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BritInJeddah
Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 2
Location: Jeddah
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 Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:22 pm Post subject: New Brit Guy in Jeddah in 10 days-- Help!! |
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ok hi everyone.. i have just joined this forum and was hoping some of you can help me as you seem to know alot about the magic kingdom�!
OK firstly.. i will be there in 10 days in Sharbatly village and need some help socialising, so if anyone here knows any expats there, ways to meet expats, social scenes i can bump my way into then please let me know lol!
but the other tricky thing im trying to solve is:-
my girlfriend may join me there if i say that its ok living in sharbatly and can hack it for a year or 2.. the problem is that were not married... so were trying to work out if she got a job teaching tefl and then came over, if we got married in jeddah (my dad lives there and said saudi marriage is simple and unofficial) then she could live with me.. is that possible?
would she then be able to quit her job if she didnt enjoy it and live with me if she wanted if i had a family visa?
the other option would be to meet in egypt and get married there.. (we dont want to get married under UK law for a few years so were hoping both these methods are quick fixes and if were still together in a few years to get properly married)
Does anyone have any experience on this? we do love each other, but dont wanna be forced into marriage because of where were living, but wanna get married when we want to!!!
i appreciate anyones advice and as i said,.. if anyone is currently there then get in touch!!
thanks again and look forward to the answers... please be good lol |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Save yourself all the aggravation. If you love each other, just get married before she arrive or even applies. The "where" shouldn't matter at all.
Life is complicated enough without your scenarios... 
VS |
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PeterBar
Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 145
Location: La France profonde
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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Sharbatly compound is fine - excellent pool, bowling alley, restaurant, gyms, small shop, tennis, 5 a side etc on site.
Most people meet people around the pool or via a sports club.
There are lots of nationalities in residence - noise from kids outside the recreation centre on Weds and Thurs nights can be impressive.
Even being with an unrelated member of the opposite sex in public (outside a compound) can lead to severe problems. Not a good idea. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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You won't have any problems socializing... Sharbatly village is like a small town. 500,000 sq m (about 5,000,000 sq ft) comprising almost a 1,000 villas of all sizes. So that would be anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 people.
As for getting married here, you can't get married in a Saudi court under Saudi Law unless you are a Muslim (*you* have to be Muslim, regardless of your future wife's religion).
However, you can get married at the British Consulate, as long as none of you is Muslim.
I know all this for a fact because I inquired a couple of years back.
If you two do get married somehow somewhere, then yes, assuming you have a family visa, she can stay in the country under your sponsorship. Of course, if she keeps working and is under the sponsorship of her employer, you two can still live together. Just carry a copy of the marriage certificate and an Arabic translation everywhere you go. (keep it folded in the wallet/purse/car. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Does anyone have any experience on this? we do love each other, but dont wanna be forced into marriage because of where were living, but wanna get married when we want to!!! |
How long do you plan on being in KSA? I know that's hard to tell when you haven't even got here, but if you only expect to be in the Kingdom one or two years, think hard before getting married. You don't need me to tell you taht it's a major life decision, and a decision like this shouldn't be based on your temporary country of residence.
If your girlfriend got a job in the same college as you, and was living on the same compound, then you won't have too many problems remaining unmarried, though it would be unwise to go out alone together too often. However, if she is working for a different employer who puts her in compltely different accommodation (perhaps female only) things may be more complicated. That said, I have known many women who more or less moved in with their boyfriends on his compound, and had no problems. It's outside the compound you might have to worry about. |
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BritInJeddah
Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 2
Location: Jeddah
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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wow thanks for all the info.. youve been very helpful..
the situation is that im defo movin over cuz things are rubbish in the UK.. dull and depressing.. so im gonna go and see what jeddah is saying.. save some money and if i think we cud live there, then ill get her to start applying for tefl courses and say she wants sharbatly compound.
if that doesnt work then it looks like getting married in egypt seems to be the one! what we were trying to avoid was actually having to get properly married.. we were hoping that we could do an unofficial one somewhere, which merely gives us the certificate so she can live with me...
anyone know if that is possible? we wanna wait a few years and if we still love each other get married then! its so annoying that its like this to get to jeddah.. cuz the money is too tempting along with sun, swimming and diving!
thanks again.. |
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Asda
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| trapezius wrote: |
However, you can get married at the British Consulate, as long as none of you is Muslim. |
What the freak?!?! So what are British Muslims meant to do...? |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 1:39 am Post subject: |
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| ^ Saudi Court. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:48 am Post subject: |
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| the situation is that im defo movin over cuz things are rubbish in the UK.. |
Please don't tell me you're going to be teaching English. I mean, this is an informal board and you don't neccessarily expect flawless English. But.... come on!
| Quote: |
| then ill get her to start applying for tefl courses and say she wants sharbatly compound. |
Stop right there. In the first place, for any half-way decent job in Jeddah you'll need more than just some 'tefl course'. You'll need a full CELTA at the least, an MA at many of the universities. Also, you don't get to pick and choose where you live. You go where your employer puts you, basically, and that may very well not be a swish compound.
| Quote: |
| its so annoying that its like this to get to jeddah.. cuz the money is too tempting along with sun, swimming and diving! |
There's a price to pay for everything, and in KSA that price can be quite high. If you want to be sure of enjoying 'sun, swimming and diving' with this women, you're going to have to get married. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:19 am Post subject: |
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Gleopatra is right. You do NOT have the freedoms in KSA that you take for granted in the UKofGB&NI. You cannot just live with your lady friend. You are either married to her or you are not.
To enjoy the benefits of matrimony you need that piece of paper. Just like to get a job here you will need "real qualifications".
It seems to me that you want to reap the benefits without paying the price !
Last edited by scot47 on Sat Mar 13, 2010 5:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Asda
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:22 am Post subject: |
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| trapezius wrote: |
| ^ Saudi Court. |
...but that won't be recognised in the UK, would it? Unless they get registered when/if they go back...? Still, rather shambolic, I mean why give us the passports in the first place? Do you reckon that the British Consulate in Thailand or India would not let British Hindus marry there and instead make them go through the local courts? At a guess, I wouldn't have thought so...I might be wrong. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| with sun, swimming and diving! |
You go to the beach at night in Saudi. If you'd ever experienced the Saudi sun you'd know why. |
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| BritInJeddah wrote: |
wow thanks for all the info.. youve been very helpful..
the situation is that im defo movin over cuz things are rubbish in the UK.. dull and depressing.. so im gonna go and see what jeddah is saying.. save some money and if i think we cud live there, then ill get her to start applying for tefl courses and say she wants sharbatly compound.
if that doesnt work then it looks like getting married in egypt seems to be the one! what we were trying to avoid was actually having to get properly married.. we were hoping that we could do an unofficial one somewhere, which merely gives us the certificate so she can live with me...
anyone know if that is possible? we wanna wait a few years and if we still love each other get married then! its so annoying that its like this to get to jeddah.. cuz the money is too tempting along with sun, swimming and diving!
thanks again.. |
Good heavens, if you want fun, sun and sand, why on earth are you considering Saudi Arabia? Try Dubai. Want to get married fast? If you find yourself in N. America go to Vegas and do it in an hour, and a US marriage will of course be accepted anywhere.
You said it's boring rubbish in the UK...what do you think Saudi Arabia is--Hawaii? San Francisco? Talk about boring rubbish--there is no place like the KSA. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Asda wrote: |
| trapezius wrote: |
| ^ Saudi Court. |
...but that won't be recognised in the UK, would it? Unless they get registered when/if they go back...? Still, rather shambolic, I mean why give us the passports in the first place? Do you reckon that the British Consulate in Thailand or India would not let British Hindus marry there and instead make them go through the local courts? At a guess, I wouldn't have thought so...I might be wrong. |
Why wouldn't a Saudi marriage be recognized in the UK? As per informal international agreements, a legal marriage in any country of the world is recognized by all countries.
The problem here (and in UAE, Bahrain, etc) is that according to Saudi law, any marriage involving a Muslim on Saudi soil [of any nationality] has to be done in the Saudi courts for it to be legal. Hence, the UK Consulate not being able to wed a British Muslim(s) on its premises.
So for Thailand and India, you would have to look at the laws in those countries. Thailand and India being secular countries (in theory) would probably not have a problem with British Hindus/Buddhists marrying at UK Embassies. |
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Asda
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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O I C....sorry, my bad!  |
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