Dear divinatio,
Thank you for asking me to post my answer, I appreciate it. Even
though you've found most of the information yourself, I'll post my
answers to your original questions that I was preparing back in
November, perhaps you'll find something useful.
U.S. Embassy in Cairo: Marriage in Egypt
"The only legal marriage in Egypt is a civil ceremony performed at the
local marriage court, which is in accordance with Islamic practice.
Persons wishing a religious ceremony may arrange for one separately,
but it is the civil ceremony that establishes the legality of the
marriage.
It is possible for foreigners to marry in Egypt.
http://egypt.usembassy.gov/consular/marriage.htm
Taken from the above link, here are the answers to your specific questions:
>>> How long will it take to get married?
"It will take at least one week for a marriage certificate to be
issued. This does not include translation."
>>> What documents we need to have?
1. Proof of identity (a passport).
2. Proof of termination of any previous marriages.
3. Sworn statements of the parties involved that they are free to
marry, and that they are of the Moslem, Christian, or Jewish faith.
Interfaith marriages are permitted except in the case of a Moslem
woman and a non-Moslem man.
4. A no-objection statement from the Embassy. NOTE: This is a
formality required by the Egyptian government.
"The Embassy has devised an affidavit combining both the sworn
statement of the party (no. 3 above) and the Embassy?s no-objection
statement (no. 4 above). This affidavit is available from the
Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo (Sunday through
Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon), and must be notarized by a U.S.
Consul. (Notarial fees are listed on the Fees for Selected Consular
Services page.) The affidavit must then be certified at one of the
Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Authentication offices before
being taken to the Department of Justice?s marriage office."
>>> to be prepared before coming to Egypt or while in the Egypt?
"Forms and questionnaires to be completed at the marriage court. These
can only be obtained on the spot at the Department of Justice?s office
of marriage on the wedding day or the day before. Applicants should
have original versions and photocopies of all documents, as well as
notarized Arabic translations for all documents not in the Arabic
language. (Translation of documents from English into Arabic cannot be
authenticated unless the originals were authenticated in the way
described in item 2)."
>>> after the marriage, in order to have the sertificate valid in USA?
"The marriage certificate is recognized as a legal document in the
United States and many other countries.
To use the Egyptian marriage certificate in the U.S., it should be
translated into English by the Translation Office in the Egyptian
Ministry of Justice, then authenticated by the Egyptian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and also certified by a U.S. Consul."
>>> What exactly to do?, where to go?
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Authentication Offices:
Gameit el Dowal el Arabia Street, Mohandessin, Giza;
Ahmed Said Street, Abbassia;
or Sabak Street next to the Maryland Gardens in Heliopolis.
Civil Marriage Registration Office:
Ministry of Justice Annex (Office of Marriage of Foreigners),
4th floor, Lazoughly Square, Abdin, Cairo.
Open Saturday to Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m.; Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Ministry of Justice's translation office:
Ministry of Justice Building, 13th floor, Lazoughly Square, Abdin, Cairo.
>>> how many people wo have to confirm the marriage?
"Any two male witnesses with identification documents (passport or
I.D. card) must be present to sign the marriage documents. It might be
better to have your own witnesses, such as a travel agent or a
friend."
>>> contact of the lawer of the company that is assisting with
marriage, documents - I am ready to pay for the service.
>>> Contacts of at least three agencies / lawers that located in
Egypt, Cairo that can assist with marriage, they should be preferably
russian-speaking. The contacts must be verifyed and contacted by
phone, only after information should be submitted in this answer.
You will find four law firms in Cairo which list marriage as a
speciality, please click on the link to view them. Given they are
listed on the US Embassy website, I would assume they speak English.
I'm not able to phone Egypt, but given this is a list from the US
Embassy and not just an advertisement, I would assume the contact
information is valid.
List of Attorneys In the Consular District of Cairo
"Attention is drawn to the fact that the rules of the Egyptian Bar
Association prohibit all advertising on the part of the members. As
the publication of the names of the members of the bar, together with
any data concerning their professional experience and qualifications,
may be considered as a contravention of this rule against advertising,
this information is released on the condition that it is not to be
published."
http://cairo.usembassy.gov/consular/acslist2.htm
>>> What if she is muslim? I am also muslim, but I am Russian, how do
I have to comfirm this? What is common practice in this case?
"Sworn statements of the parties involved that they are free to marry,
and that they are of the Moslem, Christian, or Jewish faith.
Interfaith marriages are permitted except in the case of a Moslem
woman and a non-Moslem man."
>>> Any other comments or advices?
"A routine physical performed by an Egyptian doctor is sometimes required."
"In addition to the notarial fee, fees to complete the marriage at the
Ministry of Justice: If both parties are Moslems, the fee is two
percent of the dowry (not less than 40LE)."
Additional fees:
"Translation fees, plus authentication fees if required."
"Marriage certificates should be picked up in person."
>>> What about staying together in the hotel if we are not married?
A Place in the Sun: Renting a Flat in Cairo
"This is pretty much the same as in other places except that their
reasons for deciding on not renting to you are a little different.
Some progressively minded landlords will not mind an unmarried couple
renting together while some less so probably will. Use judgment. If
the landlord is wearing Reeboks and a metallic tee shirt you can be
pretty sure you?re okay but if she shows up in hegab (head covering)
then play it cool."
http://www.escapeartist.com/efam18/Living_In_Cairo.html
"If you are coming to live in Egypt with a member of the opposite sex
that you are not married to, pretend to be. Living with someone from
the opposite sex is not considered proper in Egypt. By all means, get
a couple of cheap wedding rings. There are no official inquires
regarding this, but you will get along much better with your
neighbors."
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/flat3.htm
"As said by others, try to get one of those ISIC-cards. Another tip,
if she's not yet your wife when you're travelling, wear rings
(engagement-rings?), these will help you get a room together,
sometimes hotels don't like unmarried couples to sleep together."
http://www.letsgo.com/community/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1870
"A male foreigner, meanwhile, may find that some young Egyptian women
are willing to talk to him on campus but not off campus. This is
because convention dictates that unmarried men and women should not
mix freely in unsupervised social situations. Egyptian social custom
also dictates that a man may not put his arm around a woman, touch
her, hold her hand, or kiss her (even on the cheek) in public without
risking her reputation. With any relationship there can be obstacles:
conflicts involving personalities, lifestyles, and goals. In Egypt,
there is also a cultural conflict, which must be taken seriously."
http://www.aucegypt.edu/downloads/facultyHbook.doc
"If you're travelling with a man , wearing a wedding ring confers
respectability, and asserting that you're married is better than
admitting to be 'just friends'."
http://www.eztrip.com/dg_viewLocation_formId-60603.html
>>> Any of those should be translated into any any language and notharized?
Egypt Marriage License Information
"All documents need to be translated into Arabic"
http://marriage.about.com/od/international/p/egypt.htm
>>> Additional Links of Interest
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Cairo, Egypt
http://www.russianembassy.biz/egypt-cairo.htm
?Single Status Affidavit?
Also Known As:
Certificate of No Record
Certificate of No Impediment
Single Status Statutory Declaration
Single Status Certificate
http://marriage.about.com/od/marriagelicenses/g/singlestatus.htm
"To use the Egyptian marriage certificate in your country of origin,
it should be translated into English by the Translation Office in the
Egyptian Ministry of Justice, then authenticated by the Egyptian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs ."
http://www.red-sea.com/news/issue67/
Best of luck, I hope it all works out for you.
hummer |
