Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

hello,

my boyfriend and i are hopefully moving out to dubai in the near future and we currently live together in the UK, will we be allowed to live together in dubai as this may be the deciding factor whether we come over or not.

thanks

katherine

Hey,

It tends to be fine, the authorities tend to turn a blind eye to westerners living with their partners, it only becomes a problem if you're muslim and someone decides to shop you.

The only thing I think you'll need to make sure of is that you're on separate visas from your employing companies as I don't think you'll be allowed to go on your boyfriends visa as you're not married.

Hope that helps.

the law forbids unmarried couples from living together. Th LAW EXISTS.

However the implementation has not been rigid. If you keep a low profile you should not have any problems. Unless the neighbours complain. Don't tell them.

that is one stupid law.u should be allowed to live together with your partner if u want.

Dubai is a Muslim country and it has in theory Muslim rules... If you are not happy with that, go back to your own country and openly commit sin...

Probably you know that protestation in Dubai is happening like hell before the government’s eyes and under its protection and indirect encouragement.

Dubai vision is freedom. The law that prevents unmarried couple from living together is just ink on papers. It is just a politic attitude to convince neighboring countries and religious segments of Arab social no more. Dubai didn’t and will never apply this law. So don’t worry.

Lee wrote:Probably you know that protestation in Dubai is happening like hell before the government’s eyes and under its protection and indirect encouragement.

Dubai vision is freedom. The law that prevents unmarried couple from living together is just ink on papers. It is just a politic attitude to convince neighboring countries and religious segments of Arab social no more. Dubai didn’t and will never apply this law. So don’t worry.

Yeah u r going to save em like superman if the government finds out eh?

sniper420 wrote:Yeah u r going to save em like superman if the government finds out eh?

u r scared of nothing and u didn’t understand it. If the gov. is allowing persecution what the f...k will make it care about u an what u do inside home?!

I m with my GF 4 years ago in Dubai, and it happened many times that police knew about our living together (car accidents, witnessing cases, etc), and they did nothing. They just friendly show understanding and they do nothing.

Even if they want to suspect some one, they can not do it except if they get a clear proof of s..xual intercourse, and not only living together.
In Dubai no body approach u as long as u don’t f....k on the sidewalk, so don’t be crowd.

laila k m wrote:that is one stupid law.u should be allowed to live together with your partner if u want.

\
Ahem! Did u say u were a Muslim girl obeying daddy's laws.

Lee wrote:

sniper420 wrote:Yeah u r going to save em like superman if the government finds out eh?

u r scared of nothing and u didn’t understand it. If the gov. is allowing persecution what the f...k will make it care about u an what u do inside home?!

I m with my GF 4 years ago in Dubai, and it happened many times that police knew about our living together (car accidents, witnessing cases, etc), and they did nothing. They just friendly show understanding and they do nothing.

Even if they want to suspect some one, they can not do it except if they get a clear proof of s..xual intercourse, and not only living together.
In Dubai no body approach u as long as u don’t f....k on the sidewalk, so don’t be crowd.

BET? Gimme ur address I will take u & and gf straight from "in the bar" to "behind the bars"

Don't think it should be a prob unless you ask for trouble. Make sure ur neighbours assume ur married.

As long you you don't attract attention by screaming out that you are not married and banging on the balcony for all to see you should be fine... And if your neighbours are a bit religious or if your neigbor is the head of the Islamic umma of Dubai, just be discreet... Hell if that guy was my neighbor, I would be discreet even if I was married!!!

Liban wrote:And if your neighbours are a bit religious or if your neigbor is the head of the Islamic umma of Dubai, just be discreet...

that s nice one Liban. Well, there s some kind of folks who become head of the Islamic umma just when they hear about couple living together with no marriage. U wod find them every weekend hanging with different “business woman” from different club, but when it comes to others, they belong to bin laden. is not it mr. sniper420?

Lee wrote:

Liban wrote:And if your neighbours are a bit religious or if your neigbor is the head of the Islamic umma of Dubai, just be discreet...

that s nice one Liban. Well, there s some kind of folks who become head of the Islamic umma just when they hear about couple living together with no marriage. U wod find them every weekend hanging with different “business woman” from different club, but when it comes to others, they belong to bin laden. is not it mr. sniper420?

I agree, alot of these guys are pretty hippocritical in the way their outlook on things differs from the outlook they expect others to have... Look at those Saudi princes running around Europe cruising the ladies and having a good time banging left right and center all the while acting like the enforcers of Islam in Saudi Arabia....

Lee wrote:

Liban wrote:And if your neighbours are a bit religious or if your neigbor is the head of the Islamic umma of Dubai, just be discreet...

that s nice one Liban. Well, there s some kind of folks who become head of the Islamic umma just when they hear about couple living together with no marriage. U wod find them every weekend hanging with different “business woman” from different club, but when it comes to others, they belong to bin laden. is not it mr. sniper420?

If I were you I wouldn't ask sniper420 to engage you in these matters.... He gets confused very easily...

I hope they wont do anything about unmarried couples, I got so many hoes going in and out of my apt, they had to but in a revolving door in my building.

Pumpkin Escobar wrote:I hope they wont do anything about unmarried couples, I got so many hoes going in and out of my apt, they had to but in a revolving door in my building.

lmao, smooth

I do what I do, like I'm doin it for T.V.

i do it like monkeys behind the zoo

laila k m wrote:that is one stupid law.u should be allowed to live together with your partner if u want.

as liban has told you , although i would like to stay with my girlfriend ,but , there is something that we should never forget about , comunity ,, which has its rights also , and in this country as a muslim one , its the comunity right not to accept this kind of relations . and who wants to live here ,,, and enjoy Dubai,, well,, he has to comply with its rules .

hey everybody ,,ok ,, its happening as you all said ,, but its still against the the law ,, and if someone insists on complaining ,, his/her complaint will be taken in consideration , its not a matter of beig scared or not , you just donno who your neibour is , even if he is a hypocrate ,, well, so what ,, you cant just juge people whether they hypocrates or not ,when they are using the law .

Just tell your neightbour you two are married is ok then.

Despite the prevalence of unmarried couples living together in Dubai, it is illegal. And the penalties are more severe if either of you are Muslim.

If you do intend to live together, then keep a low profile, and put everything in one person's name. Have the address of a work colleague available to use as your partner's "official" address (should it ever be asked for).

Remember to be discreet not just out of fears for your safety, but also out of respect to local people. Regardless of how we view cohabiting in the west, many people here find it seriously offensive.

everybody is doing it, personally I know more than 20 couples living togeather, all claims to be married (who is counting), I am not claiming!

Hundreds if thousands of people cohabiting does not making it legal.

Being from a western country myself, I think there is nothing wrong with people living together.

But I am aware that it is illegal here.

Chill mates.. unless the husbands and wifeys dont change often... !!

I’m not admitting to anything but hypothetically speaking how harsh is the punishment if you happen to be Muslim and cohabitating, does anyone know? Somebody once told me it is 80 lashes and deportation but I don’t know how reliable the source was.

I try to be discreet for no other reason than just out of respect for the people who find it offensive.

Its funny a lot of people I know that have moved here seem to move here with their attitudes and perceptions and just don’t seem to realize that hey this is a different place with different rules/ways of life.

There are 2 types of expats those who are driving and see someone infront of them turn on their hazards and call him an f’n idiot, and those that go hmm I guess that is what people here do to let the people behind them know there is an obstruction ahead.

From the cases I have read of, it totally varies.

I imagine it might also make a difference if you were a rich UK muslim woman compared to a poor Bangladeshi maid, but I couldn't say for certain.

My fiance is Turkish (so it says Muslim on her ID - and although she doesn't go to mosques etc. her religion is Islam) and there's no way I would cohabit with her here on a long term basis.

She comes over to stay occasionally, and that's not an issue (aka 'acceptable risk') but longer term it would be an invitation to trouble. Heck - we are guests in this country and if we don't like it then nobody's stopping us leaving.

I've also got some Turkish friends here, who are 'less' religious. One is called Mustafa, and he can't get into bars during Ramadan - and I've also got Turkish friends with less 'Oriental' names who have no problems with getting a beer during the holy month - but if they were caught then there'd be a big problem.

I think the bottom line is -respect- ... act like a sensible western married couple and you probably won't have a problem, but if you give swingers parties every weekend then don't be surprised if the police gatecrash sooner or later ...

- Stuart

Lashes are for certain.. also got to spend a period in Jail.. deportation is a surety...more harsh if u r caught in another emirate than dubai. discreet is a must if u got to live along.. but the whole damn place is so unpredictable that things can change in seconds.. so its may hay while it lasts theory here... like sumone wrote.. we are all visitors here.. !!!!