Go-Guide: How to get married in Dubai
Ok, it’s exciting times! You’re engaged and you’re due to get married! You’re also an expat living in Dubai which makes things a little more interesting.
Getting married generally includes lots of planning. But even if you choose to get married in your home country and return to Dubai as husband and wife, there is still a fair bit of paperwork required. So I have given it my best go at helping you out below.
Legal papers you will need
I got married two years ago. My husband and I decided to get married in Australia and then get all of our documents attested when we returned to Dubai as a married couple. We then had another celebration in Dubai to mark our union. What ever style you choose for tying the knot in Dubai, here is my go-to-guide to help you on your way!
- Full birth certificates
- Ten year passports and photocopies & visas
- Passports and photocopies of two witnesses
- Emirates ID cards
- UAE Medical fitness certificate and blood test undertaken at Ministry of Health affiliated medical centres
- If you have been divorced then the final divorce papers and your former marriage certificate must be shown. Original Decree Absolute (in the case of a previous marriage which ended in divorce);
- If you are widowed then the death certificate of your previous spouse must be shown.
- Proof of your physical, residential address (eg utility bill, tenancy contract). If these are in your company’s name please bring a letter from your company to say where you reside;
- If your partner is from the Philippines, you will also need to provide an attested CENOMAR document and attested Birth Certificate.
- If you intend to marry in the UAE and you live in the UK, you can still obtain a CNI from your local register office before travelling. You may also visit the British Embassy for an Affidavit/Affirmation if you have been in the UAE for a minimum of 21 days.
- If you are resident in another country but want to get married in the UAE, you can also visit the Embassy for an Affidavit / Affirmation but you must have been in the UAE for a minimum of 21 days.
- If you are from the UK and don’t have certain certificates you can order them online from here
- If you are Australian and you don’t have certain certificates you can get in touch with births deaths and marriages here
For a Church Wedding
Some people choose to do the church wedding before the celebration. They then have a simple blessing at the celebration for their marriage with the formalities behind them. Here is the process…
Both you and your partner need to visit the relevant Embassy in Dubai between 8am and 11am and the Consular Officer will administer the Oath or Affirmation that you are free and single to marry.
You will be issued with the completed paperwork within one working day. Remember though that both of you must have been in the UAE for a minimum of 21 days prior to starting this process. Please see fees for current costs.
- British nationals who are resident in Dubai and are Anglican Christians may be able to marry at Holy Trinity Church (Tel: +971 (0) 4 337 0247), or
- Christ Church, Jebel Ali, (Tel +971 (0) 4 884 5436).
- Roman Catholics may be able to marry at St Mary’s Church (Tel: +971 (0) 4 337 0087).
Blessing Ceremony
For those of you who decide to do the formalities before your reception, you may still want to have someone who will conduct a blessing. We spoke to Rev’d Stephen Miller, he was a Port Chaplain and Director of The Mission to Seafarers in Dubai and did a fabulous job.
Venue for Reception
According to White, the Middle East’s first online wedding magazine, “choosing the right wedding venue does not just involve picking an outdoor location or an indoor hall there’s a lot more to consider.”
And I completely agree, for a few top-of-the-list recommendations, quite a few of my friends have had great weddings at The Ritz Carlton in the Dubai Marina and the One and Only Royal Mirage. My husband and I had our celebration at The Desert Palm in Dubai. 
What I personally loved about The Desert Palm was that they didn’t offer me a pre-planned wedding package. Instead we sat down with a lovely lady named Patti and together, we created the custom design for our reception. The choice is yours, but bear in mind that the venues do get booked out so it pays to plan well in advance.
The Dress
Now for the dress! For me, the dress what one of my favorite stories of my wedding. Why? Well, as I was already married and our blessing ceremony was to signify our union, I was also well and truly pregnant (which is another topic in itself for residents of Dubai.)
What I love about Dubai is the choice – you can go all out Vera Wang, or you can enjoy the benefit of using a tailor for your wedding dress. I went for the tailored option and was over the moon with the result. Below are a few stories from my friends about their wedding dress experiences in Dubai.
Jilly’s Story
Here is my gorgeous friend Jilly and her husband Matt. Her wedding was amazing, and their wedding dance was out of this world – think jive bunny-cum-Austrian national dance all in one – the guests were in awe. Here is her story…
“Our story was simple. Matt proposed, I said yes and we set a date for 11 months later here in Dubai. The biggest obstacle was finding an affordable venue on our date. The Ritz Carlton ticked all of the boxes, including a great events planner who let us pick and choose the things we wanted the hotel to look after, like flowers and DJs for the day, for example.
The wedding process itself, while it involved a fair amount of paperwork, was smooth sailing. There is the option of getting married at the Embassy but, being of different nationalities, Matt and I decided on a church wedding. Both of us being Catholic, we had our ceremony at the St Francis Church in Jebel Ali. We needed to present the following documentation:
- Certificate of Baptism.
- Certificate of Confirmation (Can. 1065).
- Certificate of “Freedom to Marry” from your parish where you were baptized.
- Attendance of Marriage Preparation course.
- Passport copies and one photograph (passport size).
- Certificate of Singleness from your Embassy/Consulate.
After completing a marriage prep course at the church, we were married in a small service with close friends and family 2 days before the Ritz ceremony. Next, we needed to have our marriage certificate legalized – a process made much easier by simply hiring someone to visit the different ministries to get it all translated and stamped.
The Dress. Quite possibly the most overwhelming of all the decisions – white, lace, silk, veil, no veil… Looking back, I wish I had tried on more dresses and grabbed a few close girlfriends to turn the trying-on into a fun event.
In the end, I decided to get Pansy from Exclusive tailor (in Satwa) to make my dress. Seeing how stressed I was, she came with me to choose the fabric and negotiate this purchase. I picked up my dress a day before the wedding which to some brides may seem like madness, but I thought, I’m the bride, I could arrive in my dressing gown as long as I was marrying the love of my life! My dress turned out beautifully and we had a magical day partying with all of our friends
Love Jill xo
Breana’s Story
Here is my gorgeous friend, Breana. Breana was living in the UAE, planning her wedding to be held back home in Australia. She had her dress made by a local tailor in Dubai. This is her story…
“What can I say about organizing our wedding from the UAE… it was a challenge! The hardest part of the entire process was actually finding the dress. I knew exactly what I wanted – something floaty, feminine and classic. Only, I didn’t have a clue where to look in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. All of the dresses in the bridal shops I visited were either over-the-top or out of my price range.
It was never part of my plan to have my dress made but, in the end, I didn’t have a choice. Luckily, it turned out amazing. I went to a dressmaker called Stitch In Time located in the Dubai Mall. The result was everything I could have hoped for. It incorporated all of the elements I was going for – elegant and classic with a contemporary vintage air.
The best part about planning our wedding was the birth of Hodgepodge Hire, my own wedding hire business. It’s going really well so far – the only shame is that I can’t work on it full-time yet. But the one thing that my wedding has taught me, is that I need to be patient. Just like my custom-made wedding gown, it will all be worth it in the end.”
Love B xo
Olga’s Story
Here is my gorgeous friend Olga, dancing with her husband, Paul. As a guest at her wedding, I can truly say that every part of the day was magical. Here is her story…
“Paul and I have different nationalities – he is Irish and I am Russian. But we met in Dubai, and so we decided to tie the knot in the place where our love story began.
And this is where the planning started. We contacted the British embassy in Dubai to place a pre- marriage request. This needed to go on the wall for 3 weeks before we were granted permission to marry.
The next step was getting the post-marriage paperwork attested. We were helped out big time by the Christ Church Jebel Ali who assisted us in this regard for a small fee. Our ceremony was held at the One and Only Royal Mirage – not only a stunning venue, but helpful too as Jessabye in their events department proved invaluable to us. We also used the services of a wedding organiser to help us find Russian and Irish dancers as well as musicians for the wedding ceremony and dinner.
Our day was made even more special with little extras like ambient room lighting, party favors, the wedding cake… the list is endless. We are so grateful to Kamilla from DXP Productions who saved us a lot of stress and time with her expertise in wedding planning.
But the real highlight of the reception was the magician who entertained our guests. He was a friend of Paul’s who traveled from Jersey to attend our Dubai wedding. To this day, all the guests are still talking about his close-up magic. His details are [email protected]”
You can also apply for a once-off alcohol licence from the Dubai police for your wedding. This can be a real asset especially considering the exorbitant prices of champagne in the hotels. The hotel will charge you corkage but this saving will help your pocket considerably, especially if you have thirsty guests!
Love O xo
Accreditation and Certification 
After the ceremony has taken place in either the Anglican or Roman Catholic Church, in order to ensure that the marriage is recognised in Dubai, the couple must take a signed copy of the entry in the Church Marriage Register for accreditation to:
i. The Dubai Courts, near Maktoum Bridge and Rashid Hospital;
ii. The Ministry of Justice;
iii. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If you got married in Australia, you need to get your marriage certificated
Printing Booklets & Gifts
At every wedding there is a gift or a special booklet waiting for their guests at their tables. I went for the booklet option, which was the hardest yet most enjoyable aspect of the planning for me. I wanted every guest to feel welcomed and know they were meant to be there to celebrate our special occasion. I printed mine at Veesham printing.
While it might involve some careful thought and planning beforehand, having your wedding in Dubai will truly be an unforgettable experience – not to mention the great stories you’ll have to tell your kids down the line. So if your “I Do” is in the not-too-distant future, best you start planning straight away!
I hope this post has helped you out!
Janelle xoxo
