Catholic church marriage certificate attestation in UAE

If you are living in the UAE as an expat and want to have a marriage at St Mary’s church in Dubai, it is certainly possible. There are currently 9 catholic churches in the UAE.

Catholic marriages can take place in any of the 9 catholic churches in the UAE. We have St Mary’s Catholic church & St Francis of Assisi Catholic church in Dubai. If marrying in the other emirates, its St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Sharjah, St Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ras Al Khaimah, St Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Fujairah, St Paul’s Catholic church in Musaffah, St John The Baptist Catholic Ruwais and St. Mary’s Catholic church Al Ain.

To have a church marriage in Dubai, at least one spouse must be Roman Catholic, and one of them must be resident in Dubai. The minimum age for a woman to marry is 18 years and for a man is 21.

Dubai Marriage documentation required  (if marrying in a catholic church):

• Baptism certificate in original for both spouses
• Confirmation certificates original for both
• Emirates ID of both or one if available
• Passport copy with UAE visa page
• Civil marriage certificate
• No objection letter from the Church
• Marriage Preparation course certificate
• Prenuptial inquiry form to be completed in front of the parish priest
• If divorced or widowed, a decree absolute or death certificate of the former spouse
• If one of the partners is not Catholic, they must provide a birth certificate and a letter from the embassy stating that they are free to marry
• Passport-size photographs of each.
• Under 21s must have a letter of consent from their parents
• Two witnesses aged over 18 must attend the wedding

Note: all documents must be original. The bride and groom must provide notarised translations into English if the original documents are in another language.

Once the documentation is in order, an Intent to Marry will then be posted on the church notice board for three weeks.