Q: Hi. My ex-wife and I (both Muslim Pakistani citizens) were married in Pakistan and moved to the USA for 2 years. We did not have any children together. I then moved back to Pakistan and got a divorce under Pakistani Sharia law under which I paid her back mahr/dowry. My wife stayed back in the USA and got a divorce under USA law and USA court awarded her spouse alimony and some assets that were under my name. Now, would my wife be able to enforce any USA divorce claims against me in Dubai, even though I have fulfilled all of my obligations under Sharia (by paying back mahr/dowry)?

Q: Hi My name is Alma Matta and my husband works in the UAE government. We have a child together and we are still married. I live in the USA and my husband lives in the UAE. How can I get child support from him?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to enquire about my legal marriage status. I had a non-legal nikah marriage in the UK. Myself and my then husband moved to Dubai. This nikah certificate was attested/ certified for visa/ legal purposes, however, I'm unsure of whether the UK would now recognise this nikah as a legal marriage, as another country has recorded it as such. If so then I would have to also legally divorce. As my divorce currently is an Islamic one. Please, could you advise me further of if there are any ways of checking this or confirming etc? I had no legal marriage ceremony in Dubai. The second question I have is that if I get a court order here in the UK for child maintenance. Is this then able to be registered in Dubai (can this be used to seek to enforce) in case he failed to pay? If so how much would this mirror order cost? Kind regards, Sarah

Q: Hi sir, I am my husband's second wife. We married in Pakistan. Our marriage is not registered in the UAE. Now, he abandoned me and has not sent me a visa. Can I come to the UAE and file a case against my husband?

س: مرحبًا، هل قضايا الانفصال لغير المسلمين تخضع لنفس المتطلبات المادية من نفقة ومتعة ومؤخر رغم عدم وجود مؤخر بعقد الزواج؟

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.

A new civil personal status decree has been introduced in the emirate of Abu Dhabi by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. This personal status decree will be applicable for non-Muslim foreigners based in Abu Dhabi in matters of marriage, divorce, Will, inheritance, and custody of children.

Joint Custody in UAE Law Article 10 of the Federal Decree Law No. 41 of 2022 on Civil Personal Status for Non-Muslims shines a spotlight on the significance of Shared custody following divorce. This article recognizes joint and equal custody as a right for both the father and mother post-separation or divorce.

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.