Q: Good day, I am a South African citizen married to a Romanian citizen under the Romanian law. [We were married in the Romanian embassy in Qatar and issued a Romanian marriage certificate.] We are residents of the UAE since 2006. Each of us has worked under own company sponsorship. Our marriage has now come to an end. I wish to have the divorce proceedings taking place here in the UAE although I am certain that my wife wishes to have it done in Romania. We have assets both in Abu Dhabi and Romania. Two properties each in both countries fully paid off. Will it be possible to start the divorce proceedings from my side here in the UAE (Abu Dhabi) even if she is unwilling to do so? Many thanks, Marius Strydom

Q: My relationship with my wife has ended and I am seeking a divorce. Reconciliation is not an option and the divorce will not be amicable. We have an Islamic wedding contract and also an EU wedding contract. We are both expats (different nationalities) but I am a Muslim and she isn’t. We have an infant daughter. My wife insists on our daughter living with her but giving me rights to visit and take her on weekends. She expects me to pay everything to keep up with her current lifestyle, e.g. rent, bills, nanny's salary, car, etc. If I don’t, she has threatened to leave the UAE with our child. My wife is working but claims not to earn enough. I also have a strong suspicion with some proof that my wife is having an extramarital affair with one or if not more partners. Kindly seeking advice if I should seek a divorce through Shariah court? I would like to have the custody of my child. I have no objection over any claims on our assets. Thank you.

Q: I am a Filipina Muslim and my husband is an Egyptian Muslim. We got our marriage in the Egyptian Consulate, Dubai. I found my husband cheating on me since January 2020 and confirmed that he has a new wife (which I have doubt if they are married or not). Since then, I asked him about our divorce. This month of October, he confesses that he is not married to that woman and he wants to go back with me. I refused because I have already decided to end our marriage. He was hurting me and mentally torturing me so I've come up to this point. He's also delaying our divorce so I want to push him to end this ASAP. My questions are: 1. What is the easiest way to finish our divorce fast? Is it mutual consent divorce? or Shall I file divorce against his cheating? 2. What is the difference between divorce in court and divorce in the Egyptian Consulate, Dubai? Because I want to legalize our divorce in the three countries (Egypt, the Philippines, and the UAE). My only concern here is to finish our divorce ASAP so I can live normally again.

Q: A question related to divorce between a Pakistani and an Indian national. I'm a Pakistani national (Male, Christian) married to an Indian national (Hindu). The only legal document we have is from the Indian Consulate in Dubai which is a marriage certificate issued by them in 2022. We have not registered our marriage with local authorities in Dubai or the UAE. Through mutual decision, we've decided to part ways. Given the above information, we need assistance in navigating the above. The Indian embassy insists on going to Dubai courts, which to me doesn't make sense since we haven't registered our marriage with local authorities here. Any help and advice would be helpful!

This article is related to the Civil procedure in the UAE. The procedure includes both payment orders on the basis of cheques and original documents as well as the normal civil procedure where the plaintiff has Invoices, agreement, and documents to prove the claim in the civil court.

An interview-format article covering the topic of custody and guardianship in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

An interview-format article covering the topic of divorce for expatriates in the UAE and seeking to apply the laws of their countries. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

UAE Personal Status Law (also known as Personal Affairs Law) governs marriage, divorce, inheritance and other personal affairs in the United Arab Emirates. The law equally applies to citizens of the UAE and non-citizens unless one of them asks for the application of his home country law.