Q: We separated with my wife almost a year ago and my 4-year-old daughter stays with me and her nanny in my apartment full-time. I am taking care of all the expenses and supporting her with all needed. And I want everything to be the same after divorcing. Would it be possible for me to get custody in this situation? What are the fees of the family lawyer in Dubai? 

Q: My husband moved out of my house and he is coming to the house every day to visit his son without notifying me. His visit timings were 9 pm - 10 pm when we are all about to sleep. I've told him he can't keep on coming late at night but he ignored me. I am a working mom from 9-6 pm. Our divorce case has been filed by me and we already attended 2 conciliation sessions without reaching an agreement. I don't like these visitations at home especially the timings he wanted but he is just doing what he wants. Is there any way I can get restricted child visitation now since our case has no judgment yet? I asked him to get a court order for visitation, but he doesn't seem to care. How can I restrict him from coming to my house? If I don't open the door, he will call the police. Thank you for your advice!

Q: I am divorced 4 years back having 2 kids, an elder son (14) and a daughter (9). I stay in India with my daughter. My husband stays in Dubai and has taken custody of my son. I have come to Dubai on a visit to see my son. In these 4 years after my divorce, my ex-husband has tortured, threatened and beaten my child. My son now wants to come back to me, he is mentally sick. My husband has his passport and is not allowing me to take my son. What should I do and whom should I get in touch with in the UAE? I badly want my son, the impact of his father’s harassment is deteriorating my son's life. Please help me. Should I go to the police? Will anyone get me his passport?

Q: Dear Questioner, If a mother is given an arrest warrant which was wrongly put, what happens? If the child doesn’t want to go for visitation even though the mother is encouraging, would she still get arrested?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Kindly let me know what I can do legally. My ex-wife filed a false criminal complaint of physical assault on my son to cancel visitation rights. The public prosecution dropped the case after an investigation.

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.

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.