Getting Married in Egypt as a Foreigner, Registration and Recognition

Where marriages of foreigners are registered

If at least one spouse is a foreigner, the marriage in Egypt is registered at the office for marriages of foreigners at the Ministry of Justice. According to the Australian Embassy, it is in Cairo, in the new Ministry of Justice building at 3 Lazoughli Square. The embassy notes that under Egyptian law a foreigner who marries in Egypt must register the marriage there.

The ceremony and the contract are entirely in Arabic, so bring an interpreter if you do not speak it. Usually both spouses must attend in person.

Two foreigners, or a foreigner and an Egyptian

The procedure is similar in both cases: the couple bring passports, documents from their embassies and medical certificates, and come with witnesses. Requirements for witnesses and documents depend on the nationality and religion of each spouse, so check the list with the office in advance.

When one spouse is Egyptian, their documents are added: the national ID card and birth certificate. If a foreign groom is much older than an Egyptian bride (by more than 25 years), the Ministry of Justice sets extra conditions.

If both spouses are citizens of the same country, sometimes the marriage can be registered at its consulate. For example, the Family Code of Russia allows Russian citizens living abroad to marry at a Russian consulate. Ask your embassy whether it offers this service in Cairo.

Documents usually requested

The exact list depends on your country and situation. According to Egyptian media and embassies, you usually need:

• A valid passport of the foreign spouse and copies. An ID card is usually not accepted instead of a passport.
• Proof of legal stay in Egypt. According to Egyptian media and the Russian foreign ministry, a marriage is usually not registered on a tourist visa, you need an iqama or another non-tourist stamp.
• A certificate from the embassy on marital status, age and religion, and a letter stating that the country has no objection to the marriage, certified by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• If there was a previous marriage, a divorce certificate or the death certificate of the spouse, translated and legalised.
• A premarital medical examination of both spouses at a government hospital.
• Five recent photos of each spouse.
• Two witnesses, as a rule Egyptian citizens, with ID cards.

The embassy certificate and legalisation

The key document of the foreign spouse is a certificate of no impediment to marriage, that is, of marital status. How to get it depends on the country: in some cases the consulate in Cairo issues it, in others you have to order it at home and legalise it. Check this with your embassy before setting a date.

Documents from home go through consular legalisation for Egypt: certification in your country, then at the Egyptian embassy and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Egypt does not accept the apostille. The chain is described in detail in the article on document translation and legalisation in Egypt.

All papers are translated into Arabic. Spell names in translations exactly as in your passport, otherwise documents may be returned.

Nikah, urfi and an official marriage

Many couples first have a nikah read by an imam. It may matter for faith, but for the state a marriage without registration at the Ministry of Justice is not official. Egyptian authorities and consulates see an urfi marriage, a private contract signed by witnesses, the same way. The Russian foreign ministry warns that urfi carries risks for a foreign wife, and the Netherlands does not recognise such marriages.

Without an official marriage it is hard to get a family iqama, put the father on the birth certificate of a child or have the marriage recognised at home. According to the Dutch foreign ministry, with an urfi marriage the mother may not even be able to register the child.

Religion matters too. Under Egyptian rules a Muslim man may marry a Muslim, Christian or Jewish woman, while a Muslim woman may marry only a Muslim man. That is why the embassy certificate states your religion. If the groom converts to Islam, he needs a document confirming it, issued for example by Al-Azhar.

What to do after registration

According to Egyptian media, after signing the contract a few more steps remain:

• Collect the marriage contract (aqd zawaj) and check names, dates and passport numbers.
• Have it stamped at the shahr aqari office (registration and notary).
• Certify the contract at any certification office of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Legalise it at the consular section of your embassy in Cairo.
• At home, translate the contract into your language and have the translation certified by a notary.

Getting the marriage recognised at home

The laws of many countries recognise a marriage concluded abroad under local rules if there are no impediments, such as another registered marriage. The Family Code of Russia and the Family Code of Uzbekistan say so directly. The Russian foreign ministry explains that after legalisation an Egyptian contract serves as the equivalent of a Russian marriage certificate.

How such a marriage is entered in the register in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and whether a passport stamp is needed, check with your consulate or civil registry. Make several legalised copies of the contract: you will need them for the iqama, documents for children and travel. Read how to get family residence in the article on the iqama in Egypt.

How Tullab can help

You can find a lawyer who knows the procedure at the Ministry of Justice in the legal services section, and a translator for the contract and certificates in the documents, visas, translations section. Agree on the full price and timing before paying.

Rules for marriages of foreigners may change, so check the current list of documents with the Ministry of Justice office and your embassy before applying.