How to File for Divorce in Abu Dhabi

Divorce in Abu Dhabi: Two Routes, One Judicial Department

Everything family-related in the emirate runs through the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), but which court you file in depends on your religion and the law you fall under. Muslim couples use the Abu Dhabi Personal Status Court under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 (in force 15 April 2025, which fully replaced the old Law No. 28 of 2005). Non-Muslim foreigners have a second option that no other emirate pioneered in the same way: the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, created under Abu Dhabi Law No. 14 of 2021 with executive Regulation No. 8 of 2022.

The two routes are genuinely different in speed and procedure, so picking the right one matters. The figures below are indicative and drawn from the current law and law-firm cost guides, not an official fee schedule.

Which Route Applies to You

Start here. The wrong assumption about which court hears your case is the most common reason expats waste weeks in Abu Dhabi.

A note on who qualifies for the civil court: eligibility covers Abu Dhabi residents, anyone who obtained a civil marriage through the Civil Family Court, and parties from a country not governed by Sharia law. For applicants holding citizenship of an Arab League member state, an official document confirming religion may be requested. If you are unsure which side of the line you fall on, see divorce for expats in the UAE or speak to a lawyer before filing.

Route A: Filing at the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court (Non-Muslims)

This is the standout Abu Dhabi option. Under Law No. 14 of 2021, the Civil Family Court grants divorce on request from either party without needing to prove fault, harm or grounds, and the divorce can be granted in the first session after the case is registered, with no referral to a family guidance department. The court aims to finalise the case within about one month of registration. All forms and procedures are bilingual in Arabic and English.

1. Confirm eligibility and gather documents

   Check you qualify for the civil route (non-Muslim, and connected to Abu Dhabi by residence, domicile or where your civil marriage was performed). The core supporting documents are a copy of the marriage certificate in English and Arabic, and copies of both parties passports and Emirates IDs. See the full documents for divorce checklist.

2. Prepare the application at a typing centre or via ADJD Smart Services

   No-fault divorce applications are submitted through an approved typing centre in Abu Dhabi, with case status, requests and appointments then tracked through ADJD Smart Services and the ADJD app. A lawyer can prepare and lodge the application for you under a power of attorney if you cannot attend in person.

3. Register the case

   Once the application and documents are accepted, the case is registered with the Civil Family Court and you receive a case number and hearing date. Because there is no mandatory reconciliation stage, registration moves quickly.

4. First session and divorce judgment

   The court can grant the no-fault divorce in the first session on the request of either spouse, without evidence of why the marriage broke down. This is the core speed advantage of the civil route over the Sharia track.

5. Deal with custody, alimony and assets

   Under the civil regime, joint custody applies by default after divorce unless a parent waives it; our guide to child custody in Abu Dhabi covers schedules, travel and relocation. If you cannot settle finances amicably, you can lodge a post-divorce application for a financial order after the divorce judgment is issued. Under Article 18 of Regulation No. 8 of 2022 the court and its expert may be guided by alimony of no less than 25% of the husband's last monthly income multiplied by the years of marriage. It is a guide the court can depart from, not a cap, and it is specific to Abu Dhabi rather than a federal rule. See alimony in Abu Dhabi for how awards are worked out in practice.

6. Collect and, if needed, attest the decree

   The divorce is recorded at the point of judgment. To use the decree abroad, it usually needs attestation by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and legalisation for the destination country. Our divorce in UAE overview covers what happens next with visa status and finances.

Route B: Filing at the Abu Dhabi Personal Status Court (Muslims)

Muslim divorces in Abu Dhabi follow the Sharia track under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024. Compared with the civil route, there is usually a Family Guidance stage at the front, and the process is closer to the standard national procedure used across the emirates.

1. Get legal advice and confirm your grounds

   Confirm whether your case is uncontested or contested and what outcomes are realistic on custody, maintenance and assets. Under the 2024 law, recognised forms include talaq, judicial divorce on grounds (which now include a spouse addiction to intoxicants), khul and annulment.

2. Open the case at the Family Guidance Department

   Muslim divorces usually start at the ADJD Family Guidance stage. Under the 2024 law the judge decides whether to refer the case there (under the 2005 law referral was mandatory), urgent matters such as temporary maintenance or custody orders are not referred, and there is no statutory time limit: sessions usually take a few weeks. You register the case through a typing centre or ADJD Smart Services and bring your marriage certificate, passports, Emirates IDs and proof of residence.

3. Attend reconciliation, then get the referral

   A conciliator meets both spouses. If reconciliation fails, they issue a referral letter, which must be filed with the court within about three months or the process restarts. A settlement reached at this stage can be approved by the court and made binding. In contested divorces for harm or discord the court can then appoint two arbitrators, whose work the 2024 law caps at 60 days from their appointment (it was 90). None of this applies to the civil route.

4. Register for hearings and file your claims

   With the referral letter, the case is registered for court hearings. This is where you lodge claims for custody, child support, spousal maintenance and, where relevant, division of assets and debts.

5. Court hearings

   Uncontested cases often need a single substantive hearing. Contested cases run through several hearings over months, sometimes with a court-appointed accountant assessing finances or an expert on custody.

6. Divorce decree and registration

   The court issues the decree. Under the 2024 law, the divorce must be documented at the court, with the husband required to register it within a short statutory window (reported as 15 days, a figure that should be confirmed against the official text). Appeals in personal-status matters are generally filed within 30 days of the first-instance judgment.

Custody under the 2024 law now continues to age 18 for both boys and girls, with a child aged 15 or older able to choose which parent to live with where the court finds it in the child best interest.

Civil Family Court vs Personal Status Court: Side by Side

The practical differences are what make Abu Dhabi distinctive. Here is how the two routes stack up.

Documents You Will Need

Missing or incorrectly attested paperwork is the most common cause of delay in Abu Dhabi. Gather these before you file. Foreign documents usually need legal translation into Arabic and, in many cases, attestation.

The exact list varies by court, route and whether your case is contested. Our documents for divorce in the UAE guide breaks down attestation and translation requirements in detail.

Cost of Divorce in Abu Dhabi (Indicative)

The figures below are indicative ranges from law-firm cost guides, not an official government fee schedule, and they vary widely by case and firm. Government filing fees for a divorce application are commonly cited at AED 200 to 500, with further first-instance court fees of roughly AED 1,000 to 3,000, so total government and administrative outlay for a straightforward case is often around AED 2,000 to 5,000.

Filing From Abroad: Power of Attorney

You do not always have to be physically in Abu Dhabi to divorce here. If you have left the country or cannot attend in person, you can appoint a licensed UAE lawyer through a power of attorney to prepare and lodge the application and represent you at hearings.

The power of attorney generally needs to be notarised where you sign it, authenticated in that country (in apostille countries this first step is often an apostille), then legalised by the UAE embassy or consulate there and attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and translated into Arabic. An apostille on its own is not enough, because the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Once that is in place, a divorce lawyer in Abu Dhabi can handle most steps, though some stages may still require your appearance or that of your representative.

A Note on ADGM and DIFC

Abu Dhabi hosts the ADGM free zone, and some marketing sites frame it as a family-court venue. It is not. ADGM is a common-law financial free zone whose courts hear civil and commercial cases; its family-related role is limited to non-Muslim wills and succession, not granting divorces. The DIFC Courts are in Dubai and have no divorce, custody or maintenance jurisdiction either. For a non-Muslim divorce in Abu Dhabi, the correct venue is the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court under Law No. 14 of 2021.

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