Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Working in Dubai

Hi all,

Myself and my fiancée are fully qualified teachers (TESOL, PGCE) with experience and are thinking about working out in Dubai together. The big obstacle seems to be us not yet being married. We are thinking of bringing forward our plans to wed to the middle of next year (June/early July 2011) but we are concerned that if we want to start teaching jobs in September, our proof of marriage would be required in advance of that for the work/visa application process.

As we understand it, we will need to send proof of marriage et al to the prospective employer (in this case, the school/university) and they will sort out some (all?!) elements of the process for us. The big question is for a September start, how soon will they need the documentation. How long does the admin process take? Is it roughly 12, 6, or 3 months in advance of arriving there?

Thanks in advance,

ad

TBH I don't think you need to have proof of marriage unless you are sponsoring your wife - while the school might require to see it on your arrival, I shouldn't imagine that the authorities will need to. As a teacher I believe you have to be individually sponsored by the school employing you, unless you are already on your husbands/wifes visa - teaching employment requires Ministry of Education approval. From the schools standpoint, as long as they know you are getting married, and have already done so by the time you arrive, it should be fine - can I make a suggestion that you contact the UAE embassy in London and see what they say about proof of marriage - they will be your best guide.