# Living in Dubai with girlfriend (unmarried)



## soxbutch

I'd appreciate if anyone can offer some advice on the following:

I have recently been offered a job in Dubai with an excellent package. It is also my intention to have my girlfriend accompany me, should I accept the offer. The living allowance offered by my prospective employer, will also cover 'accompanied status employees'.

I have reservations because i understand it is illegal in Dubai to live with your girlfriend if you are not married. Although i understand this probably goes on in Dubai, but this situation may be further complicated as I am a UK Citizen and my partner is Latvian. 

If I accept the position it is likely she would not join me in Dubai for the first 2-3months so i can establish living arrangements in advance of her arrival and I can 'hit the ground running' in my new role.

I have asked my employer where I stand and if their HR department can assist, but if anyone on this forum can offer any useful information or advise then much appreciated.


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## crazymazy1980

soxbutch said:


> my partner is Latvian.
> 
> If I accept the position it is likely she would not join me in Dubai for the first 2-3months so i can establish living arrangements in advance of her arrival and I can 'hit the ground running' in my new role.


I would find out what the Visa rules are for Latvians (I'm not too sure) as, unless you marry her before she comes she will have to come over on a visit visa and then do regular visa runs to a country that will accept her.

It would be best if you did come first because then you can get everything sorted and then she could just move in 'quietly'. The main problem that you are going to run into is what happens if she gets sick or injured...?


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## dizzyizzy

hope she can find a job soon so she get sponsored and doesn't have to do the damn visa runs.


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## bondol

i will be in the same position. please let me know how it turns out 

reards
john


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## Elphaba

As per the sticky thread, it is illegal to cohabit, although many people do. Despite what some may think, there are arrests and deportations for this, although usually only if you come to the attention of the authorities and the fact is that Westerners are less likely to have an issue. Just because you don't read about it in the newspaper, doesn't mean it doesn't happen....

You cannot sponsor someone who isn't your legal spouse and unlimited visas runs are not available to all, or advisable. A non-resident can only drive a hire car, cannot rent a property and will only obtain limited banking facilities. 

Another major issue is what to so if the woman becomes pregnant, as many hospitals will not treat a pregnant unmarried woman and abortion is illegal. 

-


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## bondol

Elphaba said:


> As per the sticky thread, it is illegal to cohabit, although many people do. Despite what some may think, there are arrests and deportations for this, although usually only if you come to the attention of the authorities and the fact is that Westerners are less likely to have an issue. Just because you don't read about it in the newspaper, doesn't mean it doesn't happen....
> 
> You cannot sponsor someone who isn't your legal spouse and unlimited visas runs are not available to all, or advisable. A non-resident can only drive a hire car, cannot rent a property and will only obtain limited banking facilities.
> 
> Another major issue is what to so if the woman becomes pregnant, as many hospitals will not treat a pregnant unmarried woman and abortion is illegal.
> 
> -


Unfortunately my partner is busy with business in Indonesia and can only visit for 3 weeks at a time. I am not sure what visa will be required or wether we can cohabit under the same roof in UAE for these 3 weeks?

Thanks John


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## Dubai1

My advice would be don't involve your HR dept if you plan to bring your gf over. Especially if this is an onshore company, you may find that they frown upon you cohabiting without marriage and could make life difficult for you.

Just bring her over quietly and keep it low key, the less noise you make the better. My opinion is that you will be fine, however....... you are putting her in a potentially difficult situation if things go wrong, personally I wouldn't go there but people do and have no problem.


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## pantaloons

Elphaba said:


> As per the sticky thread, it is illegal to cohabit, although many people do. Despite what some may think, there are arrests and deportations for this, although usually only if you come to the attention of the authorities and the fact is that Westerners are less likely to have an issue. Just because you don't read about it in the newspaper, doesn't mean it doesn't happen....
> 
> -


People keep telling me that as long as we're not having loud parties it's fine, but I can't help but feel a little worried about cohabitating without being married. When you say "come to the attention of the authorities", what does that mean?


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## bondol

*partner living together*

yes i am in the same position. my partner has a euro id and an indonesian passport. you can get her in on a stupid holiday visa but she has no real status. you expose yourself to all sorts of risk. people do funny things and take advantage of the fact that you are doing something illeagal. not only that but passport control see the visas in the passport, ask her ... is she living with you. she says no and they come and check. that means you have lied. dont go there. the legal system is in arabic. you wont know whats hit you. this has not happened to me but i and she is aware of the risk and dont want this exposure. we meet on a regular basis in other more civilised countries and she does visit here but does not stay and come back in two days ever. they see this and purpose of visit and where are you staying are regular questions. i am leaving the uae...leaving a good job . pity because prostitution is rife here and it seems double standards apply. dubai is expensive and like a building site at present. better you get a forged marriage cert. lots of people here keep their names and it is common to have different names in passports. after all it is a paper excersice they are doing anyway -- go for it. photocopy will do. or go to las vagas and get a mickey mouse one no questions asked. you can find them on google. best of luck. i hope you get a fix.


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## bondol

You mention hr departments.. Wow ... Hr departments work to the letter of the law here. You will not get accompanied status if you are not married. Do not try to make sense of the law here. My mother recentley passed away and the hr dept wanted a death certificate and a retrospective leave form approved for my compassionate leave. Leave logic in the uk and dont drive here. You cant park anyway. I see an average of 2 pile ups every day. But it has other attributes that you must wiegh up according to your wants.


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## RaeRae

*Living with Fiancee?*

Hi guys,

Another newbie question here. I have read through previous posts regarding living with Boyfriends whilst unmarried. However i am recently engaged to my boyfriend who is currently living in Dubai . He wants me to come out and live with him now. I have read peoples advice about living with him "quietly" or doing the visa runs, however with my luck id be the one getting caught!!  Does anybody know if you can live with someone with a Marriage lisence whilst i plan the wedding??

Any help appriciated!! Thanks!!


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## Maz25

In the eyes of the law, you are either married or you are not. A marriage certificate is the only acceptable proof of being married.

In Sharjah, for e.g, they have started doing door-to-door checks and caught some people. They did something similar in the Dubai Marina area a while back under the guise of a census but people soon caught on and the 'census' was suddenly stopped.

This is a risk that you will have to take and will have to deal with the consequences if caught. I have a lot of friends and colleagues who live with their partners out of wedlock and they have thus far been lucky. I can understand this approach if you are not ready to get married but since you are already engaged, why not get the civil wedding sorted out and then plan the a separate ceremony, with all the trimmings later on? It will save you a lot of stress in the long run and give you legal status in the country, i.e. no need for visa runs.


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## jaycityatl

Maz25 said:


> In the eyes of the law, you are either married or you are not. A marriage certificate is the only acceptable proof of being married.
> 
> In Sharjah, for e.g, they have started doing door-to-door checks and caught some people. They did something similar in the Dubai Marina area a while back under the guise of a census but people soon caught on and the 'census' was suddenly stopped.
> 
> This is a risk that you will have to take and will have to deal with the consequences if caught. I have a lot of friends and colleagues who live with their partners out of wedlock and they have thus far been lucky. I can understand this approach if you are not ready to get married but since you are already engaged, why not get the civil wedding sorted out and then plan the a separate ceremony, with all the trimmings later on? It will save you a lot of stress in the long run and give you legal status in the country, i.e. no need for visa runs.




This is what I did - exact same circumstances. We can now plan our wedding w/o any stress about getting 'caught'. Save yourself the hassle. Its really just a piece of paper and your big day is about officially joining your lives in the eyes and support of your closest family and friends. Best of luck and congrats!


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## stewart

Do it at your own risk.
Dubai in my opinion is fairly safe unless someone that does not like you makes an issue out of it.
This normally happens in domestic violence situations and when one has affairs, as happened to someone I know.


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## binden365

Just get married....I did two days before I got here.....


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