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For Couples From the US

US Citizens, Married in the UAE

US citizens who meet the Abu Dhabi court’s conditions can marry legally in the UAE without living there. You apply from home and fly in for the ceremony. Afterwards, the US Embassy or Consulate authenticates MOFA’s seal on the certificate for use in the US.

Start Your JourneyChat on WhatsApp Can a US citizen marry here?
  • Apply From the US
  • Ceremony in Abu Dhabi
  • MOFA Attestation
  • US Embassy Step
A bride in an ivory silk gown and a groom in a tuxedo sit at the edge of a rooftop infinity pool at sunset, candles and white roses beside them, looking out over the Palm Jumeirah

Can We Marry There

Can a US Citizen Get Married in Dubai? Legally, in Abu Dhabi

Yes, in the UAE, and the celebration can be in Dubai. Dubai’s own courts run a separate civil procedure, which we do not arrange. For couples who live in the US, we arrange the civil marriage at the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, about an hour and a half’s drive from Dubai. The court takes applications from anywhere in the world and needs you in Abu Dhabi only for the ceremony.

  • One Passport or Two

    You need not both be American. The court marries a man and a woman irrespective of religion or nationality, with one exception: Muslim citizens of the UAE.

  • Filed From the US

    Neither of you has to live in the UAE. The application goes in while you are at home, and you travel once the court has set the date.

  • No Medical Certificate

    The State Department notes that some countries ask for blood tests before a wedding. The Abu Dhabi civil court asks for no premarital medical certificate and no screening.

  • In Person, Briefly

    Video ceremonies are for UAE residents. You fly in and attend together, and the court aims to finish within fifteen minutes.

  • Rings and Vows

    Exchanging rings and saying your own vows are allowed, never required. You tell the officiating team on arrival, and no witnesses are needed.

  • Divorced Before

    For a divorce in the US, the court takes the final decree as it is, with no authentication. It goes in with the application; on the day, the court asks only for your passports.

The US Embassy

What the US Embassy in the UAE Does for Your Marriage

The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the US Consulate General in Dubai do their part after the ceremony. Before it, there is little to ask of them: the United States keeps no central register of marriages, so the mission issues no letter saying you are free to marry.

The court marries you. The embassy authenticates MOFA’s seal afterwards.

The step that matters is authentication. MOFA attests the certificate, and the embassy or consulate authenticates MOFA’s seal at a notarial appointment. We arrange it, and before you plan your stay we tell you whether you need to attend it yourselves.

  • The Wedding

    At the court in Abu Dhabi.

    Neither the embassy nor the consulate performs marriages. Your ceremony is at the Civil Family Court, beside Zayed Sports City.

  • Proof of Single Status

    A sworn statement, if asked.

    The mission notarises an affidavit of eligibility to marry for an authority that needs one. The Abu Dhabi civil court relies on its own form.

  • Authenticating MOFA’s Seal

    The step after the wedding.

    By appointment, once MOFA has attested the certificate, so that it can be used in the US for purposes such as joint tax filing.

  • Your Passport Name

    Once you are married.

    A passport in your married name follows the regular renewal process, with the original marriage certificate as proof of the new name.

A closed cream linen folder sealed with a gold wax seal on a pale stone table in dappled sunlight, a brass seal stamp behind it and a gold pen beside it

Recognition at Home

Is a UAE Marriage Recognised in the US?

The State Department gives no general answer: it refers couples to the office of the Attorney General of the state where they live, which can also say which documents it needs. The US Embassy in the UAE describes the step that makes the certificate usable at home. MOFA attests it, then the embassy authenticates MOFA’s seal, so that, in the embassy’s words, the marriage can be recognised for purposes such as joint tax filing.

MOFA attestation before the embassy step

Papers From Home

What to Bring From the US for the Abu Dhabi Court

For couples who live outside the UAE, the court asks for little: a passport each, its own application form and, where one of you was married before, evidence of how that marriage ended. For a US divorce we ask for the final decree. It comes on the timescale of the court that granted it, so it is the paper to order first.

  1. 01

    From Both of You

    • A copy of each passport
    • The court’s application form, on which each of you declares you are not married to anyone else

  2. 02

    If Either of You Was Married Before

    • Divorced: the final divorce decree from the court that granted it; a state divorce certificate will not do
    • Widowed: your late spouse’s death certificate

  3. 03

    Not Needed for This Court

    • An affidavit of eligibility to marry, or any other proof of single status
    • A premarital medical certificate
    • A translation of papers already in English
    • Authentication of a US divorce decree
    • Witnesses

Across Two Continents

Planning the Court Date From the US

  1. 01

    Express or Regular

    On the regular route, we see court dates booking about three months ahead. On express, you choose the date and time within the court’s opening hours.

  2. 02

    The Decree First

    If either of you was divorced, the final decree is ordered from the court that granted it before anything else.

  3. 03

    The Application

    We prepare it with you while you are in the US. After approval and the court’s fee, the court emails the date and time.

  4. 04

    The Flight In

    Booked once the date is set, in the names on your passports. Whether your stay needs room for the embassy appointment, we tell you before you book.

  5. 05

    The Ceremony

    At the Civil Family Court in Abu Dhabi, with rings and vows if you wish and family welcome to watch.

  6. 06

    Attested, Then Authenticated

    MOFA attests the certificate, then the US Embassy or Consulate authenticates MOFA’s seal at a notarial appointment, on the mission’s own timetable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions From American Couples About Marrying in the UAE

01 Do we need an affidavit of eligibility to marry from the US Embassy?
Not for the Abu Dhabi civil court. It asks for no proof of single status from any country: each of you declares on its application form that you are not married. The US government cannot attest to marital status, so if another authority asks for proof, the embassy or consulate notarises a sworn affidavit at a notarial appointment. The person you are marrying does not need to attend it. The US Mission’s marriage page for the UAE What the Abu Dhabi court requires, line by line
02 Do we have to register our UAE marriage in the US?
Not with the US Embassy or Consulate: the embassy says there is no need to register a UAE marriage with it. It recommends authentication instead, so MOFA attests the certificate and the embassy or consulate then authenticates MOFA’s seal. Whether your state wants anything further, the office of its Attorney General can tell you, as the State Department advises. The State Department on marriages abroad The embassy step after MOFA attestation
03 One of us is not American. Can we still marry in Abu Dhabi?
Yes, if you meet the court’s conditions. It marries a man and a woman irrespective of religion or nationality, with the exception of Muslim citizens of the UAE, so the two of you need not share a passport. If your spouse is to live with you in the US afterwards, that is a separate immigration application, which the State Department points to from its marriage page. Visas are not something we arrange. The court’s own wording on who it marries When one of you holds a British passport
04 Should we marry legally in the US and celebrate in Dubai instead?
That is an option the State Department names itself: some couples marry legally in the US before or after a celebration abroad, which avoids a foreign marriage certificate. Marry at the Abu Dhabi court instead and the UAE certificate is your legal record, with any ceremony at home the symbolic one. Whether your state recognises it is a question for its Attorney General’s office. Settle which day is the legal one before you book. Planning the Dubai celebration from the US

Planning from the US?

Tell us your nationalities, the state you live in and the months you are considering. We come back with the route that fits, the papers to order and the dates the court could realistically offer.

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The Next Step

Tell Us Your State and Your Season

Your nationalities, where in the US you live, whether either of you has been married before and when you would like to travel. We reply within 48 hours, with the court route that fits and anything to order first.

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