Fees and steps checked on
Nigerian marriage certificate attestation is what a Nigerian resident in the UAE needs to sponsor a husband or wife for a residence visa. The type of certificate you hold decides the route. A federal certificate goes straight to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja. Other certificates are usually confirmed or registered with the Federal Ministry of Interior first. After Abuja, the UAE Embassy in Abuja attests the certificate together with MOFA attestation.
We are a private document service in Dubai, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. Pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai is free.
Price: there is no fixed price for Nigeria. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts.
Which Nigerian marriage certificate you have
Nigeria has several kinds of marriage paper, and they are not treated the same:
| What you hold | Usual first step |
|---|---|
| Federal Marriage Registry certificate (statutory marriage) | Straight to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Certificate from a licensed place of worship | Confirmation by the Federal Ministry of Interior |
| Local government marriage certificate | Usually registration or confirmation with the Federal Ministry of Interior |
| Customary or Islamic marriage, no federal certificate | Registration of the marriage with the Federal Ministry of Interior |
| Statutory marriage before 23 January 2019 | The Ministry of Interior re-issue procedure may be asked for |
The new federal marriage certificate was introduced in January 2019 to bring the different formats together. We confirm the first step from a photo of your certificate.
Which documents you need
- The original marriage certificate.
- Copies of both spouses' passports.
- If the marriage was customary or Islamic, any family or religious record of it, plus identity documents of both spouses, for registration with the Ministry of Interior.
- If a name changed after marriage, documents that link the old and new names.
Step list for a Nigerian marriage certificate
- Federal Ministry of Interior, where needed. Registration, re-issue or confirmation, so that a federal record exists.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja. Authentication of the certificate, in place of an apostille, since Nigeria is not in the Apostille Convention.
- MOFA portal application. Filed with UAE PASS. Marriage certificates are personal documents.
- UAE Embassy in Abuja and MOFA. The original is collected, attested digitally by both, and emailed. The original returns by courier.
- Spouse visa file. The attested certificate goes into the residence visa application.
Using it for a spouse visa
The marriage certificate is the core of a spouse sponsorship. Most families also add the children's birth certificates at the same time, so the whole family file moves together. See Nigerian birth certificate attestation, family visa services in Dubai and the full checklist in attestation for a family visa.
Common problems with Nigerian marriage certificates
- Local government certificate refused. This is the most frequent issue. Registering the marriage federally first saves a rejected application later.
- Church certificate from an unlicensed venue. Not all places of worship are licensed by the Federal Marriage Registry. A certificate from an unlicensed venue does not prove a legal marriage on its own.
- Wife's name on the certificate differs from her passport. If the passport shows a married name and the certificate the maiden name, that is normal. But spelling differences between documents can stop the visa, so we check them before filing.
Living in the UAE already?
Neither spouse needs to travel. The Ministry of Interior and foreign ministry steps are handled in Nigeria with the original, and the UAE stage is filed online on your behalf. For marriage certificates from other countries, see marriage certificate attestation. If you also need your degree for work, see Nigerian degree attestation, and for every Nigerian document, see Nigeria certificate attestation.
