Abu Dhabi: Dubai is set to become the Las Vegas of the Middle East, in terms of completing civil marriage procedures in less than 24 hours, the British newspaper The Times reported.
Under the new expatriate family law that came into force on February 1, 2023, non-Muslim residents getting married in Dubai will be able to get their marriage licence in just 24 hours.
Non-Muslims eligible for civil marriage in Dubai must be at least 21-year-old, unmarried and at least one resident of Dubai.
On February 1, the UAE began implementing a new federal law that covers marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance for non-Muslim citizens and expatriates residing in the country.
In 2022, UAE became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to legalize mixed civil marriage in Abu Dhabi, which has attracted 6,000 couples so far from 127 nations. As many as 830 Indian couples have tied the knot under the new civil law.
The reforms were first approved by the late UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 27, 2021. Out of the seven emirates, only Abu Dhabi adopted the new reforms in November 2022.
But now UAE is preparing to adopt these reforms in all its lands, which means that these reforms will reach Dubai, which will make this international tourist destination a favorite place for quick weddings.
Tourists and expatriates living in the country were able to get married there before the new law, but it was a more complicated and lengthy process.
Dubai’s rulers appear to be relaxing laws in a bid to encourage tourism in the city, which was a top destination for Brits in 2022 and is home to around 250,000 British residents, according to Skyscanner.
