A Baby Born in Egypt to Foreign Parents, Which Documents to Get

The first document from the hospital

After the birth, the hospital issues a birth notification. It is not yet a certificate but a medical document on which the registration is based. Check the names of the parents in it: they must be written as in your passports, otherwise the error will carry over into every document.

Being born in Egypt does not by itself give Egyptian citizenship. Children of Egyptians become Egyptian citizens by birth, so a child of foreigners takes the citizenship of the parents, and documents are arranged through their country.

The birth certificate at the health office

The birth is registered at the health office (maktab sihha) of the district where the child was born, not where you live. Under the Egyptian civil status law you have 15 days from the birth. Usually you need:

• The birth notification from the hospital.
• Valid passports of the father and mother.
• A marriage certificate legalised for Egypt, or an Egyptian marriage contract.

If the 15 days have passed

If the certificate is not obtained in time, the child has to be registered through a civil registry office of the Ministry of Interior. This is harder: extra papers are added to the same documents, for example photos of the child and a special form. So do not put off the visit to the health office.

Without an official marriage, for example with an urfi marriage, the mother may not be able to register the child, the Dutch foreign ministry warns.

Handwritten and computer certificates

The health office issues a handwritten certificate on a green form. Later a computer certificate can be obtained from the civil registry system of the Ministry of Interior. Names may be written differently in these documents, so check both straight away.

Before legalisation, ask the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and your embassy which version they accept. Make several copies: you will need the certificate for the consulate, the iqama, nursery and the doctor.

Legalising the Egyptian certificate

For the certificate to be recognised at home, it is legalised in a chain. First the civil registry certifies the document, then the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamps it, and after that the consular section of your embassy in Cairo legalises it. At home the certificate is translated and the translation is certified by a notary.

Egypt does not issue the apostille, as it is not a party to the Hague Convention. Read more about the chain in the article on document translation and legalisation in Egypt.

Registering the child with your consulate

Next, the child is registered as a citizen of your country. If the parents are citizens of different countries, citizenship is often decided by their written agreement, as in Kazakhstan, for example. The procedure differs by country:

• Russia. If both parents or a single parent are Russian citizens, the consulate can register the birth and issue a Russian certificate. Another way is to legalise the Egyptian certificate and confirm the citizenship of the child at the consulate.
• Kazakhstan. The birth is registered at the consulate or online through egov.kz no later than two months after the birth. Online filing is available if the parents have a Kazakh marriage certificate.
• Kyrgyzstan. According to the Ministry of Digital Development, if a birth document was obtained abroad and legalised, a separate Kyrgyz certificate is not needed, but the child needs a PIN, which is issued at a public service centre.
• Uzbekistan. A child of two Uzbek citizens is also a citizen, and documents for leaving the country are issued at the consulate. If the birth was not registered abroad, it can be done at a civil registry office in Uzbekistan.
• Tajikistan. Check the procedure and the document list with the Embassy of Tajikistan in Cairo.

Passport and iqama for the child

Without a passport the child cannot leave Egypt. The passport is issued at the consulate after the birth is registered or citizenship is confirmed. For urgent travel some countries issue a child a certificate of return, but it is valid only for entry home.

Under Egyptian rules a foreigner must stay in the country legally, and a baby is no exception. As soon as the passport is ready, get an iqama for the child at the passport office, usually as a family member of a parent with valid residence. You will need the passport of the child and proof of kinship, check the exact list with the passport office. More in the article on the iqama in Egypt.

Health card and vaccinations

Together with the certificate, the health office opens a health card for the child, and its number is written on the certificate. Vaccinations are recorded in it and on the back of the certificate. The card is shown at every check-up and later requested for school enrolment.

Mandatory vaccinations under the Egyptian schedule are given at public health units and health offices. According to the Ministry of Health, a child can be vaccinated at any of them regardless of address, and Egyptian media report that mandatory vaccinations are free. Ask on site whether this applies to children of foreigners.

Get the card translated: a vaccination certificate will be requested at nursery, at school and when you move home. Read about doctors and clinics in the article on healthcare in Egypt.

How Tullab can help

Look for translators for the certificate and helpers with legalisation in the documents, visas, translations section. Prams, car seats and baby items from other families are in the kids section.

Registration rules change, so before each visit check with the health office, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consular section of your embassy.