In fewer than six months, more than a 1,000 non-Emirati couples have tied the knot in Abu Dhabi's new civil marriage court.
After sweeping changes to Abu Dhabi laws that allow non-Muslim residents or visitors to have a civil marriage at court, hundreds of tourists have flocked to the judicial department to get married.
In December, a Canadian couple were the first to register their union at the new court.
So far, more than 20 per cent of the applicants have been tourists.
[We are] providing people who live and invest in the UAE with the freedom to apply liberal rules when it comes to their family affairs
Youssef Saeed Al Abri,
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department
The new regulations are positioning the capital as a wedding destination with couples flying in specifically to tie the knot.
In February, a British couple from Essex, England, flew in from the UK to get married in Abu Dhabi.
“We decided to get married here because we want to have a civil marriage not a religious one,” said the groom Craig Lindsey at the time.
“We are moving to Dubai so decided it would be nice to have it in the UAE.”
The family court also handles divorce cases after new laws allowed no-fault divorce for the first time.
This is when a couple do not need to submit proof of any wrongdoing to be granted a divorce.
Instead, a simple request for divorce by either partner is sufficient.
The new court has drastically reduced the waiting time needed to get married or divorced.
Couples can now get divorced in a matter of days instead of months, or sometimes years, under the previous laws.
Couples can also have the laws of the country in which they were married applied to their divorce proceedings instead of Sharia, which applies only to Muslims.
The court has so far received 50 no-fault divorce applications, 20 civil inheritance cases and 250 applications for civil will attestation.
Youssef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, said in a statement that reaching 1,000 civil marriage in fewer than five months was a step forward in “providing people who live and invest in the UAE with the freedom to apply liberal rules when it comes to their family affairs”.
“Twenty per cent of the marriage applicants are tourists who specifically flew to Abu Dhabi to benefit from the exclusive civil marriage service which is only available in the UAE capital, and over 120 nationalities applied to the civil marriage service,” he said.
Up to 50 people have applied for a no-fault divorce since January.
The judicial department said: “The no-fault divorce judgment is issued in one court session within 30 days from filing the case, without the need to submit the case to the Family Guidance, and it included by default the joint custody of the kids.
“The law has deliberately favoured this solution, as it makes the separation a peaceful one without turning couples into opponents by reducing conflict between separating couples and helping them to focus on how to jointly raise their kids and to move on in life.”
“Foreign couples can now get divorced in Abu Dhabi without one person needing to blame the other as the law removes unnecessary finger-pointing, and saves children from witnessing their parent's litigate.”
The new laws also state that inheritance is divided equally among the deceased’s spouse and children regardless of their sex. This is unlike Sharia, which allocates the son a larger share.
“Court statistics also show that 20 cases of civil inheritance for foreigners have been registered since January ... granting the wife 50 per cent of her deceased husband's assets and dividing the remaining 50 per cent among the children in equal shares, regardless of gender,” the statement said.
“It only takes 30 days for the court to issue its decision on the distribution of the estate, and the whole procedure is available in English and Arabic.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Upcoming games
SUNDAY
Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)
MONDAY
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
