UAE amends law, allows unmarried non-Muslim couples to undergo IVF

Unmarried non-Muslim couples can now undergo IVF treatment in the UAE, following a change in the law, reports The National.

Whereas Muslim couples are required by law to show proof of marriage before undergoing the fertility treatment, the new decree allows non-Muslim couples who are not married to apply for the procedure, on condition that they agree to register the child under both their names.

“If there’s no marriage certificate, non-Muslim individuals can seek permission from the health authority to utilise IVF techniques,” said Article 8 of the ruling, which was published in the Official Gazette.

The amendment to the law has also removed a clause that made it illegal for couples to use a surrogate mother. Laws have also been relaxed on the freezing of embryos, which was previously banned in the Gulf country.

READ: Early voting opens in UAE parliamentary elections

Until recently, the freezing of embryos was banned in the UAE. This is no longer the case. “It is permissible to fertilise a number of eggs sufficient for the transplantation more than once, in accordance with the conditions and controls specified by the executive regulations of this law,” the section of the new law on preserving and incubating eggs and embryos states.

However it remains illegal to have a sperm donor who is not the husband or an egg donor other than the wife.

In June, it was reported that there has been a “significant” rise in the number of women in the UAE opting to freeze their eggs, as a growing number of women are delaying plans to start a family and are looking to “buy time”.

In February of this year, the UAE introduced new legislation allowing non-Muslim expats to marry and divorce, covering other aspects of family law, such as child custody, inheritance and wills. The changes were part of reforms that were approved in November 2021 by the late President, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.