Dubai Court Revises Visitation Days in Child Custody Case Due to Father's Work Schedule

A father’s work schedule became a key factor in a Dubai child visitation case after a court revised the weekly access arrangement, according to a legal consultant.

Hassan Elhais, a legal consultant at Amal Al Rashedi Lawyers and Legal Consultants, said the father had approached the court seeking more time with his son, including regular weekly visits and access to school-related information.

According to Elhais, an earlier ruling had allowed the father to see his son and take him out out on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from 4pm to 8pm, along with weekly visits to the child’s school in line with school regulations.

However, the arrangement was later modified on appeal, with Friday replacing one of the visitation days.

Elhais said the court found that the father worked until 5pm on Fridays, making the arrangement difficult to implement in practice and limiting meaningful time with his son.

He said the judgment highlighted that visitation schedules should be practical and workable for both parents while also protecting the child’s wellbeing, studies and daily routine.

The court eventually revised the father’s visitation days to Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays from 4pm to 8pm.

According to Elhais, the court also considered the mother’s time with the child, noting that granting the father access on both Saturday and Sunday would reduce the time she could spend with her son during her weekly days off.

“This ruling is important because the court did not look at visitation as a theoretical right only,” Elhais said. “It looked at whether the arrangement was workable in practice and whether it served the child’s best interests.”

He added that the judgment reflected how courts in the UAE consider practical issues such as parents’ work schedules and children’s weekly routines while deciding visitation arrangements.

“The decision confirms that parental rights are protected, but always within a framework that puts the child’s welfare first,” he said.