Dubai Forums Dubai Discussions Dubai General Chat

Hi,
We are new to the forum. I have been reading it for a while but only now decided to register. Learned few important things.
I have got a question though and hope you will be able to help.
We will be moving to Dubai in February, me my husbend and our daughter. My daughter and husband share the same surname, but i won't have time to change my passport, it has my maiden name. Will it be much of a problem? We have marriage certificate, will that be enough or will we encounter any problems?
Thank you any suggestions

You can change your passport in a day if you make an appointment at the passport office. They aren't busy in November - even by mail it would be back in a week or so.

If you attend in person with your marriage certificate, they can do the change over in a day whilst you wait.



Knight

Thanks for your replies. I forgot to add very important detail, I'm Polsih and my husband English. As we live in UK, Polish amassy won't be able to issue new passport in a day, unfortunately. I would take at least 5 weeks that we don't have. That's way I was asking if we would have aany problems being married but having different surenames on the passports.
Thanks again

Sorry for spelling mistakes, in a hurry to bath our daughter:)

Apr wrote:Thanks for your replies. I forgot to add very important detail, I'm Polsih and my husband English. As we live in UK, Polish amassy won't be able to issue new passport in a day, unfortunately. I would take at least 5 weeks that we don't have. That's way I was asking if we would have aany problems being married but having different surenames on the passports.
Thanks again

You should make the effort to change your name in accordance with your Marriage certificate in order to prevent problems when you arrive here.

Gendobre!

I would try anything you can to change your passport - can you delay your departure?

Failing this, make sure you have every document attested at the UK Foreign Office, the Polish Embassy, then the UAE Embassy. Each attestation will cost you about £20-30 and i recommend you pay the addition £5 for special delivery. Do this quick as its still about a week for each and holidays are coming fast. More info on each of the respective websites.

Once all three stamps of approval have been returned you should be able to arrive on a visitors visa for 60 days. Have your husband sponsor you at the Dubai Ministry Of Foreign Affairs. Simply take in the (now covered in stamps) marriage certifcate and voila! 150dhs later you will be fine.

Best of luck, keep your nerve and all will be fine.

Powodzenia

Dziendobry
Seardarren, thanks for your advice! Will let you know how we got on with paperwork and when we r in Dubai. Can't wait.
regards
Apr

if the name on the marriage certificate and the name mentioned in the passport are same...then there is no need to change the surname in the passport...my mom still has her fathers name in the passport and she's been married for over 27 years and stayed in dubai for over 20....never encountered any problems...


but then again make sure that you attest the paperwork like sears mentioned...because sometimes officials here like to go a little crazy if they haven't had their daily medication :p

I changed my name to my husbands on my passport to move here but have since found out it is not necessary and most people don't change it. Apparently the local women don't change their name to their husbands as they very much keep their own identity. I have never been questioned or asked to proove that we have the same names. A marriage certificate should surfice.

I have met many couples from the uk where the women haven't changed their surnames

I have lived in Dubai for 2 years, the name on my passport is my maiden name, not the same as the name on my marriage certificate (and therefore not the same as my husband's).

I have not encountered any problems whatsoever, all my cards, bank account, driving licence etc are all in my maiden name.

Saying that, I now want to change my name to my husband's, UK embassy here will happily do it, my work is happy to change the residence visa (100 AED cost).

I am really looking forward to all the paperwork and applications and everything else ahead of me to change driving licence, bank accounts etc etc! Jolly good that I haven't yet applied for my ID card (not for want of trying).

Looks like I'll be carrying around 2 passports and marriage certificate wherever I go.

I just wanted to add a quick comment regarding name change: there are many countries, even muslim nations in which women do not change their last name after marriage and no one treats them bad here! Name change is not legal in those countries.

I have not seen anybody asking women about their relationships in dubai. It is a much more peaceful and respectful place than you hear in media.