Fees and steps checked on
Saudi marriage certificate attestation makes a marriage contract issued in Saudi Arabia valid in the UAE, most often so a husband or wife can sponsor a spouse for a residence visa. The route is: the authority that issued the contract, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the UAE Embassy in Riyadh, which attests it digitally and adds MOFA attestation in the same application.
We are a private document service, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We run the file for you and offer free document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai.
Price: There is no fixed price for Saudi Arabia. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Why the UAE asks for it
A UAE resident who sponsors a husband or wife needs an attested marriage contract for the family visa. When you later sponsor children born in Saudi Arabia, their visas need attested birth certificates too, and the route is the same. Sending both together saves a second courier trip. See attestation for a family visa and birth certificate attestation.
Step by step for a Saudi marriage contract
- The original contract. Start from the marriage contract issued by the Saudi court or authority that registered the marriage. A religious or private record alone may not be accepted.
- Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UAE Embassy in Riyadh states that Saudi documents must be attested by the Saudi foreign ministry first. Ask for attestation, not only an apostille.
- UAE Embassy in Riyadh, digital. The application is filed on the UAE MOFA website with UAE PASS, with Saudi Arabia as the country of issue. An approved provider collects the original contract. You receive it by email, attested by the embassy and by MOFA together.
- Original returned. The paper contract comes back by courier. Check the attestation at verify.mofa.gov.ae.
If your contract needs an extra step inside Saudi Arabia before the foreign ministry, we tell you when we see the copy.
Documents you need
- The original marriage contract. The embassy does not accept a copy for marriage certificates.
- Passport copies of husband and wife.
- Old iqama copies if you lived in Saudi Arabia, so the name spelling can be matched.
Steps and timing
| Step | Who stamps it | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing authority | Saudi court or registering body | varies |
| Foreign ministry | Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs | no published time |
| UAE Embassy in Riyadh and MOFA | Digital, both together | most requests 2 to 3 business days |
The courier collects the original within 24 hours of the online application and returns it 24 to 48 hours after release, or 48 to 72 hours for remote areas. Every official fee and the courier are in the total price.
If the visa has a deadline, say so in your first message. We tell you honestly whether the dates work before you pay.
Living in the UAE with a Saudi marriage contract
You do not need to travel back. The original goes to Saudi Arabia for the foreign ministry step, the embassy courier collects it there, and it returns to you. MOFA lets anyone apply on your behalf. With UAE PASS the attested copy arrives by email before the paper does, which often means the visa file can start sooner.
Common problems
- Apostille only. For the UAE the embassy step is still needed.
- Copy instead of original. Marriage certificates must be originals for the Riyadh embassy.
- Names that differ from the passports. Arabic names on the contract are often spelled differently in English. Send passport copies with the file so we can flag it early.
- Laminated contract. MOFA does not attest laminated documents.
- Contract issued outside Saudi Arabia. A marriage in Egypt, Jordan or India goes through that country's own route, not Riyadh.
The full Saudi picture is on Saudi Arabia certificate attestation. General rules for marriage certificates from any country are on marriage certificate attestation.
