u/North-Facing26

My husband and I were married in the UK and have been married for just over five years. We now both live in Dubai with our two young children.

We have both acknowledged that the marriage is ending, so in that sense the divorce itself is broadly mutual. However, we are not aligned in practice. I am clear that I want to proceed with the divorce, while he is still hoping for reconciliation and continues to ask for another chance.

We are currently still living together, and things at home are becoming increasingly difficult. Conversations about the relationship often escalate. I am being blamed for the breakdown of the marriage, and there have been repeated occasions where he has become very vocal, sworn in front of the children, or continued arguing after I have clearly told him that I want the conversation to stop.

I have tried to set boundaries around when and how we discuss the relationship, particularly around the children, but those boundaries are not always respected. I am increasingly concerned about the amount of conflict the children are being exposed to.

I am not trying to prevent their father from having a meaningful relationship with them. I want the children to have both parents in their lives and ultimately want a fair and workable co-parenting arrangement. My concern is that continuing to live together in this level of conflict does not feel sustainable.

We also own a property in Dubai with a mortgage, which is currently up for sale, so finances and property division will need to be dealt with as part of the separation.

I am now trying to understand whether it makes more sense to divorce in Dubai/UAE rather than in England & Wales.

I would really appreciate advice or first-hand experiences from people who have gone through a non-Muslim expat divorce in Dubai, especially where children and property were involved.

In particular:

• What is the actual process for a civil divorce in Dubai for non-Muslim expats?
• If the divorce itself is broadly mutual, how straightforward is the process?
• Does it matter that we were married in the UK?
• How long did the divorce take in practice?
• Roughly how much did you pay in court fees and legal fees?
• Did you use a lawyer, or were you able to manage some or all of the process yourselves?
• If you had children living in Dubai, how were custody/residence/contact arrangements dealt with?
• Can child arrangements be agreed privately and then formalised, or do they need to go through court?
• How are Dubai property and mortgage issues usually handled when a couple divorces?
• Are finances/property dealt with as part of the divorce itself or separately?
• If one spouse wants to proceed but the other is still pushing for reconciliation, does that complicate or delay the civil divorce?
• Does the level of conflict at home make any difference to whether you would recommend filing sooner rather than waiting for everything to be agreed?
• If you divorced in Dubai, did you have any issues later getting the divorce recognised in the UK?
• If you had the choice again between divorcing in Dubai and England, which would you choose and why?

I am not looking for Reddit to replace legal advice and I will speak to a family lawyer before filing anything. I am mainly trying to understand the real-world process in Dubai, what it costs, how long it takes, and whether people in similar situations found it easier or more practical than divorcing in their home country.

If you have personally been through this in Dubai, I would be very grateful if you could share what route you took, what the process was actually like, how much you paid, and anything you wish you had known beforehand.