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My fiancee and I (Australian / Canadian expats) wish to get married here in Dubai... can someone please advice on the options available to us? Are there any marriage registries here?

Any help would be appreciated.

Check with your respective Embassies first to see what legal options are open to you, unless of course you are Muslim (Man at least)

I'm not sure what the 'unless of course you are a Muslim (man at least)' was for?

but when mrs. Fayz and I got hitched, (we are from two different countries and were both working here). we ended up going to one of our respective countries and had a quickie wedding, just make sure to get the wedding papers notarized and stamped by the UAE embassy in that country before flying back. I'd go for this because at least this way you're official in one of your two countries and the UAE.

good advice to check with your Embassy though, also it may be worth noting that civil marriages aren't done in the UAE, if that's a concern.

fayz wrote:I'm not sure what the 'unless of course you are a Muslim (man at least)' was for?

but when mrs. Fayz and I got hitched, (we are from two different countries and were both working here). we ended up going to one of our respective countries and had a quickie wedding, just make sure to get the wedding papers notarized and stamped by the UAE embassy in that country before flying back. I'd go for this because at least this way you're official in one of your two countries and the UAE.

good advice to check with your Embassy though, also it may be worth noting that civil marriages aren't done in the UAE, if that's a concern.

If the Man is Muslim and they are both resident in Dubai, then they can get married at the Sharia Court. As for other circumstances thats why I said chech their Embassies.

My son who is British is getting married here in Dubai in October. They are getting married in The Holy Trinity Church, Dubai. I have put a link which I hope works, to the Holy Trinity Church. You can call them to get details of how to go about registering to get married.

My son and his fiance, went to the church when they were visiting here last year. I think it is a general 'walk in' on Friday late afternoons (they can tell you this by phone or email), where you can visit them and make enquiries and book a preliminary wedding date. They give you all the information and forms you need and some extra details of what you need.


http://holytrinitychurchdubai.org/


Hope this helps - Their telephone number in Dubai is : 04 337 0247.

Hope this may be relevant to you and if you need any further help please let me know and I shall be glad to pass on what I have learned - e.g. for flowers, economical video and camera place to film the wedding etc.

Best regrds.

I heard that there is a place where you can simply walk-in and register... then return in a few days to pick up the marriage certificate...

Wherever you have your marriage ceremony, I think you have to visit the Dubai Courts at some point to get an official legally valid marriage certificate. That might be the walkin place you're thinking of Ansa. More here - Marriage in Dubai.

bonk wrote:Wherever you have your marriage ceremony, I think you have to visit the Dubai Courts at some point to get an official legally valid marriage certificate. That might be the walkin place you're thinking of Ansa. More here - Marriage in Dubai.

Very good link Bonk

post it up as a sticky Sage

OK we have just gone through all this and would like to pass on our experiences (as unfortunately info on getting married, or moreover civil ceremonies, is hard to come by in Dubai)...

Civil ceremonies (i.e. non-religious weddings) are not permitted in Dubai/UAE. Only some embassies conduct them, but not ours (UK and Czech Republic), so unless one of you was baptised (or are Muslim / Hindu) the only option is to get married abroad. This is not the horror you may think it will be, indeed it's a blessing (excuse the religious pun!) in disguise and we are thankful that Dubai is yet to become a modern tolerant place, in this regard!

Our search lead us to the beautiful Republic of Seychelles, a group of islands 4.5 hrs flight due south of Dubai. We ascertained background details from a great website - weddingchaos - and then did the rest ourselves, which was not much!

You need to scan and email the required documents (ONLY passport and birth certificate) 11 days prior to your chosen marriage date. The Civil Status Officer (who was exceptionally friendly and professional!) is the point of contact and will guide you through the harmless procedures and other details.

One slight inconvenience is that the marriage certificate needs to be attested in Muscat (because there's no Seychelles consulate in Dubai and no GCC consulate in Seychelles) in order for the marriage to be recognised in Dubai. However this can be done by courier so pretty painless again.

This is actually the stage we have just reached, having got our attested certificate we now will register our marriage at Dubai Courts. We will let you know how this goes...

Whatever happens, getting married in the Seychelles was truly magical, must the most relaxed, friendly and intimate place to tie the knot!

Hope this helps!