How do you get, prove or attest a marriage certificate in Saudi Arabia?
A marriage certificate in Saudi Arabia is the electronic marriage contract document issued by the Ministry of Justice after a licensed marriage registrar approves the contract on the Najiz platform. Once issued, it appears among your approved documents on Najiz, and it can be verified online with its document number and an ID number. If a marriage was never registered, both spouses can record it through the Notarize Previous Marriage service; if one of them denies it, the other files a claim to prove the marriage before the personal status court. To use a Saudi certificate abroad, it is ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or given an apostille. This guide reflects the official service pages as checked on 4 November 2026.
You can book a consultation on WhatsApp with the team at Al-Safwa Law Firm for Advocacy and Legal Consultations to review your documents and explain your legal options clearly.
Table of Contents
What is a marriage certificate in Saudi Arabia?
A Saudi marriage certificate is the official document of a marriage contract registered with the Ministry of Justice. It records the spouses, the guardian, the two witnesses, the dower, any conditions agreed by the spouses and the place of the contract. New contracts are created and issued electronically on Najiz and approved by a licensed marriage registrar (ma’dhun).
Registration is a legal duty, not a formality. Under Article 8 of the Personal Status Law (official English translation by the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers), issued by Royal Decree No. M/73 dated 6/8/1443H (9 March 2022), a marriage contract must be registered by the spouses or one of them, and any person with an interest may ask for an unregistered contract to be established. Article 9 adds that a contract for a person under 18 may not be registered unless the court authorises the marriage.
The certificate is what proves the marriage before courts, civil status records, employers and visa authorities. Without it, rights that depend on the marriage, such as maintenance, inheritance and the children’s lineage, have to be proven by other evidence.
Which route fits your situation?
The Ministry of Justice offers separate services for each situation, and choosing the wrong one usually means the application is returned. The table brings the routes together: Keep a copy of your marriage certificate in Saudi Arabia, because visas, dependants and family records often ask for it.
| Your situation | Route | Where | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting married now | Create marriage contract | Najiz, then a licensed marriage registrar | Electronic marriage certificate |
| You hold a paper contract issued by a licensed marriage registrar | Certify marriage contract | Najiz | The paper contract is certified electronically |
| An earlier marriage was never documented and both spouses agree on it | Notarize previous marriage | Najiz | Marriage contract certificate, including the children’s details |
| One party denies the marriage, its date or its terms | Claim to prove marriage | Personal status court, filed on Najiz | A judgment establishing the marriage |
| One spouse is Saudi and the other is not | Notarize marriage with non-Saudi spouse | Najiz | Registration under the rules on marriage to non-Saudis |
| You need the Saudi certificate abroad | Ratification or apostille | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | A certificate accepted by the foreign authority |
Proving the marriage comes first. Claims that depend on it, such as maintenance, custody or lineage, are separate requests that follow once the marriage is established.
How to register marriage in Saudi Arabia on Najiz
The Create Marriage Contract service builds the contract online and sends it to a registrar for approval. The Ministry of Justice describes these steps on the service page and in its Najiz user guide for creating a marriage contract:
- Log in to Najiz with your National Single Sign-On (Nafath) account, open All Electronic Services and choose the Social Affairs package.
- Select Create Marriage Contract, then Use the service, and state your capacity (husband, wife, guardian or their agent).
- Enter the bride’s details and status, the groom, the guardian and his relationship to the bride, the medical examination, the dower, the conditions of each spouse, the place of the contract, the attachments and the two witnesses.
- Submit the application and enter the code sent to your Absher-registered mobile. The status becomes New Request.
- After the audit centre reviews it, the status becomes Awaiting Authentication, and the groom, bride, guardian and witnesses each authenticate it by SMS code.
- Choose a licensed registrar through the Marriage Registrars’ Directory and give him the application number. The status becomes Awaiting Registrar Documentation.
- Once the registrar approves it, the marriage certificate is issued, the status becomes Valid and all parties are notified.
The Najiz guide notes that the medical examination results are pulled in automatically when both spouses hold a Saudi national ID.
Documents and requirements
Based on the Create Marriage Contract page and the Ministry’s requirements for a marriage contract:
- Valid identification for the bride, the groom and the guardian, or their lawful agents.
- Two witnesses who know the bride and her guardian, all parties and witnesses being over 18 unless a court has approved an underage marriage.
- The premarital medical examination; the service page states it is mandatory for Saudi nationals.
- The dower, with its advance and deferred parts.
- For a divorced bride, the divorce certificate number or a copy of the paper certificate, with her waiting period (iddah) ended; for a widow, the heirs document number or a copy.
- Proof of any transfer of guardianship, because the guardian must follow the legal order.
- A valid power of attorney for any agent. A power of attorney or other document issued outside the Kingdom must be certified by the Ministry of Justice.
- Mobile numbers registered with Absher for all parties.
The Ministry’s marriage service pages checked on 4 November 2026 show no service fee. Check the current position on the service page before you apply.
The role of the licensed marriage registrar
Marriage registrars are licensed and supervised by the Ministry’s General Directorate of Marriage Registrars, which handles licensing, inspection and violations. The registrar confirms the bride’s explicit consent and her terms, checks the parties’ statements and approves the contract through the Marriage Registrar Login service, which triggers the certificate. If a registrar issued you a paper contract instead, use Certify Marriage Contract and attach that contract, the medical test and any agency document.
How to get and print your marriage certificate
After the registrar approves the contract, the Najiz guide states that the document is issued on the Approved Documents page and its status changes to Valid. You can open it there to view or download it. Each party is also notified by SMS.
To check that a certificate is genuine, the Ministry’s Verify marriage contract service needs only the document number and an ID number:
- Log in to Najiz with National Single Sign-On.
- Open All Electronic Services, then Verification Services.
- Choose Marriage Contract Verification and Submit a New Application.
- Enter the document number and the ID number, then click Verify.
The service works only for electronic contracts and also lists the Najiz app and the Tawakkalna platform as channels. A paper contract that was never certified will not show up, which is a sign it still needs the Certify Marriage Contract service.
Proving an unregistered marriage in Saudi Arabia
Proof is needed when a marriage took place but was never documented, or when its details are disputed. Common situations include:
- A past marriage that was never registered at the time.
- A paper contract or written agreement that was never certified.
- One party denies the marriage, its date or its conditions.
- Children were born and their rights depend on proving the marriage.
- Maintenance, custody or lineage claims cannot move forward without it.
- Names, dates, the guardian or the witnesses differ between documents.
- One spouse is not Saudi, which needs its own route.
A contract described as misyar follows the same routes; there is no separate service for it. Our guide to misyar marriage in Saudi Arabia covers its conditions.
Route 1: Notarize previous marriage (no dispute)
When both spouses agree on the facts, the marriage is recorded electronically. On Najiz, open the Social Affairs package, choose Notarize Previous Marriage and select the notarial entity. You then enter the spouses, the marriage date, its conditions, the guardian, the children, the place of the event and the two witnesses. Every party authenticates the application by SMS, and once it is approved a marriage contract certificate is issued. The same documents apply as for a new contract: divorce or heirship documents where relevant, Absher-registered numbers, proof of guardianship transfer and Ministry of Justice certification for documents issued abroad.
Route 2: A claim to prove marriage before the court
If one party denies the marriage or will not take part, a notarisation request cannot be completed, and the matter goes to the personal status court:
- Gather the contract (even unregistered), the details of the guardian and witnesses and any supporting evidence.
- File a statement of claim on Najiz under personal status, asking the court to establish the marriage and stating its date, place, guardian, witnesses and dower.
- Attend the hearings, in person or remotely, where the court hears both parties and the witnesses.
- If the court establishes the marriage, its judgment becomes the basis for recording the marriage and for any follow-on claims.
A clear claim that keeps the request to prove the marriage apart from later requests is easier for the court to deal with. Our statement of claim drafting service prepares that document.
Evidence and witnesses
The court decides what evidence is enough in each case. Evidence that usually matters includes:
- A copy of the marriage contract, even if it was never registered.
- Testimony of the guardian and of the witnesses who attended the contract. Under Article 21 of the Personal Status Law, a contract witness must be an adult male of sound mind who hears and understands the offer and acceptance.
- Proof of the dower or of money transfers linked to the marriage.
- Written acknowledgements, messages and correspondence between the spouses about the marriage.
- Children’s birth certificates and other official papers that refer to the marriage.
- Earlier applications or transactions on Najiz or with another authority.
Having these documents does not mean the claim will be accepted, and missing some of them does not make proof impossible. The full facts decide the right route.
Children’s lineage after the marriage is proven
Proving the marriage often decides the children’s position, but it is not always the end of the matter. Under Article 67 of the Personal Status Law, paternity is established by birth under a valid marriage contract, by acknowledgement or by evidence. Article 68 attaches a child born during a valid marriage to the husband, with a maximum pregnancy period of ten months unless the court decides otherwise on a certified medical report. Article 69 sets the conditions for acknowledging paternity, including a DNA test.
If the father disputes the child separately, a lineage claim may still be needed alongside the proof of marriage. Maintenance and custody then follow; see our pages on maintenance claims and custody cases.
Attesting a Saudi marriage certificate for use abroad
A foreign authority, embassy or employer usually asks for the Saudi certificate to be authenticated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs this through its ratification portal (ratification.mofa.gov.sa), which offers document ratification, appointments and apostille certificates. Its ratification services page lists marriage contracts among the documents it ratifies, with electronic payment through SADAD.
Saudi Arabia’s accession to the Hague Apostille Convention was approved by Royal Decree No. M/40 dated 26/5/1443H. A Saudi Central Bank circular (SAMA Circular No. 44073468) confirms that a document carrying an apostille needs no further authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or embassies. What changes is the destination country:
| Destination | Usual steps |
|---|---|
| A country that is a party to the Apostille Convention | Download the electronic certificate from Najiz, apply for an apostille on the MOFA ratification portal, then add a certified translation if the receiving authority asks for one |
| A country that is not a party | Ratification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then legalisation by that country’s embassy or consulate in the Kingdom, then a translation if needed |
| Registering the marriage in your home country | Follow your embassy’s list, which may ask for the apostilled or legalised certificate, passports and a translation |
The MOFA portal shows any fee when you apply, and the receiving country sets its own requirements. Check them with that authority before you start.
Registering a foreign marriage in Saudi Arabia
A marriage concluded abroad is proven by the foreign certificate, which first has to be made usable in the Kingdom:
- From a Convention country: an apostille from the issuing country’s competent authority replaces embassy legalisation.
- From any other country: the certificate is authenticated in the issuing country, legalised by the Saudi embassy or consulate there, and then ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom.
- Translation: Saudi authorities work in Arabic, so a certified Arabic translation is usually requested.
- Use on Najiz: the Ministry of Justice requires documents issued outside the Kingdom to be certified by the Ministry before they are used in its marriage services.
A Saudi citizen who married a non-Saudi abroad, or wants to, must comply with the Regulation Governing Marriage to Non-Saudis (Minister of Interior Decision No. 6874), which the Ministry of Justice cites on its Notarize Previous Marriage page, and registers the marriage through the Notarize Marriage with Non-Saudi Spouse service.
Under Article 8 of the Personal Status Law, marriage contracts of non-Muslims are registered with a notary. Foreign residents should also check how their own country registers a marriage that took place in Saudi Arabia.
Why marriage applications are returned or delayed
The Ministry’s requirements point to recurring problems:
- The person acting as guardian is not next in the legal order, and no proof of the transfer of guardianship is attached.
- The bride is divorced, but the divorce document is missing or her waiting period has not ended.
- A spouse is under 18 and no court approval is attached.
- A party or witness has no Absher-registered mobile, so the application cannot be authenticated.
- Documents or powers of attorney issued abroad were not certified, or the names do not match the passport and residence permit (iqama).
- A Saudi and non-Saudi marriage was filed without meeting the rules on marriage to non-Saudis.
How long does it take?
The Ministry’s pages give no fixed processing time for these services. In practice, the time depends on the factors below:
| Factor | Effect on timing |
|---|---|
| All parties authenticate their SMS code promptly | The application moves straight to the registrar |
| Missing or inconsistent data | The application is returned for correction |
| Foreign documents | Attestation, ratification and translation add separate steps |
| A dispute over the marriage | Court hearings replace the electronic route |
| Follow-on claims (maintenance, custody, lineage) | Handled after the marriage is established |
When is a lawyer useful?
A complete, undisputed application can usually be filed directly on Najiz. Legal help matters more when a spouse denies the marriage, when key documents are missing, when the file is tied to maintenance, lineage or custody, or when the facts must be proven before the court. A personal status lawyer in Jeddah can review whether your case needs notarisation or a claim and which evidence to prepare first. If the marriage is already registered and the question is how it ends, our guide to divorce in Saudi Arabia covers the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions about Saudi Marriage Certificates
A marriage certificate in Saudi Arabia comes from one of a few official routes: a new contract on Najiz approved by a licensed registrar, certification of a registrar’s paper contract, notarisation of an earlier marriage, or a court judgment when the marriage is disputed. For use abroad, the certificate needs MOFA ratification or an apostille.
If your marriage was never registered or its details are contested, the next step is to gather the contract, the witnesses’ details and the supporting evidence before you choose a route. You can start with an online legal consultation.
To get a legal consultation from our team, contact us via the WhatsApp button at the bottom of the screen.
Read also:
- Proving divorce in Saudi Arabia
- Family lawyer in Saudi Arabia
- Marriage annulment (faskh) in Saudi Arabia
Sources:
- Personal Status Law, Royal Decree No. M/73 dated 6/8/1443H, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers (Arabic official text)
- Personal Status Law, official English translation by the Bureau of Experts, published by the Ministry of Investment (MISA)
- Ministry of Justice: Create marriage contract
- Ministry of Justice: Najiz guide to creating a marriage contract (PDF)
- Ministry of Justice: Certify marriage contract
- Ministry of Justice: Notarize previous marriage
- Ministry of Justice: Notarize marriage with non-Saudi spouse
- Ministry of Justice: Verify marriage contract
- Ministry of Justice: Requirements for marriage contract
- Ministry of Justice: General Directorate of Marriage Registrars
- Najiz platform
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Ratification services on documents
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ratification and apostille portal
- Saudi Central Bank (SAMA): Circular No. 44073468 on apostille authentication of foreign public documents
- All official pages checked on 4 November 2026.
A legal advisor holding a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the prestigious Cairo University. He possesses extensive experience spanning over 25 years in criminal, civil, and family law, during which he has achieved notable accomplishments that have solidified his reputation as a valuable asset to any legal team
