Divorce, maintenance and child custody in the UAE

What we cover in the UAE

Family matters in the UAE can involve the federal Personal Status Law, civil personal-status rules for non-Muslims, emirate-level procedures and conflict-of-laws questions for expatriate families. We assess nationality, religion, residence, available choice of law, urgent child issues and the correct court before recommending a route.

• Marriage and marital agreements

  We review the parties’ status, existing marriage documents and proposed financial terms to assess the applicable framework and prepare or review the marital agreement.

• Divorce and financial consequences

  We examine the marriage record, residence, applicable personal-status framework and financial evidence to explain separation options and prepare a settlement, claim or response.

• Custody, guardianship and relocation

  We review care arrangements, guardianship documents, travel plans and existing orders to assess the proposed decision and prepare advice, family proposals or the agreed application.

• Maintenance and support

  We organise income, expenses, payments and existing orders to assess support claims and prepare a reasoned request, response or family settlement.

• Parentage and family documentation

  We review birth and marriage records, identity documents and conflicting entries to identify the documentation issue and prepare a correction request or legal assessment.

• Recognition of foreign family orders

  We compare family records and foreign judgments with the intended local use, identify missing documentation and prepare the legal assessment for recognition or record correction.