New Secular Laws come into Force in Abu Dhabi

In a bid to make the United Arab Emirates (UAE) more attractive to outsiders to live and work, a new secular law has been introduced in Abu Dhabi enhancing the Gulf’s appeal to foreigners. The legal reforms affect both arrangements for children, divorce, and finance laws. There is now permission for personal status procedures such as divorces, inheritance, and marriage to take place for the first time in the country outside of the religious codes.

Whilst much of this is driven by economy with the UAE becoming a significant tourism and business hub, the expected changes have been welcomed in and out of the country. Approximately 88% of the UAE’S 10 million population is made up of foreigners. These laws come approximately a year after Dubai started to reform its legal system to make it more attractive for investment, to include decriminalising premarital sex and alcohol consumption.

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