Marriage at the Ministry of Justice

lily1989

28 March 2016 15:43:45

I am an American female marrying an Egyptian man in October. Many family and friends are flying from abroad to attend the wedding and reception, but I read that the only recognized marriage is the one performed at the Ministry of justice, and that if we want to have a katb el kitab at a mosque or his family's house, or at the hotel where the reception is, then we have to first get married at the ministry and then do a "mock" katb el kitab later on. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to feel that my ceremony is the real thing, and not just a pretend ceremony where we sign a fake contract. The idea of having 2 katb el kitabs would feel weird, but we're willing to do that if necessary.

Has anyone done this already? How did you explain to the second ma2zoun that you are already married and that the second one is just for show?

Tito45

04 April 2016 14:00:07

Hello Lily,

Congratulations first for getting married. Please check the following links for getting married to an Egyptian man. Hope it helps.

It is stated at Marriage In Egypt | Embassy of the United States as follows:

"At American Citizen Services, you will sign a marriage affidavit that will be notarized by the U.S. Embassy. This affidavit includes your biographic data and your religion. Interfaith marriages are permitted by Egyptian law except in the case of a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man. The affidavit also mentions that you are free to marry and that the Embassy has no objection to the marriage. Please bring the following:
• Printout of your appointment confirmation.
• Your valid American passport.
• Proof of termination of your last marriage, if you were married before. An original or certified copy of the last divorce decree or death certificate must be submitted. There is no need to get this document authenticated or translated into Arabic for the purpose of marriage. The authentication and translation by the Egyptian embassy or consulate in the U.S. may be required later for other purposes. Please note that if you are a female American citizen previously married, you may only remarry in Egypt at least 90 days after your divorce or 130 days after the death of your former spouse. If you are pregnant, you can only remarry after the birth of the baby.
• It is preferable that you bring your fiancé(e).
• The fee is $50.00 or 450.00 LE (cash or credit).
• If you are a female of Egyptian origin under the age of 21, you are required to either be accompanied by your father, a guardian, a person in loco parentis, or a written consent from any of the above. The consent should be in English and Arabic. It should be notarized by the Egyptian Embassy or an Egyptian consulate in the U.S. and by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt."

1- http://egypt.usembassy.gov/acs12.html

2- http://www.worldlawdirect.com/forum/int … n-man.html

Hope it helps and good luck.

Tarek

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