Foreign Wives May have to Wait for 15 Years for UAE Nationality

The Director of Legal Affairs Department in the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant-Colonel Rashid Al Khedr, told KhaleejTimes the ministry is studying a proposal to increase the minimum years of marriage required for expatriate wives to become UAE citizens.

The proposal suggests increasing the existing three-year period of marriage to 15 years. “The ministry has revealed that some UAE nationals and foreign women were involved in bogus marriage cases to enable the women to obtain UAE citizenship,” Al Khedr pointed out.

The Federal National Council’s demand for imposition of stricter measures and conditions on the marriages of Emiratis with foreign women is highly appreciated by the Ministry of Interior, because amendments are required to prevent the negative trend.

All those involved in such cases are referred to the public prosecution for bogus marriage and fraud pending harsh punishment by the court for both UAE nationals and foreigners.”

adel@khaleejtimes.com