Guide on Getting a Marriage Certificate in Dubai

Marriage is a commitment a couple and is forever.

Every couple that marries in UAE or abroad receives an official copy of the marriage certificate as soon as the marriage is registered with the national authority. On average, a couple receives a marriage certificate several weeks following the wedding and the marriage registration. If you lose the marriage certificate or require additional certificates, a couple can send an application any time following the registration of the marriage.  

Steps to Get a Marriage Certificate in Dubai 

Step 1: Find out the issuing authority from the country where you married.  

If you got married outside the UAE, you would have to do research to get the name of the national authority of the place where you married. The issuing authority’s website will have other crucial information they need, including the current processing fee and processes involved for obtaining official copies of your marriage certificate. If you got married in Dubai, you can request official copies from the UAE Ministry of Justice.  

Take note: if you had the traditional or religious wedding instead of a court marriage in Dubai, the marriage has to be registered with the UAE local authorities first. There are service providers that can help manage the required documents to prove to authorities that your marriage in UAE is legal and valid, owning a home.  

Step 2: Send an application.  

The following are the ones that can process the application for obtaining a copy of a marriage certificate and/or certified copy of Registration of Marriage: 

• The person(s) whose marriage was registered  
• The trustee, guardian, or person with a power of attorney (POA) for either bride or groom (an applicant must be legally named in a guardianship order, POA document, or trusteeship document; the legal document has to be attached onto the application) 
• The person who’s designated through a personal directive to be an agent of either the bride or the groom (the personal directive has to be attached onto the application)  
• A person with a court order which states he/she is eligible in making the application (order must be court-issued; applicant must have authorization in making the application through a court order; the court order has to be issued within a year of an application; copy of the court order has to be attached to an application)  
• Lawyer of a person whose name is in the marriage certificate (copy of legislated ID requirement must be attached onto the application) 

If the bride or groom is a deceased person, the applicants who are allowed to apply for an official copy of a marriage certificate are as follows: 

• Next-of-kin of the deceased person which is either the groom or the bride (proof of death has to be provided in showing the eligibility of the applicant in this category; proof of relationship also needs to be attached to an application)  
• Executor, administer, or personal representative for the property or estate of a deceased groom/bride (copy of will has to be attached onto the application; applicant has to be named in a will or any other similar document; proof of death has to be provided in showing the eligibility of the applicant in this category)  
• Relative of a deceased groom/bride when there’s no living next-of-kin (proof of relationship and proof of death have to be attached onto the application)  
• Public trustee for property or estate of a deceased groom/bride (proof of death has to be provided in showing the eligibility of the applicant in this category; applicant has to be named in a trusteeship document; copy of a trusteeship document has to be attached onto the application) 

 Step 3: Wait for the issuing authority to send the official marriage certificate.  

You will get the copy of the marriage certificate either by mail or in person, depending on the option that you choose and the country. Remember that national statistics offices will only process applications that come with all the required documentation.  

Purpose of Getting a Marriage Certificate in Dubai  

A marriage certificate issued by a government authority provides crucial information. This includes the name of the couple, the place where the marriage ceremony took place, and time of marriage. A court marriage in Dubai or any other place or country is not legal without a marriage certificate. 

The most common reasons why you would need a marriage certificate in Dubai or anywhere in UAE are as follows: 

• Bring a spouse on UAE residency vis a 
• Add the name of a spouse in the passport  
• Add the spouse onto a healthcare or life insurance  
• Admit the wife for childbirth in a hospital  
• Apply for a child’s passport  
• Buy property with a spouse jointly  
• Apply for divorce  

Any legal document, including a marriage certificate, that was issued outside the UAE has to undergo document attestation process to provide proof of its validity. If you did not have a court marriage in Dubai/UAE, consult with experts such as Dubai Court Marriage to process your marriage certificate application and the document attestation.