Are You planning a Christian Wedding in Dubai? Here is What You Should Know!

Tag: vital certificates

Are You planning a Christian Wedding in Dubai? Here is What You Should Know!

Posted on

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world, and it is also a perfect place to live and settle down. The weather is usually warm, housing options are enormous, education quality is of a higher standard, and there is a lot of freedom of religious and cultural expression. In fact, many ex-pat families are living there for a long time and consider Dubai as their home. Thus, it is no surprise that many ex-pats are getting married in Dubai.

Even though the UAE is an Islamic nation, Christian ex-pats have the freedom to tie the knot in a typical Christian way. Having a Christian wedding is pretty easy in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE; however, you need to fulfill a few requirements to become eligible for having a marriage in one of the churches situated in the UAE.

Requirements for Church Wedding in Dubai, UAE

At least one spouse must be Roman Catholic and one of them must be a resident in Dubai. The minimum age of marriage for a woman is 18 years and for a man is 21 years.
To get married in the UAE, you and your fiancée will need to provide the following documentation:

  • Birth certificates
  • A certificate of marital status – stating whether you are single, divorced, or widowed
  • Your passports
  • Passport-sized photos

The certificate of marital status must be approved / attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of your home country or by the consulate representing your home country in the UAE. However, the church usually carries out this check for you.
Some countries, including the UK, require their citizens to submit marriage applications to their embassy or consulate in the UAE at least two months before the scheduled date of the wedding. So, you should find it out if your home country also poses this requirement on marriage applicants. For this, visit your embassy’s website and book an appointment by following instructions. You will need the scheduled date of your wedding ceremony before making an appointment.
In case you are an ex-pat hoping for a UAE wedding, either the bride or groom must hold a valid UAE residence visa.
What about the Christian wedding ceremony in the UAE???
Reverends are legally allowed to marry couples within the church only. Thus, even if you have decided on a beautiful location for your wedding, you will need to have an official ceremony in the church ahead of that day. It is mandatory to go through the official process.
Ex-pats are required to have two witnesses present at the wedding ceremony and these witnesses need not be your relatives, they could be your friends too.
Following your special day, you are also required to register your marriage with your embassy or consulate in the UAE.
The whole service lasts around 45 minutes and is managed by the Reverend – who will be the one to tell you – what to do and when. So, there is no need to panic that you will walk or say something at the wrong time. Catholic Churches in Dubai are registered at Dubai Courts. Thus any documentation they issue is considered legal. Booking your wedding at any of these churches is easy and all of the information along with application forms can be found on their websites.
Once your official Christian wedding completes and you get your marriage certificate, make sure that you apply for Church Marriage attestation. However, the attestation process alone can be tiresome and overwhelming especially for a new couple who is recently married. Thus, you can hire a reliable service provider to complete the process of Church marriage attestation while you get busy spending quality time with your spouse.

What is the Process of Catholic Marriage and Church Marriage Attestation in the UAE?

Posted on

Are you a Christian residing in the UAE expatriate and want to get married here with a UAE resident to settle here? If yes, then you can do it in churches that are legally registered at the Dubai courts to perform church marriage ceremonies. You can marry in nine catholic churches across the UAE with your partner as per the catholic rituals. To get married and settled in the UAE, you have to do it as per the country’s laws and get a marriage certificate that should be MOFA attested for further processing.

Criteria for church marriage in the UAE

  • One spouse must be roman catholic (either of them)
  • One spouse must be a UAE resident (either of them)
  • The minimum marriage age for a woman is 18 years
  • The minimum marriage age for a man is 21 years

So if you are looking for church marriage attestation to live with your spouse legally in the country, you have to produce some legal documents to arrange your marriage in a church. As per the laws here, you will be asked to produce the following documents in original to get married in a UAE church.

  • Baptism certificate of both spouses
  • Confirmation certificates
  • Emirates ID document
  • Passport copy with UAE visa
  • Civil marriage certificate
  • NOC letter from the Church
  • Prenuptial inquiry form
  • A birth certificate and a letter from the embassy if either of the spouses is not catholic
  • Passport-size photographs of each.

Once you have produced the above documents, intent to marry will be posted at the concerned church, and you can marry on the scheduled date. You will also need two witnesses aged over 18 to certify your legal marriage to get your marriage certificate. After the marriage, the bride, groom, and witness will have to sign essential documents to get the marriage certificate. Your church will issue three copies of the marriage certificate in the English language for the further church marriage attestation process.
Once you have received your marriage certificate, you have to get it attested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to apply for your resident visa in the country and other legal documentation. Before the attestation process, you will have to translate your marriage certificate into the Arabic language from a professional translation company. Once you are done with this, you will have to submit your produce your marriage certificate in the Dubai court with the mandatory documents for verification. You will need the following documents:

  • All three original marriage certificates
  • Translation copy in the Arabic language of your marriage certificate
  • Copies of passport and visas
  • Copies of Emirates ID proof

You will also need all the documents in original with you for the notary verification. Once your marriage certificate gets verified, make the payment for the notary verification fee to get your marriage certificates stamped. You will receive court stamping on two of your marriage certificates for the attestation processing.
After the court verification, you will have to get the MOJ (Ministry of Justice) stamping on both certificates before the MOFA church marriage attestation. After this, you are ready to register your catholic marriage at the relevant embassy depending on your nationality to get your MOFA attestation done.
The marriage certificate attestation process can be challenging and time-consuming. A professional attestation services company can assist you throughout your church marriage certificate attestation process with legal guidance and support. The whole marriage certificate attestation process can take about two working days, and an expert can help you save a lot of time and energy.

Call Us Now