Documents required to marry in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is less than 2 hours drive from Dubai and is home to beautiful, luxury wedding venues. First and foremost getting married in Abu Dhabi is only possible if at least one of you is a resident of the UAE. If neither of you is a resident, then the only option is to have a symbolic blessing in Abu Dhabi. You would hold the legal formalities of getting married in your home country. These are the steps that you need to follow in order to get married if one of you is a resident of the UAE:
- Regardless of age, for a woman to get married in Abu Dhabi, permission from her guardian is required.
- Following this, visit The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates to find out which documents you will need.
- The marriage of two non-muslims can take place in a church, temple or the embassy of Abu Dhabi, depending on religion.
- You will need to attend one of the health centres in the UAE and get medically examined. This certificate will then need to be provided when you get married.
- During the marriage ceremony, you will need at least two witnesses to make the marriage legally binding, as well as all the documents listed below.
If you are completing the legal part of your wedding elsewhere and are just planning a wedding celebration (without the legally-binding marriage ceremony) in Abu Dhabi, there are a wealth of wedding venues to choose from.
For more information about getting married in Abu Dhabi, contact the Abu Dhabi embassy for legal advice and any recent updates to the marriage laws.
Necessary Documents
- Full birth certificates of the man and woman
- Both of your passports
- AUE pre-marital certificate
- Photocopies of your UAE residents permits
- Certificates stating your marital status
- Medical certificate
Same-Sex Weddings
Same-sex weddings are not permitted in Abu Dhabi as homosexuality is considered to be a criminal offence.
This information is appropriate for UK nationals getting married overseas. We always advise that you contact the relevant embassy for information before booking any trips. This information is up to date to the best of our knowledge.
