Q: My friend is a Hindu and is looking to divorce her husband who is a Muslim. Will the Sharia Law apply in this case? They have been separated for 2 years. They have a house together with a 50-50 share. Will she get any alimony? She is at fault because she sent inappropriate texts to someone and her husband found out. Could you please advise?

Q: Question about property division in Dubai after divorce: My husband divorced with his ex-wife. During their marriage, he bought property office unit (he paid money to buy it and he still paying for maintaining from his pocket) and gifted it to her. Now they divorced, can he get his half? What is Dubai law rules? They are in court proceedings for the property division in Russia, in case if he can agree with her to sign this unit under his name, is it acceptable for Dubai? What documents does he need to show here in order to do property registration back to his name?

Q: I am an Indian woman who was under my husband's sponsorship in Dubai. We had purchased an apartment in 2017 which is still under construction - in our joint names (50-50). The builder was supposed to give it by end of 2018, but it is still not ready. 60% of the payment needs to be done at the time of handover. We have the Oqood certificate. Now, we have decided to get divorced in India. I had given money towards the property's initial installments.

Q: Hi, I am a non-Muslim indian expatriate, residing in Dubai since 2015. The first 5 years, I was on a working visa, and after the delivery of my first baby, I left my job and became dependent on my husband. In 2018, we bought a house together where I invested AED 2 hundred thousand from my income (I have proof in the form of a cheque). I also paid AED 3300 monthly installment for 1 year, for a personal loan taken out for the house. But in spite of my resistance, my husband tactfully put the house in his name, so the title deed was in his name. In 2024, when my kids and I were in India for vacation, he cancelled our visas and residency. He also filed for a divorce in India. The divorce is not yet finalised, and we are still married. Since August 2024, he hasn't let me access my house in Dubai, so I filed a case, which eventually went in my favor in January 2025. Since I used to travel on a visit visa, I left for India and returned in March, to find out that my husband had already sold the house. The new owner is residing there. What can I do now? Help!

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.

The goal of conducting a covert asset inquiry is to discover and recognize assets such as real estate, funds, shares, etc. that have been hidden by one individual from another. Typical situations where conducting a covert asset investigation might be necessary include divorce. Many times spouses try to conceal assets to impact property division or the amounts given in monthly alimony or child support during divorce proceedings.

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.