Ras Al Khaimah: Two licensed marriage offices set up in Ras Al Khaimah have been a ray of hope for men and women looking to find their better halves in the framework of Islamic laws and UAE traditions.


Ras Al Khaimah currently accommodates two active offices to help people find their future husband or wife.

The first office was set up in 2008 by seven Emirati businesswomen, who were originally involved in social work in Ras Al Khaimah.


This office was officially licensed by the RAK Department of Economic Development - the first issuance of a licence in the history of the department.

Umm Ahmad, one of the co-founders of the office, said that someone searching for a spouse can easily register with the office which will take all the necessary steps to find the perfect match, after which the client will have to pay the office for its services.


Umm said that the Emirati founders have a wide knowledge of the emirate's society and can easily differentiate between those who approach them for genuine reasons and those who may wish to use their services as a trap.


She said that those who approach the office come up with a list of descriptions and requirements for their spouse, which the office uses to start a search for the perfect match.


Declining to say exactly how many, Umm said the office has so far been involved in a large number of marriages, adding that the level of success has been surprising.

She said the office has rejected a number of suspicious requests, and that the service has been determined to accept only honest and serious requests.


She stressed that the service has positively contributed to the community in finding appropriate spouses, adding that those working for the office know which houses have unmarried women and reach out to them with suitable marriage proposals.


Umm said many people have gone against the idea of the office, but the founders installed advertisements for their projects all over the emirate with their contact numbers. The founders then received thousands of calls daily.


But those against the service said many people would use the service for fun and a trap and that marriage should be arranged in the emirate through families and not offices which charge money.

The idea of the service has caused controversy in Ras Al Khaimah, and the general trend across the community favours closing it down.

However, once the idea was implemented, the seven determined women applied to the RAK Department of Economic Development for a commercial license, which they were granted, allowing then to work freely and legally in the emirate.