Foreigners’ Marriage
(Marriage Registration in Egypt)
We have long experience in helping foreigners who consider marrying an Egyptian citizen under the Egyptian family law. Marriage for a foreigner in Egypt can be made in three ways: customary contract, foreigners’ marriage office, or court of justice.
Customary Marriage
Customary marriage, also called (Religious Marriage), is the simplest and easiest form of marriage. It doesn’t require any governmental procedures for registration. It is a signed contract whose terms and conditions are subject to the Egyptian laws governing marriage. Although it is not governmentally registered, it is still legally accepted and it has the full legal effects of marriage except for heritage. It only requires the IDs of the parties and their presence in a lawyer’s office to conclude the marriage and sign the contracts.
This kind of marriage is not accepted by embassies and immigration departments.
Foreigners’ Marriage Office
This office is an affiliate of the Egyptian ministry of justice. It is the only authority authorized to register the marriages whose either parties is a foreigner. However, there are some requirements and conditions that must be met in order to register and validate the marriage:
- Proof of identity (a passport) for both parties, a photocopy of the passport data page, the Egyptian entry visa and a valid stamp of residency from the Passports and Immigration Authority.
- Egyptian I.D. (Egyptian passport or the National ID) and a photocopy of it for Egyptian party.
- An Affidavit of Marriage issued by the foreigners’ embassy.
- Five personal photos for each party.
- Two male witnesses with identification documents (passport or I.D. card) must be present to sign the marriage documents.
- Original proof of termination of previous marriage if you were married before.
- A routine physical exam performed by an Egyptian registered hospital.
- It normally takes at least ten business days for a marriage certificate to be issued, but we can do it on the same day.
- Fees to complete the marriage are paid at the Ministry of Justice:
- If both parties are Muslim, the fee is two percent of the dowry, in addition to the original fees.
- If both parties are Christians, a dowry is not required.
- Interfaith marriages are allowed except if the bride is Muslim and the groom has a different faith.
- If either of you are under the age of 18, parental consent is required.
- All documents need to be translated into Arabic.
- You DO NOT need to have the marriage certificate authenticated at the American or UK Embassy to use for immigration in the United States or the UK.
Note: There is a three months waiting period, following the date of final divorce, if you’ve been divorced. If you are a widow, you will need to wait four months and ten days.
Court of Justice
Marriage of foreigners can be made by virtue of a court decree after filing a relevant lawsuit by either of the parties claiming for the registration of marriage. The processing time can exceed 6 months and the results cannot be 100% guaranteed. We resort to the court only if the parties cannot meet the requirements of the Foreigners’ Marriage Office.