Q: Hi, I need to know the legal consequences of sending intimate (like true lovers) Whatsapp messages to a married woman. Here is the situation. X (husband) and Y (wife) are a couple and they are based in Canada. However, Y is getting separated from X and seeking a divorce. While Y was in India as part of getting separated from X, another person A sent intimate Whatsapp messages to her. Also, note that A and Y are in love. The person A is based out of Dubai currently. Is there any legal element to this situation if the person X files a case against A in UAE? Please clarify.

Q: My ex-wife and I are of the same nationality, non-Muslims. We were married at home country and were divorced back home in Feb 2021. The court back home granted custody to me. The children are 16 and 9 - all living with me in the UAE. They all go to school here in the UAE. However, she refused to go back home and now is an illegal alien living here in the UAE with an expired tourist visa with overstay fines of more than 6000 dhs. She just hired a lawyer here in the UAE to try to take back the custody. Can she do that? Or to be precise, can the UAE court meddle with the court decree of the home country?

Q: Hello/Salam I am a British citizen with a UK passport and married a UAE resident with a Pakistani passport in March 2020. Due to Covid restrictions, I could not see my wife until travel re-opened. At this time, I tried to apply for a UK spouse visa for my wife, but it was not approved on Jan 21. I then waited for things to re-open and visited my wife on Nov 21 and decided to move ahead with our Rukhsati and Walima in Jan 2022. I then applied for her UK visit visa, but again it was not approved. I then traveled to Dubai in Mar 2022 to live in Dubai with my wife, but she did not see me, has not responded to my messages or calls, and blocked me on social media. I was able to see her family but they were very disrespectful to me and threw me out of their house. I have returned to the UK now. What can I do to approach the UAE authorities that my wife's family has defrauded me, taken all the gifts and gold, and are now ignoring us? Please advise what can I do to save my marriage? Thanks/Jzk

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.

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.

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.