Women's legal rights in the UAE
What UAE law says on domestic violence, divorce, custody, maternity leave, equal pay and work — with the free legal aid routes available to you.
Every entry here points at an official source. UAE family and labour law changed substantially with the 2024 Personal Status Law and the civil family courts, and a great deal of what circulates online predates those changes.
Two things worth knowing before you read on. Non-Muslim couples can now choose between their home country's law and UAE civil law, and that choice should be settled before anything is filed. And free legal advice exists here — several routes are listed below, and none of them require you to be able to pay.
Rights & law
18 entries
What counts as domestic violence under UAE law u.ae
Six forms are named in law — physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, financial and neglect. Controlling your money counts.
Divorce in the UAE u.ae
Non-Muslim couples: either spouse can end it without giving a reason or proving harm, decided at the first hearing. Muslim couples: the 2024 Personal Status Law, which includes khula. Custody goes to the mother first.
Family law for non-Muslims u.ae
Your home country’s law or UAE civil law, your choice. Abu Dhabi runs its own. Settle which applies before you file.
Free legal aid and guidance u.ae
The official list of free routes to a lawyer. Open the tab marked “Providing legal aid and guidance”.
Legal Clinic — Community Development Authority, Dubai cda.gov.ae
Free legal consultation for any Dubai resident, weighted to personal status and child protection. [email protected].
Legal in Your Help — Ministry of Justice moj.gov.ae
Free legal services if you cannot pay the fees. Apply at elawyer.moj.gov.ae.
Legal Affairs Department of Dubai legal.dubai.gov.ae
Pro bono lawyers through the Volunteering Lawyers portal, and the register of every licensed advocate in Dubai — check whoever is advising you.
Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court adjd.gov.ae
Civil marriage, no-fault divorce, joint custody and wills for non-Muslims. Open to non-residents. WhatsApp +971 2 659 9799.
Your rights as a worker u.ae
‘Know Your Rights’, and the forms for unpaid wages, a withheld passport, or hours you never agreed to. Labour claims 80084.
Law on domestic workers u.ae
One paid rest day a week, 12 hours’ rest a day, 30 days’ paid leave, a ticket home every two years — and your passport stays with you.
Anti-discrimination law u.ae
Article 4 bans discrimination on gender, race, religion, origin and disability. Article 30 bans firing a woman for being pregnant.
Equal pay u.ae
Same work, or work of equal value, same wage — written into law for both the government and the private sector.
Maternity leave and nursing breaks u.ae
Sixty days: 45 on full pay, 15 on half. Up to 30 of them before the due date. Then a paid hour a day of nursing breaks for six months.
Sponsoring your family’s residence visa u.ae
You can be the sponsor — spouse, daughters, sons under 25. Salary of AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 with accommodation.
Government services for women u.ae
The state’s own index: social assistance, housing, health screening, the emirate helplines, women-only transport.
UAE Gender Balance Council gbc.gov.ae
The federal body behind equal pay, paid paternity leave and more than twenty national reforms. Where the legislation and the national data sit, for when you need to cite the law rather than argue from it.
Women’s rights in the UAE u.ae
What the state says it guarantees, including welfare support for widows, abandoned women, and women married to expatriate men.
UAE Government Portal u.ae
Everything else — visas, Emirates ID, licensing, housing, health, education.
More for the UAE
Every link on this page was opened and checked by hand. Last reviewed 04 October 2026.