Pregnancy in UAE for Unmarried Women

The United Arab Emirates is a country that in many ways resembles the world embodied from an Arabian fairy tale. The Emirates is a striking beauty and wealth, to say nothing of the fact that the pace and ways of its growth and development cannot at times fail to be shocking in its ever-growing momentum.

That is why, due to the concentration of huge potential and financial resources in the UAE, it is gradually becoming one of the world’s business centers, which attracts foreign investors and businessmen from all over the world.

Cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi are interested in attracting foreign specialists to develop their own industries, which concern absolutely different spheres of life.

The increasing number of foreign citizens, who live in the territory of the United Arab Emirates for a long period of time, causes the demand for specific requests.

 This is due to the fact that the legal basis of life in the kingdom is not so much secular norms, as religious regulations, namely the Sharia law. Thus, living in the Emirates, you are also obliged to comply with these laws. Although in some aspects, they are relaxed for expats, the bulk of them, still applies to foreigners as well.

One of the topics that often comes up when it comes to living in Dubai or Abu Dhabi is the interpersonal relationship between a man and a woman. What kinds of issues this might involve:

• Can an unmarried couple live together?
• Is marriage in the UAE compulsory for lovers?
• How to get married in the Emirates?
• What to do if I get pregnant in Dubai?
• Is it possible to have an abortion in the United Arab Emirates?
• How to get a birth certificate in the UAE if you are not married?

So, let’s clear up the answers to these worrying questions.

Is it possible for an unmarried couple to live together?

Before answering this question, it is worth mentioning two important facts in our opinion:

• The United Arab Emirates only recently decriminalized sexual relations before marriage.
• All seven emirates of the kingdom still have the death penalty.

And to answer the question, no, a couple who is not legally married cannot live together.

In recent years, the government has made some concessions and partially lifted the bans, for example in Dubai or Abu Dhabi you can be put in the same room. But that does not mean that this will be so everywhere, and it’s rather an exception, which operate in the tourist areas.

If we’re talking about renting, the owner is likely to call the police if he finds out that you’re not married and want to rent together.

And if you heard the information that Cristiano Ronaldo was allowed to live together with the mother of his children without marriage, do not be fooled, only he can do that.

Is marriage in the UAE compulsory for lovers?

It depends on how you are going to live and your future plans. If you intend to live together and have children in the future in this country, we strongly recommend you to get married.

How to get married in the Emirates?

You can do it in six ways:

• In the court for foreign nationals in Abu Dhabi.
• By Muslim customs, if you and your partner are Muslim (you must be a citizen or have a residence permit).
• At the embassy of your country in the Emirates.
• Conclude a religious marriage according to the rites of your religion. Authorities recognize Christian and Jewish religious marriages.
• Get married in your home country, even before traveling to the UAE.
• Get married in one of the countries where it can be done as quickly as possible and without bureaucratic problems.

What to do if you get pregnant in Dubai?

If we’re talking about a situation where you find out you’re pregnant as a citizen of another country and you’re not married, there are several options:

• Return to your home country and have the baby there.
• Travel to another country for the duration of the pregnancy. Keep in mind that it is better for you to leave the country before the pregnancy becomes visually noticeable.
• Go to the hospital and get registered. However, if you are not legally married, which you will most likely be required to do, medical professionals can call the police and then your case will be taken to court, where your status will be reviewed. This could threaten you with deportation.
• The best option in this situation is to get married as soon as possible, at the earliest possible stage of pregnancy. The ideal option is to have the wedding in 24 hours. This is possible, for example, in Georgia. It is very important not to procrastinate, because when you give birth you will also be asked for a marriage certificate, and if the date of registration will be much less than 9 months, it can provoke a new round of problems.

Can I have an abortion in the United Arab Emirates?

In most countries abortion is allowed and is a matter of personal choice for each woman, at least as long as the procedure can be done safely and legally, which is up to a certain date.

In the UAE, abortion is only allowed for medical reasons. In fact, there are only two reasons when you will be allowed to have an official termination of pregnancy:

• The fetus is seriously detrimental to the mother’s health.
• The fetus has significant abnormalities and the presence of severe physical or mental disabilities is not in doubt.

Abortion in the Emirates can be performed up to the 5th month of pregnancy upon the decision of several independent experts

How to get a birth certificate in the UAE if you are not married?

In 2022, there has finally been a significant shift on this issue. The President of the Emirates changed the birth and death registration procedures and now single mothers, also have the right to register their children.

This is a very important reform for local women, because before, they could not get documents for children born without a father. Absence deprived children of the right to good medicine and education.

To register a child, you must:

• Fill out the form:                                                                                                                      https://www.adjd.gov.ae/AR/Pages/courts/Permission%20to%20obtain%20a%20birth%20certificate-%20Unknown%20Father.pdf
• Attach your ID information and a copy of your passport.
• Send the completed form and documents to [email protected].

Within the next two days you will receive permission to register the child.

Considering all the difficulties and dangers that may await a foreign pregnant and unmarried woman in the United Arab Emirates, we recommend to protect yourself and get married as soon as possible.

You can do it in Georgia, using the services of wedding agency “Shu Wedding”.