Fees and steps checked on
Syrian marriage certificate attestation is the step Syrian residents in the UAE need before sponsoring a husband or wife for a residence visa. The paper comes from the court that married you and the civil registry that recorded it. It is attested by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, then by the UAE Embassy in Damascus, then by MOFA in the UAE.
We are a private document service, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We confirm the current Syrian route on each file, with free document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai.
Price: There is no fixed price for Syria. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Two papers for one Syrian marriage
Syria has no civil marriage ceremony. Couples marry under their religion:
- Muslim couples conclude the contract at a Sharia court. The court issues the marriage contract, known as aqd zawaj.
- Christian and Druze couples marry through their own spiritual or community court.
The marriage is then recorded in the civil registry, which can issue a marriage registration from the family record. So many families hold two papers: the court contract and the civil registry record. Some offices want one, some want both. The Swiss embassy, for example, asks for both the marriage certificate and the contract when it registers a Syrian marriage. Before anything goes to Damascus, we check which paper your UAE visa office will accept.
Documents you need
- The Sharia or spiritual court marriage contract.
- The civil registry marriage record, if the marriage was registered.
- Passport copies of both spouses.
- Any earlier divorce or death certificate if either spouse was married before.
- Clean originals, since the Syrian ministry refuses damaged, scratched or altered papers.
Step by step
- Get fresh copies. A relative or lawyer in Syria requests a new copy of the contract from the court, or the marriage record from the civil registry, if yours is old or worn.
- Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. The ministry attests the court or registry signature, now with a digital sticker in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.
- UAE Embassy in Damascus. The embassy attests the ministry stamp. How it accepts documents at the moment is confirmed on each file.
- MOFA in the UAE. The final stamp for use in any emirate.
- Spouse visa. The attested contract goes into the GDRFA or ICP application.
Spouse visa files we see from Syrian families
| Situation | What to attest |
|---|---|
| Husband sponsors wife | Marriage contract or civil registry record |
| Parents sponsor children | Marriage paper plus each child's birth extract |
| Marriage concluded in Lebanon | Follows the Lebanese chain instead |
| Sponsor married before | Marriage paper, and sometimes the earlier divorce document |
Children's extracts are on Syrian birth certificate attestation, and the visa checklist on family visa services in Dubai.
Married outside Syria?
Many Syrian couples now in the UAE married in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey. Those contracts are attested in the country that issued them, not in Damascus. If yours is Lebanese, see Lebanon certificate attestation. Registering that marriage in Syrian records is a separate step for Syrian purposes, and the Syrian foreign ministry describes it as a service through its missions abroad.
Arabic and names
The contract is in Arabic, which MOFA accepts as it is. The issue is usually the names. A wife's name on the contract can be spelled differently in Latin letters on her passport and visa. Keep both passport copies with the file. If an office wants English, we add a legal translation.
Common problems with Syrian marriage papers
- Only the court contract, no civil record. Some UAE offices ask for the registry record too. Check before sending, so both travel together.
- A sheikh's contract outside court. A marriage written privately and never taken to a Sharia court has no court record to attest. It must be confirmed by the court first.
- Worn originals. Contracts kept since before the war are often damaged. Order a fresh copy, since the ministry will refuse it.
General rules are on marriage certificate attestation. For your degree, see Syrian degree attestation, and every Syrian document is on Syria certificate attestation.
