Over 10,000 civil marriage applications were filed by foreigners to the Civil Family Court in the first half of 2025, according to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. This is a 20% increase over the same time the previous year.
Since the implementation of Law No. 14 of 2021 on Civil Marriage and its Effects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, there have been 43,000 registered civil marriage contracts overall.
Foreigners’ increasing demand for civil marriage services is a testament to the high caliber and distinctiveness of this service in the Middle East, according to counselor Yousef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
According to counselor Al Abri, the opening of the first civil personal status court in the area for foreigners was a significant turning point that established Abu Dhabi as a top choice for people looking for civil marriage services. For non-Arabic speakers, the ability to receive services in both Arabic and English has been crucial in streamlining the legal process.
In less than three years, the number of registered civil weddings has increased dramatically, from over 5,400 in 2022 to over 16,000 in 2024, with 10,000 recorded in the first half of 2025 alone, according to the Civil Family Court’s statistics report.
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