Law No. (14) of 2021 Concerning the Personal Status of non-Muslim Foreigners in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Article 1 — The title of the aforesaid Law No. (14) of 2021 shall be replaced by the ¶

following title: “Law No. (14) of 2021 concerning Civil Marriage and its
effects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

Article 2 — 1. The definition of “Foreigner” shall be deleted from Article (1) of the ¶

aforesaid Law No. (14) of 2021.
2. The phrase “those subject to the provisions of this Law” shall replaced
by the word (the Foreigner) and the phrase “the non-Muslim foreigner”,
wherever it appears in the aforesaid Law No. (14) of 2021, whether they

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appear in the singular, dual or plural form.
3. The following definition shall be added to Article (1) of the aforesaid Law
No. (14) of 2021: “Those Subject to the Provisions of this Law: The male
or female non-Muslim foreigner or National.”

Article 3 — Article (3) of the aforesaid Law No. (14) of 2021 shall be replaced as follows: ¶

“1. If the marriage takes place in accordance with this Law, it shall be
applicable in relation to the effects and dissolution of the marriage.
2. This Law shall be applicable to the wills and inheritances of Those
Subject to its Provisions, provided that the estate or the bequeathed
money is present in the state.”

Article 4 — Article (17) of the aforesaid Law No. (14) of 2021 shall be replaced as ¶

follows:
“1. A court shall be established in the Emirate for the consideration of
personal status cases of Those Subject to the Provisions of this Law.
2. The court stipulated in this Article shall be formed of a single judge; the
judge may be non-Muslim.
3. All the Forms and procedures of the Court shall be in two languages,
English and Arabic.”

Article 5 — A new Article No. (17) bis shall be added to the aforesaid Law No. (14) of ¶

2021, as follows:
The court shall have jurisdiction over cases related to personal status
matters for Those Subject to the provisions of this Law, that are brought
against Nationals among them, and foreigners who have a domicile, place of
residence, or workplace in the Emirate.
The court shall also have jurisdiction over cases related to personal status

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that are filed against a foreigner who does not have a domicile, place of
residence, or workplace in the Emirate, in the following cases:
1. If the case is an opposition to a marriage intended to be contracted in the
Emirate in accordance with this Law.
2. If the lawsuit is related to a request for the dissolution of a marriage
contract, annulment thereof, or divorce, and the lawsuit is filed by a
national wife, or a wife who has lost the nationality of the state, if either
of them has a domicile or place of residence in the Emirate.
3. If the case is related to a request for alimony for the wife, or the minor son,
if they have a domicile, place of residence, or workplace in the Emirate.
4. If the case is related to a personal status matter that is subject to the
provisions of this Law, and the plaintiff is a National, or a foreigner with
a domicile, place of residence or workplace in the Emirate, only if the
defendant has no known domicile or place of residence abroad.
5. If he has a chosen domicile in the Emirate.

Article 6 — This Law shall be published in the Official Gazette, and shall be effective ¶

from 15 December 2021.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Issued by us in Abu Dhabi
On: 8 December 2021
Corresponding to: 3 Jumada Al-Awwal 1443 Hijri

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Crown Prince Chairman
of the Executive Council
Resolutions
Crown Prince Chairman of the
Executive Council Resolutions

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