Family work in the UAE sits at the intersection of personal status law, emirate procedure, and — for many clients — a foreign nationality. UAEAZ advises spouses, parents and families who need a clear path through marriage, separation, children, maintenance and succession, without turning a private matter into a public spectacle.
Divorce, khula and separation
Muslim and non-Muslim families are not always on the same procedural track. Onshore personal status routes, civil marriage and civil divorce frameworks, and DIFC or ADGM wills can all be relevant depending on religion, nationality, where the marriage was registered, and where the children live. We start with those facts, not with a slogan.
Typical instructions include:
- divorce and judicial separation
- khula and related financial terms
- no-fault civil divorce where that route is available
- custody, access, visitation and travel with children
- maintenance, housing and financial claims after separation
- marriage contracts, prenuptial arrangements and their enforcement
- family settlement agreements
- recognition of foreign decrees where that is the live issue
A request for khula does not, by itself, erase a child’s rights to custody, maintenance or housing. Those questions are assessed separately, on the child’s facts and the applicable law.
See non-Muslim divorce in Dubai for a general overview of questions we are asked first.
Children
The child’s residence, schooling, passports and holiday travel are practical problems as much as legal ones. We advise parents who need a workable arrangement, and parents who need the court because the other side will not agree one. Urgent interim applications — including travel bans or permission to travel — are treated as time-sensitive, not as an afterthought to the divorce.
Wills, inheritance and family wealth
The family house, a jointly owned plot, company shares held in one spouse’s name, and a will that was never registered often sit underneath the personal status file. We advise on succession planning, DIFC and ADGM wills where they are the right instrument, and onshore inheritance issues. That is why our real estate and corporate practices are linked internally, not treated as a different firm.
International families
One spouse in Europe, children in Dubai, assets in more than one country: this is a normal UAEAZ file. UAE law is often the starting point unless a party is entitled, and chooses, to rely on another law under the conditions the court will actually accept. We tell you which court is likely to take the lead, what not to file in a hurry, and how to avoid inconsistent positions abroad.
Confidentiality is the first rule of this work. Details stay with the lawyers on the file.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai and worldwide
This practice is available to clients in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the northern Emirates, and to clients instructing UAEAZ from overseas by email or video. Court advocacy is conducted by licensed advocates before the relevant UAE court and level. Advice is given in Arabic and English.
To instruct counsel, send a short outline of the facts, any deadline, and the papers you have via our consultation form. An enquiry does not create a client relationship until we confirm the engagement in writing.
