United Arab Emirates: Family Law

Witness testimony plays a crucial role in UAE legal proceedings, particularly in family and divorce disputes where events may not be fully documented. However, UAE law imposes strict limitations on when witness evidence can be used, especially in commercial matters exceeding AED 50,000, and witnesses who provide false testimony face serious criminal consequences including imprisonment and potential deportation for expatriates.

The UAE’s decision to ban social media platforms for minors under the age of 15 is a fundamental change in the approach towards child protection, digital safety and online accountability.

Divorce is not only the end of a marriage. When children are involved, it also raises important questions about parenting, custody, visitation, financial support and decision-making.

A decade-long custody battle between expatriate parents culminates in a landmark Dubai Court of Cassation ruling that redefines jurisdictional boundaries, maintenance modification principles, and the sanctity of comprehensive child support awards in the UAE.

A Dubai court case examines whether a father can use DNA testing to challenge his child's established paternity in a maintenance dispute, testing the boundaries between scientific evidence and the finality of legal judgments.

A Dubai court modified a father's child visitation schedule after determining his work commitments made the original arrangement impractical.

Case Summary: The Wife requests for a fault-based divorce from her husband and seeks custody of their three sons. The wife states that although their marriage had been tumultuous since the beginning, with her husband mistreating her, being verbally abusive towards her and neglectful towards the family, for the previous 4 years they have been separated and the husband had completely abandoned their conjugal bed.

Case Summary:Wife seeks fault-based divorce, or alternatively, a khula from the husband, and custody of children, on the grounds of physical and verbal abuse and psychological problems seen in the husband

Summary: Case The husband requests a fault-based divorce from his wife on the grounds of cruelty and abuse and seeks the custody of his son aged 15 and daughter aged 24. The husband states that the continuation of their marriage has become impossible due to continuous marital discord.