Marriage when neither partner is a resident of the country....

[Rebecca88 2]

Does anyone know about the laws/possibilities of getting married in a country where neither partner is a resident of that country?

 

Specifically, I'm interested in UAE.  Is it possible to get married if neither of us are a UAE resident?

Any knowledge about other countries in the area would be appreciated as well  Thank you!

[TNJ17 1,329]

Are you talking about just getting married and going back to whatever country you reside in and not actually move there? Because that depends on the country. Now, if you just wanna have a wedding there then go back to where you live I’m pretty sure that’s ok anywhere I think. 

[Rebecca88 2]

4 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

Are you talking about just getting married and going back to whatever country you reside in and not actually move there? Because that depends on the country. Now, if you just wanna have a wedding there then go back to where you live I’m pretty sure that’s ok anywhere I think. 

Yes, first one  Getting married there, and stay for some time (probably less than a year), and then return to country of residence.

Reason for asking is because of a potential of working in another country for about a year.  And we hoped to get married during that time.

I have heard it differs by country, just wondering if anyone had knowledge of the laws for any of the countries in MENA region.

Thanks!

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

2 minutes ago, Rebecca88 said:

Yes, first one  Getting married there, and stay for some time (probably less than a year), and then return to country of residence.

Reason for asking is because of a potential of working in another country for about a year.  And we hoped to get married during that time.

I have heard it differs by country, just wondering if anyone had knowledge of the laws for any of the countries in MENA region.

Thanks!

The majority of the time you actually have to be a resident of that particular country. Such as someone there on a working visa but it does vary by country. Do you have a country in mind for doing this and we can research the laws?

[Rebecca88 2]

4 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

The majority of the time you actually have to be a resident of that particular country. Such as someone there on a working visa but it does vary by country. Do you have a country in mind for doing this and we can research the laws?

Thank you!!

 

Yes, that's what I was thinking... but I know for some countries, even a work visa doesn't count you as a "resident".  So I wasn't sure if marriage on a work visa would be possible either?  

 

Particularly I was wondering about UAE.  I tried researching it on Google and the embassy website, but couldn't find conclusive info.  

 

Thanks again for the help.

[TNJ17 1,329]

I don’t think you need any type of visa to get married. The other part of your plan is what you need to worry about. You can get married anywhere. Doesn’t have to be the country you’re gonna live in. 

[doggieandsam 765]

hi there.

 

so i think you have 3 questions here, which i hope to answer below.

 

1) how can i stay in the UAE for some time (ie a year)?

- You need more than just a tourist / visit visa. If you are a citizen on a country with visa on arrival privileges (normally a first world country such as US, Canada, EU, Aus, UK etc) then you can get one month stay on arrival. Other nationalities which cannot get visa on arrival can apply (easily) for a visit visa, which can be either 30/60/90 days in length. I am not sure how it is now and the rules may have changed (so best to check this with the UAE authorities), but when I was there, one can do visa runs (ie exit and re-enter) and this is what people have done in order to stay there for a longer period of time. This is not sustainable though and will limit the practical things you can do (ie renting apartments, opening bank accounts etc) so if you need to stay a year, you will need a residence visa. which leads me to #2.

 

2) what constitutes being a resident in the UAE?

- The UAE does have a residency program, although it is not as straightforward as similar visas in other countries. In the UAE, you will need be hired by a company first and that company will then apply a work permit for you, which upon completion of a medical test, will be stamped on your passport as a residence visa. for professional jobs, these residence visas are valid for 3 years. when it expires after 3 years, your employer can just apply for a renewal for you and so on. if you have the means, you can also set up your own company and get a residence visa that way but i am not too familiar with this route. on a residence visa, you can do all the usual things a resident would be able to do, open bank accounts, rent an apartment, buy a car, get married etc.

 

2) can i get married in the UAE as a tourist? resident?

i do not know if you can get married as a tourist. but you can certainly get married as a resident (see #2).

[Rebecca88 2]

17 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

I don’t think you need any type of visa to get married. The other part of your plan is what you need to worry about. You can get married anywhere. Doesn’t have to be the country you’re gonna live in. 

I had heard differently in the past, but if this is true, that is very helpful info.  So thank you!!

[doggieandsam 765]

19 minutes ago, TNJ17 said:

I don’t think you need any type of visa to get married. 

this is not true. if you are not a citizen or a resident of the country you are going to get married in, of course you need some form of legal authorization to enter / stay there in order to do the ceremony, no? and that is what a visa is for. now we just don't know in OP's case if the UAE allows marriage on a tourist visa or not.

[doggieandsam 765]

i forgot to add for point 1) it is illegal to work on a tourist / visit visa in the UAE, so keep that in mind.

[Rebecca88 2]

12 minutes ago, doggieandsam said:

hi there.

 

so i think you have 3 questions here, which i hope to answer below.

 

1) how can i stay in the UAE for some time (ie a year)?

- You need more than just a tourist / visit visa. If you are a citizen on a country with visa on arrival privileges (normally a first world country such as US, Canada, EU, Aus, UK etc) then you can get one month stay on arrival. Other nationalities which cannot get visa on arrival can apply (easily) for a visit visa, which can be either 30/60/90 days in length. I am not sure how it is now and the rules may have changed (so best to check this with the UAE authorities), but when I was there, one can do visa runs (ie exit and re-enter) and this is what people have done in order to stay there for a longer period of time. This is not sustainable though and will limit the practical things you can do (ie renting apartments, opening bank accounts etc) so if you need to stay a year, you will need a residence visa. which leads me to #2.

 

2) what constitutes being a resident in the UAE?

- The UAE does have a residency program, although it is not as straightforward as similar visas in other countries. In the UAE, you will need be hired by a company first and that company will then apply a work permit for you, which upon completion of a medical test, will be stamped on your passport as a residence visa. for professional jobs, these residence visas are valid for 3 years. when it expires after 3 years, your employer can just apply for a renewal for you and so on. if you have the means, you can also set up your own company and get a residence visa that way but i am not too familiar with this route. on a residence visa, you can do all the usual things a resident would be able to do, open bank accounts, rent an apartment, buy a car, get married etc.

 

2) can i get married in the UAE as a tourist? resident?

i do not know if you can get married as a tourist. but you can certainly get married as a resident (see #2).

This is a lot of great and very helpful information!  Thank you SO much for your reply!

[doggieandsam 765]

lived and work in the UAE for a decade so i know some stuff. ask away if you have any more questions. =)

[TNJ17 1,329]

12 minutes ago, doggieandsam said:

this is not true. if you are not a citizen or a resident of the country you are going to get married in, of course you need some form of legal authorization to enter / stay there in order to do the ceremony, no? and that is what a visa is for. now we just don't know in OP's case if the UAE allows marriage on a tourist visa or not.

I meant as in a special type of visa because you are getting married. What you’ll need to get in the country as a tourist is most likely what you’ll need to get in to get married. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

4 minutes ago, Rebecca88 said:

This is a lot of great and very helpful information!  Thank you SO much for your reply!

Are you both of the same religion or are you are of different religions?

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

4 minutes ago, doggieandsam said:

lived and work in the UAE for a decade so i know some stuff. ask away if you have any more questions. =)

6 months in Dubai and 1 year in Qatar here, my wife spent 5 years in Qatar before leaving. We are trying to move back to either the UAE or Bahrain.