Abu Dhabi's Civil Family Court marries couples of any religion, except UAE nationals, whether they live in the Emirates or fly in as tourists. For non-Muslim couples in the UAE, it is the one real alternative to a civil marriage in Georgia. We compare the two on who can marry, documents, time, cost and what each certificate needs afterward, and say plainly which couples each route suits.
Quick summary
- Abu Dhabi's Civil Family Court marries anyone except UAE nationals, whatever their religion, and tourists can apply online from abroad.
- Abu Dhabi charges AED 300 for regular processing within 10 working days, or AED 2,500 for express processing within 1 working day.
- Georgia can register you the day you apply at a Public Service Hall, free without a ceremony, but you travel to Tbilisi and bring 2 adult witnesses.
- Abu Dhabi needs no witnesses, and its certificate is a UAE court document, so there is no Georgian legalization or UAE Embassy attestation to arrange.
- Georgia suits couples who need to marry within days without paying for express service, and couples taking the certificate to a country in the Apostille Convention.
On this page
Abu Dhabi Civil Marriage vs Georgia at a Glance
Both routes end in a civil marriage with no religious ceremony required. Where they differ is where you have to be, who comes with you, how fast you get a date and what the certificate needs before the UAE or another country will use it.
| Compared on | Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court | Georgia, at a Public Service Hall |
|---|---|---|
| Who can marry | Anyone of any religion, except UAE nationals | A man and a woman, both 18 or older, of any nationality or religion |
| Residency | None; tourists apply online from abroad | None; each foreign partner is in Georgia legally on the day |
| Witnesses | None required | 2 adult witnesses with ID |
| Processing | Within 10 working days (regular) or 1 working day (express) | The day you apply, or any day within 2 months |
| State fee | AED 300 regular, AED 2,500 express | Free without a ceremony; GEL 75 to 255 with a ceremony or off-site |
| Where you go | Abu Dhabi, for the ceremony | Tbilisi, both of you, for the registration |
| Before UAE use | The court recommends MOFA notarization | Georgian legalization, the UAE Embassy in Tbilisi, then MOFA in the UAE |
| Apostille for other countries | Not available: the UAE is not in the Apostille Convention | Available, GEL 30 to 150 |
In short, Abu Dhabi fits a couple whose life and paperwork stay in the UAE. Georgia fits a couple in a hurry or a couple taking the certificate to a country that accepts apostilles.
Who Can Marry at the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court
The court works under Abu Dhabi Law No. 14 of 2021 on civil marriage. The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (opens in a new tab) opens it to anyone regardless of religion, with one exclusion: UAE nationals. Muslims who are not Emirati citizens qualify, and so do interfaith couples.
Tourists apply through the same online portal as residents, from anywhere in the world, and travel to Abu Dhabi for the ceremony. These rules belong to the Abu Dhabi court alone: Dubai has its own courts, and a court marriage in Dubai sets its own terms on who qualifies and what you file.
Georgia is just as open on religion and residence. Georgian law requires a man and a woman, both 18 or older and neither already married, and each foreign partner must be in the country legally on the day. It sets no nationality rule, so it also registers the couples the Abu Dhabi court turns away.
Documents and Witnesses for Each Route
The Abu Dhabi court asks for copies of both passports, both Emirates IDs if you have them, and proof that any earlier marriage has ended. You send them with the online application. Nobody has to come as a witness, though family and friends are welcome at the ceremony.
Georgia wants more in the room. You bring your passports, proof that each foreign partner is in Georgia legally, 2 adult witnesses with their own ID and, if either of you was married before, a divorce or death certificate with an apostille or legalization and a notarized Georgian translation. Neither official list includes a premarital medical test or a certificate of no impediment from your home country.
What to have ready for either route
- Valid passports for both of you; for Georgia, with your names in Latin letters or a notarized Georgian translation
- Emirates IDs, if you live in the UAE
- Proof that any earlier marriage ended, carrying an apostille or legalization if you marry in Georgia
- 2 adult witnesses with ID, for Georgia only
- A UAE residence permit that is still valid on the day you land in Tbilisi
How Long Each Route Takes
In Abu Dhabi the clock starts with the online application. The court processes a regular application within 10 working days, or an express one within 1 working day for the higher fee.
Book Abu Dhabi flights after the court confirms
The AED 300 regular service gives the court up to 10 working days to process your application, and choosing your own ceremony date comes only with the AED 2,500 express service. Book flights and time off once the court has confirmed your date, not before, or a trip planned around a guessed date ends with no ceremony in it.
In Georgia, a civil registration in Tbilisi can take place on the day you apply at a Public Service Hall, or on any day you pick within the 2 months the application stays valid. An office that is fully booked can decline a same-day registration, so an early weekday application is the safe plan.
UAE residents marrying in Georgia need no visa for the trip, because a UAE residence permit lets you enter Georgia visa-free for 90 days in any 180. The permit has to be valid on the day you cross the border.
From our Tbilisi team
We check one date first for couples flying in from the UAE: the expiry on the residence permit. Since 16 May 2025, holders of 17 passports, Nigerian, Moroccan and Pakistani among them, need at least 1 year left on a Gulf permit to enter Georgia visa-free. With less than that, the Abu Dhabi court is the simpler route.
Abu Dhabi Court Fees vs Georgian State Fees
In Abu Dhabi you pay a single court fee, plus AED 950 if the court also notarizes a prenuptial agreement. In Georgia the registration itself is free without a ceremony, but a certificate bound for the UAE picks up 3 more fees on the way: legalization in Georgia, the UAE Embassy in Tbilisi and MOFA in the UAE.
State fees for a certificate used in the UAE
- Abu Dhabi court, regular service
- AED 300
- Abu Dhabi court, express service
- AED 2,500
- Abu Dhabi court, prenuptial agreement (optional)
- AED 950
- Georgia, registration without a ceremony
- Free
- Georgia, legalization of the certificate
- GEL 30 to 150
- UAE Embassy in Tbilisi, attestation
- USD 41
- UAE MOFA, attestation in the UAE
- AED 150
Flights to Tbilisi come on top of the Georgian fees. A ceremony in Georgia adds GEL 75 at a Public Service Hall, or GEL 135 on weekdays and GEL 225 at weekends at a Wedding House.
Once flights are counted, the regular Abu Dhabi service is the cheapest route for a couple already in the UAE. Against the express service, Georgia is cheaper on fees, since the 3 fees on a Georgian certificate come to a fraction of AED 2,500; whether the whole trip is cheaper depends on your flights.
Using the Certificate in the UAE and Abroad
An Abu Dhabi certificate is issued by a UAE court, so for any use inside the UAE it starts as a local document. The court recommends having it notarized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once you receive it.
A Georgian certificate needs 3 steps first. The Public Service Hall legalizes it and collects the Georgian Foreign Ministry's stamp in the same application, the UAE Embassy in Tbilisi attests it for USD 41, and MOFA attests the original in the UAE for AED 150 through its website or app.
Outside the UAE the advantage flips. Georgia has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2007, so an apostille costing GEL 30 to 150 is the whole authentication step for the other members, the UK, the US, Canada, India and the Philippines among them. The UAE is not a party, so an Abu Dhabi certificate cannot get an apostille, and each country sets its own legalization steps for it.
Who Should Choose Abu Dhabi
- Residents whose life stays in the UAE. The certificate comes from a UAE court, so there is no Georgian legalization or embassy attestation to arrange.
- Couples with no witnesses to bring. The court needs none, and friends can still come to the ceremony.
- Couples who cannot travel easily. A permit close to expiry, a passport that needs a Georgian visa or a job with no spare days all point to Abu Dhabi.
- Couples signing a prenuptial agreement. The court notarizes it alongside the marriage for AED 950.
- Couples who can wait for a date. Patience is what keeps the fee at AED 300; the same court charges AED 2,500 to process an application in 1 working day.
Who Still Needs Georgia
- Couples who need to marry within days. A Public Service Hall can register you the day you apply, while Abu Dhabi charges AED 2,500 to process an application within 1 working day.
- Couples moving to an apostille country. An apostille readies a Georgian certificate for the UK, the US, Canada or India, with no embassy in between.
- Couples with an Emirati partner. The Abu Dhabi civil court does not marry UAE nationals, while Georgian law registers a marriage whatever your nationality. How the UAE treats a citizen's marriage abroad is decided in the UAE, so settle that before you book.
From our Tbilisi team
We tell UAE couples to decide by where the certificate will be used, not where the vows are said. If it stays in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi court spares you the attestation chain; if it is going to the UK, the US or Canada, a Georgian certificate with an apostille is the simpler document to carry.