Fees and steps checked on
Egyptian marriage certificate attestation is the step most Egyptian residents in the UAE need before they can sponsor a husband or wife for a residence visa. The certificate is legalised by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then attested by the UAE Embassy in Cairo and MOFA. After that it is accepted by GDRFA in Dubai and ICP in the other emirates.
We are a private document service in Dubai, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We arrange the full chain, with free document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai.
Price: There is no fixed price for Egypt. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Three kinds of Egyptian marriage paper
Egyptian couples bring us different papers, and the first job is to work out which one to send.
- Ma'zoun contract. For Muslim couples, the ma'zoun (the licensed marriage registrar) writes the contract by hand. The marriage is then recorded by the Civil Status Department.
- Computerised marriage certificate. The Civil Status Department of the Ministry of Interior issues a printed copy from its records. This is normally the document the foreign ministry legalises.
- Marriage with a foreign spouse. When one spouse is not Egyptian, the marriage is registered through a dedicated Ministry of Justice office in Cairo, not a local ma'zoun. The paper looks different but follows the same legalisation chain.
Guidance from the Dutch government on Egyptian documents asks for the electronic certificate plus a photocopy of the handwritten original. Having both ready is a good habit for the UAE too.
Documents you need
- A recent computerised marriage certificate from the Egyptian Civil Status Department.
- A photocopy of the original handwritten contract, if you have it.
- Passport copies of both spouses.
- If either spouse was married before, the attested divorce or death certificate may be asked for at the visa stage.
Step by step
- Get the civil status copy. A relative orders a computerised copy in Egypt. It is the recorded version of your ma'zoun or Ministry of Justice registration.
- Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry legalises the civil status signature in Cairo or at a governorate office.
- UAE Embassy in Cairo and MOFA. The application is filed on the UAE MOFA website, the original is collected by an approved courier, and the UAE Embassy in Cairo lists the digital service where the embassy and MOFA attest together.
- Back to you in the UAE. The attested certificate is ready for the spouse visa file.
Using it for the spouse visa
GDRFA in Dubai asks for an attested marriage contract when a resident sponsors a spouse, together with the sponsor's salary or housing papers. Children's visas come next and need each child's birth certificate attested. Sending the marriage certificate and the birth certificates to Cairo together saves a second round. See Egyptian birth certificate attestation and family visa services in Dubai.
| Situation | What to attest |
|---|---|
| Husband sponsors wife | Marriage certificate |
| Wife sponsors husband | Marriage certificate, plus the sponsor's papers the visa asks for |
| Parents sponsor children | Marriage certificate and each birth certificate |
| Remarried sponsor | Marriage certificate, and sometimes the earlier divorce certificate |
Arabic is fine for MOFA
The Egyptian marriage certificate is in Arabic, and MOFA accepts it as it is. A legal translation is only added if the office receiving it asks for English, for example an international employer's insurance team.
Common problems with Egyptian marriage certificates
- Only the handwritten contract. Families often keep the ma'zoun's original and no computerised copy. Order the civil status copy first, so the foreign ministry has a signature it recognises.
- Wife's name from her father's line, not her husband's. Egyptian wives keep their own family name, but some UAE forms expect a shared surname. The certificate is still valid. Make sure the visa form uses the names as on the passport.
- Church certificate without state registration. For a Christian wedding, a parish certificate alone does not carry the government signature the ministry legalises.
General rules for marriage certificates from any country are on marriage certificate attestation. For your degree, see Egyptian degree attestation, and for every Egyptian document, Egypt certificate attestation.
