General Information 
 
The Dutch law recognizes three official living / partnership arrangements:

• Marriage
• Registered partnership
• Cohabitation agreement

Beside the abovementioned arrangements: the cohabitation without official agreement and since 2001 the same-sex marriage.

For more information:  www.justitie.nl.

Getting married in The Netherlands

For information about getting married in The Netherlands, please click here.

Please note that all the Egyptian documents such as birth or marriage certificates and divorce decrees should be legalized.

For information about legalization of Egyptian certificates, please click here.

For more information (in Dutch) on marriage procedures visit the website of the  City of The Hague . 

Getting Married in Egypt

Statement of being unmarried

Dutch nationals who are planning to get married in Egypt will have to present several documents to the Egyptian Authorities, a.o. ‘a statement of being unmarried’. This statement is issued by the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo. It will take at least one working day to issue the ‘Statement of being unmarried’. Chancery fees will be charged.

It is important that all the relevant documents are presented to the Embassy. Without the required documents the ‘Statement of being unmarried’ can NOT be issued.

In order to be able to issue this statement, the following documents have to be submitted:

• A recent, original extract of birth from the Civil Registry of your residence, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague
• Recent, original extract of the Civil Registry of your residence, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague
• Valid Dutch passport
• Recent certificate of residence of the intended Egyptian partner, issued by the relevant Egyptian authority (police station, Shar’Iqari), legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo and translated by a certified translator
• Should the marriage partner be a Dutch male national, who wishes to marry an Egyptian female national, a letter of the employer is required (by the Egyptian authorities), stating occupation and income and a recent salary statement

If you are divorced

A recent original extract of the divorce registration from the Civil Registry of your residence, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague
A certified copy of the court ruling regarding the divorce, legalised by
1. the Ministry of Justice
2. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3. the Egyptian Embassy in the Netherlands.
This document has to be translated in arabic by a certified translator (preferably in the Netherlands).

If you are widowed

1. Recent, original extract of marriage from the Civil Registry, where the marriage was registered, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague
2. Extract of death from the Civil Registration, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hague.


On presentation of all the required documents, the ‘Statement of being unmarried’ will be issued in the Arabic language by the Embassy. This statement and, if applicable, the court ruling regarding the divorce, have to be legalised by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consular Department:

Mohandesseen: 59 Gameyat El Dowal el Arabeya Street
Abbasseya; Ahmed Said Street in front of Abbasseya Waterclub
Heliopolis: behind the Merryland wall

Marriage contract

After legalising the ‘Statement of being unmarried’ by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (a.o. photographes), one can get married (without appointment) at:
Shahr’ Iqari, Minstry of Justice Annex
Lazorghly Square, 4th floor
Down Town, Cairo
Tel.no.: 7956059 / 7958108 / 7957180

The Egyptian marriage contract can be registered at ‘ Bureau Bijzondere Akten' in the Hague.
Therefore the marriage contract has to be legalised by the Egyptian Ministry of Justice, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Embassy in Cairo and translated by a certified translator.

Important notice

• Certificates (birth, divorce etc.), issued outside the Netherlands should be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Embassy in the country of origin and  translated by a certified translator.
• The so-called ‘flitsscheiding’ is NOT accepted by the Egyptian authorities.
• Same sex marriages are NOT accepted in Egypt.

For general information about marriage and birth abroad, please click here.