within the conditions and timelines specified by the committee, ensuring continuity of care within a safe and stable environment that protects the child’s rights and meets their needs.

Enhancing the child protection framework and developing family care standards

These amendments underscore the UAE’s commitment to enhancing its child protection framework in line with its social and humanitarian values, reinforcing the principles of justice, compassion and family empowerment.

The Federal Decree-Law reflects the UAE’s resolve to ensure that children of unknown parentage receive dignified and comprehensive care that enables their positive integration in society and guarantees equal opportunities for growth and learning within a safe and stable family environment.

This legislative development forms part of the UAE’s integrated approach to protecting children’s rights, improving their quality of life, and ensuring a better future for future generations, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global model in social protection and humanitarian care.