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No — custody does not move automatically, and your colleague is repeating a common simplification. Under UAE personal status law, the mother's remarriage is a ground the father can raise, and historically it could lead to her losing custody, but it has always required the father to actually apply to the court, and the judge decides. The current federal personal status framework puts the best interests of the child at the centre of every custody question, which gives judges real discretion: they look at who has been the child's day-to-day carer, the stability of each household, the child's age and schooling, the circumstances of the new marriage, and whether moving the child would genuinely serve the child rather than simply penalise the mother. Courts have kept children with remarried mothers where that was clearly better for the child, and have transferred custody where it was not. So if your ex-wife remarries, you would have a recognised basis to ask the court to reconsider the arrangement — nothing more, nothing less, and certainly nothing automatic. If this is becoming a live issue rather than a hypothetical, speaking with a UAE family lawyer first will give you a realistic view of how a judge would weigh your specific facts.

Your father living abroad does not stop the marriage — courts deal with this situation regularly. The usual solution is for him to give his consent from overseas through a formal document: a power of attorney or written consent signed before the UAE embassy or consulate in his country, or notarised locally and then attested so it is valid here. With that document, another person can stand in for him at the ceremony, or the court can act on the written consent, depending on the procedure in your emirate. If a guardian is genuinely unable to participate, or withholds consent without legitimate reason, the judge has authority to deal with the matter — guardianship is a protection, not a veto. As for preparation, both of you should expect to need passports and Emirates IDs, the premarital medical screening certificates from an approved centre, and proof of marital status such as a divorce or death certificate if either of you was previously married. Book the screening early, as it gates the appointment. The court's marriage section can confirm specifics, and a personal status lawyer can prepare the guardian documents correctly the first time.

Khula allows you to end the marriage even though your husband refuses — that is precisely what it exists for. In essence, you ask the court to dissolve the marriage in exchange for returning the mahr you received, or paying agreed compensation; that is the trade-off your relative was hinting at. What khula does not touch is your children's rights: child maintenance, custody arrangements and the children's expenses are owed to the children, not to you, and are not bargained away in a khula. Before choosing this route, weigh the alternative: a divorce based on harm, if you can prove the serious problems you describe with evidence or witnesses, ends the marriage without you giving up the mahr. Khula is typically the path when harm is hard to prove or you want a cleaner break. The process runs through the family guidance and conciliation stage first, then to court if no settlement emerges; how long it takes varies with the court's schedule and how contested matters become — commonly months rather than weeks. A Sharia personal status lawyer can assess whether khula or a harm-based case better protects your financial position.