Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court received over 8,000 marriage applications during the first half of 2024, which translates into an average of 70 applications per day. This takes the number of civil marriage applications filed ever since Abu Dhabi Law No. 14 of 2021 came into effect to 26,000.
The applications were filed by couples of various nationalities, religions and ethnicities. The launch of the express civil marriage service also allows couples to have their marriage ceremony on the same day they submit their application. Such a service was introduced in response to a huge demand from tourists coming from all over the world to hold civil marriages in Abu Dhabi.
Counselor Yousef Saeed Al Abri, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, said the court’s continued development of a global model for family courts is in line with the vision of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of Presidential Court and Chairman of the Judicial Department. It aims to provide innovative judicial services that keep pace with the development witnessed by Abu Dhabi in various fields, thus enhancing its competitiveness globally.
He added that the Abu Dhabi Courts provide end-to-end electronic court services, including the registration of cases and conducting of court hearings. In addition, it is the only court in the region that provides many of its services and procedures in both Arabic and English, ensuring easy access to justice without any linguistic barriers. These integrated services for foreigners cover civil marriages, no-fault divorces, joint custodies of children and inheritance cases.
Another recent improvement was the establishment of the English-Notary Services Bureau, which is unique in the Arab region, as it provides notary public services in English without the need to translate documents into Arabic.
During the first half of 2024, Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court also registered 2,500 civil wills remotely, an increase of 200 per cent compared to last year. This brings the total number of civil wills for foreigners registered in Abu Dhabi to 5,700. The procedure to register a will is straightforward and entirely remote which means anyone in the world can register their will without the need to visit the court in person.
There have also been 205 no-fault divorce cases registered since January 2024, meaning the court has received 590 divorce requests since the law came into effect. The law now permits foreigners to obtain a divorce from the first session with the judge without needing to explain why the marriage has broken down. The divorce process is handled in English by a qualified team of foreign lawyers, and the ruling is given in both Arabic and English. With the divorce decree, the court immediately grants joint custody of the children.
During the first half of 2024, the court also heard 90 civil inheritance cases, bringing the total number of inheritance cases to 360. The law states that the estate should be distributed to foreigners without regard to gender, and that the spouse will receive half of the deceased’s wealth, with the remaining portion being divided equally among the children, should the foreigner die intestate (without a registered will).
