Divorce process after marriage abroad

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Hi everyone!

Just wondering if anyone has any information regarding the process of a divorce after being married abroad.

I got married in Seychelles and it has been attested in the UAE. There’s a lot of conflicting information online about whether it’s recognized all over the world so I could potentially just pretend I’m not married and move home if that’s the case but I’d rather not be married.

I’m not in a financial position to get proper legal advice but I have read online that if you were married in Seychelles, in order to get a divorce one of the married parties must be a resident for a year there which kind of sounds ridiculous?

I’m kind of hoping it’s a straight forward process.. but maybe that’s just wishful thinking

Where do you both live now?

If the marriage is legal in the Seychelles it will be recognised here. Therefore you will return to the UK as a married woman.

Just ignoring the situation and pretending you are not married based on online advice is not tenable. What happens if you want to marry again ? Even if you stay single and a few years down the line you have a house and some money, your ex could turn up and demand half. All your legal and contractual agreements will have been based on your omission or lie that you are married.

You are an adult you need to sort this out. It’s not good enough to run and away and pretend it didn’t happen. If you want to leave your ex and return you can. But you must then take action to divorce. It will probably take 2 years anyway so you have enough time to save for the costs.

@rtmhwales we’re in the UAE right now but I’m planning to move back home.

@LemonTT thank you for the advice I hadn’t thought that far ahead just trying to figure it out one step at a time.