In the UAE and Dubai, it is against Sharia law to live together, in the western sense, with someone you are not married to. You can only live together with a member of the opposite sex if you are married to them, or they are a family member.
It is pertinent to note that cohabitation of unmarried couples is not a crime anymore in the UAE if there are no objections by their legal guardians. Therefore, if you are living with your girlfriend in the UAE, it may not be considered a crime, and there may be no imprisonment or penalties for cohabitation.
Living together in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in fact the whole of UAE as an unmarried couple is illegal and can result in a prison sentence and deportation.
Live Together With Your Partner In Dubai Legally
According to the Dubai government, it's a legal move to cohabitate.
In the UAE and Dubai, it is against Sharia law to live together, in the western sense, with someone you are not married to. You can only live together with a member of the opposite sex if you are married to them, or they are a family member.
Dubai and other emirates in the UAE are governed by Islamic laws known as Sharia laws which used forbid two unmarried people of opposite sex to live together for many years. The 'Tawajed Clause' prohibited indeed two people from opposite sex to live together without being legally married.
Can unmarried couples stay in the same hotel room? According to the law, it's illegal for unmarried couples to stay in the same room during a holiday in Dubai. In reality, this is not strictly enforced and it's unlikely you'll be challenged on it. Many unmarried couples visit Dubai every year without issue.
In Dubai, dating is common and you can see men and women on dates in the malls or in restaurants. In Saudi, however, there are laws forbidding a woman from standing next to a man. If you live in the Kingdom, dating is forbidden in public for both locals and expats.
Kissing and cuddling in public areas can be seen as obscene acts and it is against Dubai's laws for a minor (anyone under 18) to be in a sexual relationship. Homosexuality is against the law in Dubai, so any public romantic gestures in a same-sex relationship could put you at risk.
Live-in relationship under Indian law
A domestic cohabitation between that was entered mutually by a major unmarried woman and a married man. A domestic cohabitation between that was entered mutually by a major unmarried man and a married woman. These two are the most acknowledged type of live-in relationship in India.
There are certain things you can't do in Dubai and PDA is one of them. In Dubai, holding hands, hugging, and kissing in public is considered socially unacceptable and if caught indulging in such acts, you might land up in jail.
Kissing and embracing in public
The Executive Council has published a code of conduct that lays down acceptable conduct in Dubai. According to the code couples, both married and unmarried, cannot show affection in public places. Kissing and embracing out in the open is strictly forbidden.
Sexting in the UAE is against the law. That also includes nude selfies, as this young couple found out.
In order to use Tinder safely in the UAE, you need to consider the best features of a VPN in this situation. The fantastic social discovery app Tinder was blocked in the UAE a few years ago.
Based on the aforementioned amendments of year 2000 in the law, the provision of 'indecent assault' has since been removed. Following this, unmarried couples may now live in the same accommodation and cohabit without marriage in the UAE.
Public displays of affection are generally frowned upon in the great city of Dubai. This would include kissing, hugging, and everything in between the whole nine yards. Even something as simple as someone holding hands with their partner can catch weary eyes from the locals.
Sexual relationships or unmarried couples cohabiting is illegal in Dubai. Cohabiting, including in hotels, is also illegal, however most hotels in Dubai do not enforce an 'only married couples' rule. The luxury hotels which mostly cater to foreigners are especially relaxed.
UAE visa you can get without a job. Although a majority of the expats, which accounts for about 85 percent of the UAE's population, work as an employee in the country and require a work visa to live here, there has, however, been a noteworthy expansion of the visa scheme as announced by the UAE government.
“Holding hands for a married couple is tolerated but kissing and petting are considered an offence to public decency,” it adds. “Public displays of affection, as well as sexual harassment or randomly addressing women in public places, is liable to be punished by imprisonment or deportation.”
However, there is no article in the UAE's laws that forbids hand holding even if the couple are not married, unless the act of hand holding itself developed into a crime such as adultery.
The Dubai Tourism Bureau states: “Dubai is a cosmopolitan city that recognises that marriage does not define all relationships and as such does not discriminate against singles or unmarried couples visiting the emirate.”
Herbal/natural products such as tobacco, poppy/opium seeds/powder, betel leaves and some herbal highs are illegal in the UAE. The penalties for trading, trafficking, smuggling, possessing drugs and presence of drugs in the blood stream even in residual amounts are severe.