Ras Al Khaimah Court Rejects Woman’s Plea to Establish Child’s Paternity

The First Personal Status Circuit of the Ras Al Khaimah Court of First Instance has dismissed a woman’s lawsuit seeking to establish the lineage of her child and compel a man to officially register the boy as his son.

The woman had requested the court to direct the defendant to obtain official documents for the child, including a passport, Emirates ID and health card. The court also ordered her to bear the legal expenses of the case.

According to court records, the plaintiff claimed that she had been in a relationship with the defendant, which resulted in the birth of a child in late 2025. She alleged that the man had initially acknowledged the child and promised to marry her and formalise the relationship, but later withdrew his assurances and refused to recognise the child after his birth.

The defendant, who appeared before the court in person, denied the allegations in full. He rejected the claim that the child belonged to him and stated that there had been no marriage, legal relationship or prior acquaintance between him and the plaintiff.

In its ruling, the court stressed that the burden of proof rested with the claimant. It found that the plaintiff had failed to provide conclusive evidence or convincing circumstantial proof to establish either the existence of a valid marital relationship or the child’s lineage to the defendant.

The court further noted that the birth certificate submitted in the case listed the father’s name as “unknown,” which weakened the claim. It added that the plaintiff’s assertions were unsupported by legal evidence or material proof required under the UAE Personal Status Law to establish paternity.

Describing the case as based solely on unsubstantiated statements that did not meet the threshold of judicial certainty, the court concluded that none of the recognised legal grounds for proving lineage — including marriage, acknowledgment or documentary evidence — had been established.

The lawsuit was therefore dismissed for lack of legal basis, with the plaintiff ordered to pay the court costs.

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