United Arab Emirates Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in United Arab Emirates, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites
'''Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Abu Dhabi, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Dubai, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Abu Dhabi, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Dubai, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
Christians account for 13 percent of the total population of the United Arab Emirates, according to a ministry report, which collected census data. The government recognizes various Christian denominations. Christians are free to worship and wear religious clothing, if applicable. The country has Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches along with Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Attempts to spread Christianity among Muslims are not permitted. Conversion from Islam is not permitted.

The large number of migrants from the South Indian state of Kerala follow Christianity, predominantly from the Christian belt of Central Kerala. The denominations represented by this community includes the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Knanaya, Pentecostalism (including Indian Pentecostal Church of God, Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), Assemblies of God USA, among others) and numerous other evangelical and non-denominational independent groups.

Sharjah houses a church district in Al Yarmook Area which includes places of worship for Coptics, Armenians, Keralites, Filipinos, etc.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United Arab Emirates.
 * b. Click on Places within United Arab Emirates and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then, use an Arabic translation service.
 * Maps.me Church Listings for United Arab Emirates
 * Google Maps search results for churches in United Arab Emirates

Writing to a Local Parish
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: United Arab Emirates

Historical Background
The Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Expatriates in the country who are Catholics are largely Filipinos, Indians, South Americans, Lebanese, Africans, Germans, Italians, Ukrainians, Portuguese, Spanish, French and other Europeans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans. The United Arab Emirates forms part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia and the Vicar Apostolic Bishop Paul Hinder is based in Abu Dhabi.[16]

There are currently 9 churches in the region:


 * St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi,
 * St. Mary's Catholic Church, Dubai,
 * St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Jebel Ali,
 * St. Michael's Catholic Church, Sharjah,
 * St. Mary's Catholic Church, Al Ain,
 * St. Paul's Catholic Church, Musaffah,
 * St. Anthony of Padua Church, Ras Al Khaimah,
 * Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Fujairah,
 * St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Ruwais,
 * Sub Centres in Kalba, Khorfakkan, Dibba and Madinat Zayed.

Online Records
Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally began holding church services in Dubai in 1982. The services grew from a small group of less than ten people to a Stake (Latter Day Saints) organized by Jeffrey R. Holland in 2013. The stake currently has 6 congregations: 5 Wards and 1 Branch. On April 5, 2020 Russell M. Nelson announced that the government of the United Arab Emirates had invited the church to construct a Temple.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in United Arab Emirates

Historical Background
Eastern Orthodox Christians in UAE traditionally belong to the jurisdiction of Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Eastern Orthodox parishes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were organized in 1980.

Writing for Records

 * Google Maps search results for Protestant churches in United Arab Emirates

Historical Background
Among the Protestant denominations in the country are the Christian Brethren, the Coptic Evangelical Church and the Evangelical Alliance Church. Other denominations are the Arab Evangelical Church of Dubai, Dubai City Church, Fellowship of the Emirates, and the United Christian Church of Dubai. The Anglican Communion is represented by the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.