Family
Sharia courts for Muslims, recognised church tribunals for Christians
Personal status for Muslims is governed by the Personal Status Law 2019 and administered by Sharia courts. Recognised Christian denominations administer their own personal status through church tribunals.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, with jurisdiction determined by the parties' religious community.
Governing law
- Personal Status Law No. 15 of 2019
- Law of Councils of Christian Religious Communities No. 28 of 2014
In practice
The 2019 law consolidated earlier temporary legislation. Minimum marriage age is eighteen, with judicial discretion to permit sixteen in defined circumstances — a discretion still exercised in a substantial number of cases. Polygamy requires notification and a finding of financial capacity. Divorce by talaq remains available to husbands; wives may seek khul' by returning the mahr, or judicial divorce on defined grounds. Custody ordinarily rests with the mother during early childhood with guardianship in the father. Because the Sharia courts and church tribunals are separate systems, an interfaith couple faces a genuine jurisdictional problem, and civil marriage is not available domestically.