Sian unleashed

Hey there I am about to start working in a hotel in Abu Dhabi for 3 months and I want my boyfriend to come over and visit me is this allowed? And would it be ok to stay in the same room?
Would you advise that he stays at the same hotel as me (where I will be living) or both of us stay at another hotel to avoid scrutiny?

Thanks

Blue Cat

technically it is illegal but do you think every tourist couple who visits this country are married? no

Welcome to BE

rowell

Fairly sure you know the answer, the hotel you are working in will certainly not allow him to stay in the same room, doubt that you will even have a room to yourself, loads of discussion on this one if you do a search, I also suggest you learn just a tad more about the culture.Good luck.

Norm_uk

Unmarried couples are not allowed to stay in the same room or apartment/villa together. That's the law plain and simple.

In practise unmarried tourists usually stay in hotels together - there have been cases where people have been asked for proof of marriage though, but this seems more to do with whoever is working at the front desk than any particular policy.

If you are working for a hotel group you'll quickly find out if they place such restrictions on unmarried couples. When me and my wife were still dating we checked into hotels in the same chain she worked in but in a different Emirate without incident on many occasions.

Generally speaking the higher end and more tourist focused hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi will not bother you, especially if you are of the same nationality/race (yes, welcome to the middle east - you'll never encounter such racism as you will here!) but like all things here you need to be prepared for the worst. Keep a low profile, be polite and dress respectfully and 99% of the time you'll be ok.

N.

al dente

wear a ring and say you are married, different surnames are common here.

busybee2

you should only live together if you are married.

mikelincs

No, not rules, but the law. everyone needs to do research on any country they want to move to, but certainly if you are moving to a totally different culture where the mores you are used to where you live are totally different to theirs.

Norm_uk

Fine until you're asked for more evidence...

And different surnames are common in lots of places. The Spanish and Chinese don't take their husband's family names for example.

N.

Patsy Stoned

Oh Please!!! You know full well that lots and lots of people live together without any problems. Nobody really cares. There was even an article in the Gulf News about 8 years ago stating that, as long as nobody was causing any trouble, everybody turns a blind eye.
Sian, I am sure that you will quickly find out the inhouse policies of the hotel group. If it is a problem just book a stay in another hotel together.. Enjoy your new job and welcome to BE. :-D

Dumbo

Adulterers!!

I'm not sure how you can sleep at night.

For Shame!

al dente

But i was referencing here, we're not in Spain nor China. I get what you're saying on evidence but checking in, with a ring on and with different names on your passport doesn't raise a whole lot of suspicion unless it's late at night and you look like you really fancy each other while there's a significant age difference/ looks difference/ nationality difference.

Millsyisland

There's a sure sign you're not married......

al dente

exactly

scot47

Not Adultery ! Fornication. There is a distinction !

al dente

Not in shariah, there ain't.