Who Aleksi Is
Aleksi Suon is a UAE expat who has spent years living in the Emirates and reading through how the country family-law system actually works for foreigners. He is not a practising lawyer, and he does not represent anyone in court. What he brings instead is the perspective of someone who has been through the paperwork, the courts and the residency rules as a resident, and who now writes about all of it in plain English so other expats do not have to start from zero.
Divorce and family matters in the UAE sit under two parallel legal tracks, and the rules changed significantly in 2025. Most people arriving at this site are confused about which law applies to them, what a case will cost, and how long it takes. Aleksi role is to turn the statutes and the court procedure into guidance a non-lawyer can follow, then hand the specifics of any individual case to a licensed professional. You can read more about the wider team and mission on our about page.
Being clear about what this is
Aleksi is a researcher and writer, not an attorney. Nothing on this site is legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. For advice you can act on, you need a licensed UAE family lawyer, and this site can connect you with one.
Why the Expat Perspective Matters
Much of the divorce information aimed at UAE residents is written either as dense legal text or as marketing for a single law firm. Neither is much help when you are trying to work out your own next step. Aleksi writes from the middle ground: close enough to the law to get the details right, but from the point of view of an expat who has to deal with visas, sponsorship, custody across borders and the practical cost of it all.
That perspective shapes the questions the guides answer. What happens to a spouse-sponsored visa after a decree. Whether you can file if you have only been in the country a short while. How a UAE decree is recognised back home. These are the things residents actually ask, and they are the things a purely academic summary of the law tends to skip.
What Aleksi Writes About
His writing covers the parts of UAE family law that matter most to expats and residents going through a separation. The main areas are:
UAE personal status law
How the Muslim and civil tracks work and which one applies to you.
UAE divorce law →Expat divorce
The civil, no-fault route for non-Muslims and the court process behind it.
Divorce in the UAE →Alimony and costs
Maintenance, spousal support and the indicative cost of a case.
Alimony in the UAE →Cost is a recurring worry for readers, so the site keeps a dedicated cost of divorce guide with indicative fee ranges drawn from law-firm cost tables rather than guesswork.
How the Content Stays Accurate
UAE family law is not static, and getting it wrong on a legal site can genuinely hurt someone. So the editorial approach is deliberately careful. Every guide is built from primary UAE legal sources first, then reviewed by independent UAE-licensed lawyers before publication, then updated whenever the underlying law moves.
Grounded in the statutes
Muslim personal status now follows Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024, in force since 15 April 2025. Non-Muslim expats fall under Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022. Guides cite these laws directly rather than repeating second-hand summaries.
Reviewed and updated
Licensed UAE lawyers review the guidance for accuracy, and where a figure comes from law-firm estimates rather than an official source, it is flagged as indicative. When the law changes, the affected pages are revised.
This matters because the 2024 law changed real things: it shortened the reconciliation window, extended custody to age 18 for boys and girls, and changed how repeated talaq is counted. Guidance written before those changes is simply wrong now, which is why keeping pages current is treated as part of the job, not an afterthought.
How to Get Help
The guides on this site are here to help you understand your options before you spend money on a lawyer. They are not a substitute for advice on your own case. If you are facing a divorce or a custody question in the UAE, the right next step is a conversation with a licensed UAE family lawyer who can look at your specific facts.
You can request a free, confidential consultation using the form below, and the site will connect you with a qualified lawyer. In the meantime, a good place to start reading is the overview of divorce in the UAE.
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Get a Free ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
Is Aleksi Suon a lawyer?
No. Aleksi is a UAE expat and legal consultant who researches and writes about UAE family law in plain English. He is not a practising lawyer and does not represent clients. Independent UAE-licensed lawyers review the guidance for accuracy, and the content is general information, not legal advice.
How is the content on this site kept accurate?
Every guide is researched against primary UAE legal sources, including Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2024 for Muslim personal status and Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 for non-Muslim civil divorce. Independent UAE-licensed lawyers review the material, and pages are updated when the law changes.
Can Aleksi give me legal advice on my divorce?
No. The articles here are general information for expats and residents, not advice on your specific case. For advice you can rely on, speak to a licensed UAE family lawyer. You can request a free consultation through the form on this page.
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