Click the following links to go to the appropriate section:

• Marriage Preparation Course/Seminar
• Marry in St. Joseph Cathedral
• Marriage in St. Joseph when one/both parties are coming from another country or parish
• Marry at another Catholic Church
• Certificate of No-Objection to Marriage
• Marriage Banns

ABOUT
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." (CCC 1601, see also Mathew 19:5-6, Mark 10:7-12,Ephesians 5:22-32, Malachi 2:13-16).​
 

Our parish conducts Marriage Preparation Courses (MPC) regularly for couples who intend to get married. Click the link for information and requirements for Marriage Preparation Course/Seminar. 

The following procedure applies only to couples who are resident in Abu Dhabi city and the surrounding areas that are served by St. Joseph Cathedral parish (Musaffah, Al Ain and Ruwais/Barakah are not included).

All others, kindly check the information below for those coming from other parishes. Contact the Parish Office by email as early as possible in case of any doubts.

Recommended: begin the steps below at least 3-6 months ahead of the date of the wedding in order to finish all requirements comfortably and in good time.

1. Register for the Marriage Preparation Course (MPC) [click here].
   Email the Parish Office in advance if Marriage Preparation Course (MPC) was done at a Catholic church outside UAE to find out if it is accepted.
2. Collect all the Required Documents for Marriage
   Email the Parish Office if you have questions/difficulties or cannot obtain a requirement. We are happy to assist you.
   If one or both of the couple were previously married, and the previous spouse is still living, the couple is advised to approach the Parish Office as soon as possible. A further process is required in such situations, which may be short or lengthy, depending on the circumstances of the individual. 
   REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR MARRIAGE
3. Once all Required Documents have been obtained, either bride or groom can bring them to the Parish Office during Office hours. The Office will:
   • check all the documents and return them to you.
   • post the marriage banns on our website for 3 Sundays. Couples should check the marriage banns to make sure all information is correct.
   • book an appointment with a priest for a short meeting (Pre-Nuptial Inquiry) after the Marriage Preparation Course is completed by both bride and groom.
   • If you have any uncertainity about your documents, you may present them to the Parish Office for checking at any time. Please note: we cannot reserve any wedding date. Dates are only booked after the meeting with the priest. 
4. After completing the Marriage Preparation Course (MPC), bring all the Required Documents (including your MPC certificate) for the scheduled appointment with the priest (Pre-Nuptial Inquiry).
5. After meeting with the priest, the wedding date (if available) can be booked at the Parish Office.
   • Give the names of two Catholic witnesses of legal age who will be present at the ceremony to the Parish Office.
   • Weddings are usually held Monday to Friday either at 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. if the time-slot is free and the priest is available.
   • Wedding arrangements such as choir, entourage, church decoration, booklets etc. are optional and the responsibility of the couple. The choice of readings and printing of booklets must be done in consultation with the priest.
   • No limit on number of attendees. 
   • Couples are advised not to make any arrangements until the date is booked and confirmed in the Parish Office. Planned dates may not be available. 
6. One week after the wedding ceremony: Either bride or groom can pick up the marriage certificate at the Parish Office. To be legally recognized, the marriage certificate must be attested/stamped by the UAE government (Ministry of Justice). To be recognized in your country, it must be stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Tas Heel center) and then registered/stamped at your embassy.

If one or both people intending to be married in St. Joseph are coming from another parish/country, kindly read the information below and then contact the Parish Office by email (abuparish@yahoo.com) as much in advance as possible to clarify the necessary procedures.

Frequently, the procedure can be more complicated depending on a variety of factors, including the country from which the person is residing. We suggest a minimum of 5 months ahead of time to account for any delays/missing documents. 

Typically, the person(s) coming from another parish or country is asked to complete all the necessary marriage paperwork in the local Catholic church/parish of the place where he/she lives. He/she may contact his/her local parish and ask what certificates, documents, etc. they require for him/her to complete the marriage paperwork. Their requirements will be similar (but not exactly same) to the list of Required Documents above. It will also involve at least one meeting (canonical interview, pre-nuptial inquiry) with the local priest. If you have any doubt as to what exactly is required, please contact our Parish Office by email (abuparish@yahoo.com). 

The local parish should then send the necessary certificates and other paperwork to their Chancery or Bishop's House, who will send it to the Vicariate Chancery (address below). The Vicariate Chancellor will review it and send it to St. Joseph parish with permission for the marriage to take place.   It is also recommended that documents be couriered (with tracking) rather than posted to ensure they arrive on time, and that the sending diocese keep a scanned copy in case of any delay/loss. Documents from outside UAE cannot be sent directly to St. Joseph parish.

Address to send documents:

To: The Chancellor, Bishop's House
St. Joseph Cathedral,
17th Street, Al Mushrif, 
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

P.O. Box 54
+971-2-4458799
avosa.org

If you have been staying in Abu Dhabi (St. Joseph parish), but your marriage will take place in another Catholic church,  you will need some documents from St. Joseph Cathedral.  The exact documents you will require will depend on where your marriage paperwork is being prepared. 
 

MARRIAGE PAPERWORK PREPARED AT ST. JOSEPH

If you have been resident in Abu Dhabi for some time, the Catholic church where you wish to get married may require that your Pre-Nuptial inquiry (canonical interview) and marriage paperwork be done at St. Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. In such cases, please follow Steps 1-4 of the Procedure for Marriage above.

Your marriage paperwork will be sent by St. Joseph Cathedral to the church where your marriage will take place. This has to be sent officially via the Chanceries/Bishop's House of each area.

Please consider the time needed to courier documents, etc. It is recommended to start the process 3-6 months ahead of your marriage date to make sure that the documents will arrive on time. Please note that as a rule we do NOT hand over documents to the couple/person to carry to the church of marriage.
 

MARRIAGE PAPERWORK PREPARED ELSEWHERE
or CERTIFICATE OF NO-OBJECTION TO MARRY

In some cases, your Pre-Nuptial inquiry (canonical interview) and marriage paperwork may be done at another church even though you are currently staying in Abu Dhabi or were formerly living in Abu Dhabi. You may be asked to provide a "No Objection to Marry" certificate/letter from our parish. This certificate will state that you have not been married in the Catholic Church while living in Abu Dhabi (St. Joseph parish).

Please approach the Parish Office with a copy/scan of your recently-issued baptismal certificate in order for this "no objection" certificate/letter to be prepared.