HelenaRose

Hi everyone, I may soon move to Al Ain in UAE later this year as a single woman. I want to find and have a personal relationship there. I heard that it is illegal for unmarried couples to live together in UAE, but many expats do so in Dubai. But what is the situation in Al Ain? Will there be any problem?

Millhouse

send me your number. I’m sure we can figure something out.

HiHo

Haha, What Millhouse has "kindly" done is to afford you some appreciation of the first difficulty which must be overcome before you need wrestle with the issues of your domestic arrangements. Finding a suitable even acceptable candidate with whom to share domestic bliss might prove a greater challenge than you can imagine. The pool available to you is certainly wide although challenges exist in quality. Good Luck and Happy Hunting.

Millhouse

A female colleague used to tell me that the odds are good, but the goods are odd.

frequentflyer1234

Believe it or not, I met my wife in Al Ain! We even got married there!

HelenaRose

Haha... Does it mean the quality in Al Ain is generally not good? I'm not concerned about finding someone. But it sounds odd to me that the law in UAE forbids unmarried couples staying together in a closed place. To be straight, will I be in trouble if staying together with someone in one apartment?

HelenaRose

That's good! But did staying together before marriage a problem to you in Al Ain? I felt horrible when hearing that pre-marital sex or living together before marriage would make people in jail!

spouse of scouse

Forgive me if this sounds rude, but have I got this correct - you want to find someone with the aim of living together in an unmarried relationship, and you want to do that by moving to a country that you think has odd rules for people who are living together in an unmarried relationship?

HelenaRose

I happened to get a good job offer in UAE. That position is aligned with my career plans and offers good salary benefits package. But my personal life is also important, and that's why I am concerned of moving to UAE. I want a serious relationship, but don't you think it natural to stay together before moving to marriage? Or you think it better to directly marry someone without staying together before?

spouse of scouse

My only opinion of living together or marriage is that it's entirely the business of the two people concerned and no one else. Unless you're living in a country where the former is illegal, then I guess it's the business of law enforcement agencies too.

scot47

The Law in many countries, including the UAE, does not view things the same way as the OP. Just the way it is.

martinbkk

It is illegal in a number of countries. It is viewed as generally not the done thing even where not illegal in others, it is considered normal in more still and it is a non-issue in others, take your pick I guess, all a matter of culture. That people do it, and get away with it in places where it is illegal should not be a benchmark, it's taking a risk however small you might perceive it to be.
If your intent to cohabit is a precursor to a more formal arrangement and the situation does not suggest a risk you fear then you might be fine, but...
If you have nosey neighbours of the particularly pious kind you might be getting an unwelcome knock at the door.

martinbkk

I've known this be true for both male and female.

Millhouse

Look at it this way:

*tinder works fine
*wear a wedding ring and enjoy yourself
*dont make too much noise. Try and avoid living in an apartment with overly interested security guards.

hnd

If you accept the job offer you would be moving to a Muslim country where the law is quite clear on the subject of co-habiting and/or having sexual relations outside of marriage - it is illegal. Whatever your thoughts on the matter may be, they are irrelevant. You must weigh up your proposed career plans against your ideas of personal freedom and decide whether this would be the right decision for you. Don’t forget, too, that Al Ain is most definitely nothing like Dubai; it could certainly not be called cosmopolitan and is far, far more conservative and traditional.