If you married in the UK and are returning to Egypt, you may need assistance authenticating your marriage certificate. This will ensure that your marriage is legally recognised in all scenarios. It will also ensure that you and your spouse have full access to the rights and privileges connected to legal marital status.
The Egyptian Consulate can only authenticate a foreign marriage certificate if one or both of the parties is an Egyptian citizen. Both parties must also be above the legal age for marriage in Egypt. [1] The consulate cannot endorse foreign marriages in which neither party is an Egyptian national due to differences in marriage between foreigners, as compared to marriage between nationals, in Egypt.
Both of the individuals will need to present a number of documents:
- Egyptian national ID or passports,
- Original or certified copy of birth certificates,
- Original British marriage certificate,
- Certified translation of British marriage certificate into Arabic.
Some of these documents will have to undergo certain legal processes for recognition in Egypt.
The General Register Office (GRO) can issue a certified copy of a U.K. birth certificate.
The Egyptian Consulate requires that both the original marriage certificate and the certified translation obtain apostilles from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) before they begin authenticating the marriage certificate. A certified translation is the UK’s equivalent to a sworn translation. Because there is no official body which overseas legal translations in the UK, a certified translation only requires a statement from the qualified translator who completes it. To do this, they attach a translator’s certificate to the translation. It can then undergo notarisation and legalisation.
Once your documents have been notarised or certified as needed, they can be submitted for legalisation. Egypt has not joined the Hague Convention on the Apostille, hence documents for use in Egypt must undergo double-certification. Each country’s foreign office will affix its own stamp.
For instance, take the case of a British birth certificate. It would require an apostille from the FCDO first, before presentation to the General Consulate of the Arab Republic of Egypt for further legalisation. This is also the reason your marriage certificate and translation require apostilles from the FCDO before the consulate can begin authenticating them.
Although you and your spouse do need to be present for the authentication of your marriage certificate, legalisation at the Egyptian Consulate does not usually require personal presence. This means that if you need any of your supporting documents – such as your birth certificates – legalised, we would be able to have this done on your behalf. We can also arrange the notarisation of any translations and express apostilles from the FCDO in preparation for your appointment with the consulate. If you require any of these services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
[1] Source: https://egyptconsulate.co.uk/consular-services/authentication-endorsement-of-british-foreign-marriage/