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A US single status affidavit for the UAE is a sworn statement that you are free to marry, signed before a US notary and then authenticated by the Secretary of State, the US Department of State and the UAE Embassy in Washington, which attests it together with MOFA. Some states and counties issue an official no record of marriage letter instead, which follows the same chain. The UAE asks foreigners who marry here to show that they are eligible to marry, and a court or marriage registry decides which proof it takes.
Price: AED 1,025 per document plus VAT, about 1 month and 3 weeks, all government fees and courier included. Send a scan of the signed document and we take it from there. See attestation fees.
Two kinds of single status proof
| Document | Who issues it | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Single status affidavit | You, sworn before a notary | Your own statement that you are not married |
| No record of marriage | State or county records office | An official search showing no marriage on file |
New York's Department of Health issues a No Record Certification for marriages outside New York City. Texas issues a marriage verification letter, or a not found letter when there is no record, and says these letters are not legal substitutes for a licence or decree. San Diego County issues a single status affidavit, also called a letter of no record. A state search only covers that state, which is why some offices prefer your sworn affidavit.
Writing the affidavit
Keep it short and exact:
- Full name as in your passport, passport number, date and place of birth
- Your current address
- A statement that you have never married, or that a named marriage ended by divorce or death on a stated date
- Signed in front of a notary, with the notary's certificate attached
If you were married before, the UAE office will usually also want the attested proof of how it ended: the divorce decree or a death certificate.
Sign in the US or at the embassy in the UAE?
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi can take your oath on an affidavit and notarise it. It also says the UAE government may not find that affidavit acceptable. An affidavit signed before a US notary and attested on the full US chain avoids that question, though it takes longer. Ask the court or registry which version it wants before you choose.
Step by step for a US-signed affidavit
- Draft the affidavit with the details above.
- Sign before a notary in any US state.
- Secretary of State of that state authenticates the notary.
- US Department of State adds its certificate.
- UAE Embassy and MOFA through VFS Global, issued digitally.
- Arabic translation, if the court asks. See legal translation in Dubai.
What goes wrong
- Out of date. Courts and registries often want a recent document. Sign it close to the date you will file.
- Names that differ from the passport. Use the passport spelling everywhere.
- Leaving out an earlier marriage. The court sees it later in your records. Declare it and attest the divorce decree.
- Embassy affidavit refused. Check with the UAE office before relying on it.
Affidavits made in the UAE follow a different route, on affidavit attestation. If you married in the US before moving, the route is on USA marriage certificate attestation.
