Ensuring the Best for Children: Joint Custody After Divorce in UAE Law

The UAE government issued a specific family law, Federal Decree-Law no. 41 of 2022, applicable to non-Muslim residents, in case none of them wants to apply his/her home country’s law in the UAE. It has come into force from 1st February 2023 and is based on the law previously issued by the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Law No. 14 of 2021, which mainly applies to non-Muslims based in Abu Dhabi.

While the UAE Personal Status Law continues to apply to Muslims in Abu Dhabi and in the rest of the UAE, the new law applies to the non-Muslims living in the country.