UAE upends tradition with online marriage service

DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates has launched an online marriage service that allows couples to wed amid restrictions on movement and interaction imposed to counter the deadly coronavirus.

The UAE has taken strict measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, which has claimed the lives of well over 100,000 people worldwide.

The justice ministry said on Sunday that citizens and residents can set a date for an online wedding ceremony conducted via video link with a cleric after their paperwork is submitted and approved — also online, according to the UAE’s official news agency WAM.

The procedure will see a cleric confirm the identity of the couple and witnesses, before a marriage certificate is relayed to a specialised court for validation.

The couple will receive confirmation of their marriage certificate via text message.

The service was launched “to maintain the health of the public and that of people working in courts and to limit the presence of employees”, WAM reported.

Many people on social media reacted positively to the move, saying it would help maintain social distancing and urging other countries' governments to enforce similar measures.

Boisterous weddings are a famous component of Emirati culture; although the scale and specifics of wedding traditions vary depending on family background and socioeconomic status, they are almost always extravagant affairs.

But the coronavirus pandemic has upended common social practices throughout the world. The UAE has declared almost 5,000 coronavirus cases and 28 deaths. It has imposed a sweeping crackdown, including a flight ban and closure of borders, shopping malls, entertainment centres and markets.

It has also temporarily restricted the movement of people and vehicles, except for those working in “vital sectors” and with “essential needs” — such as food or medicine.

The move to expand online marriage services comes after Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, said on April 8 it suspended “until further notice” marriages and divorces in the emirate. No announcement has been made about divorce proceedings.