Afghanistan - Register a Marriage

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Procedure

Marriage Registration

Foreigners who want to marry in Kabul must first register the marriage at the Family Court, located in the Kabul Governor�s House Compound. In the provinces, outside of Kabul, marriages can be registered at the civil courts.

The couple must appear at the Family Court in Kabul with two witnesses and photo identification (preferably their passports). Witnesses should also have photo identification. If one of the individuals who wish to marry is Muslim, a religious Muslim ceremony will be performed at the time of registration. If both individuals are foreigners and non-Muslim, a civil ceremony may be performed. After the court ceremony, the couple is considered married under Afghan law; they may then conduct the family or religious ceremony/celebration of their choice.

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Required Documents

• An original or certified copy of applicants' birth certificate or
• Valid passport if the parties are non-resident Identification cards of applicants
• If either party was married previously and widowed, a certified copy of the marriage certificate and death certificate in respect of the deceased spouse.
• If either party was divorced, an original Decree Absolute or a certified copy of Final Judgement. If the document is in a Foreign Language, the document must be translated and certified by an authorized Notary Public.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Street address: Charayee Pashtoonistan, Foroushgah, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Phone: +93 202 104 336
Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

Civil Registration Department
Ministry of Interior
Mobile: 0799 32 $341
Please also contact with village Maliks
Contacts for Ministry of Interior Affairs

Eligibility

• Religious Marriages

If both or one of the parties are Muslim, the Family Court will register the marriage and perform the Muslim nekah ceremony. The nekah is comprised of the igaba wa qabul (acceptance agreement) and the khotba. When a Muslim man wants to marry a foreign woman who is non-Muslim and the woman is not kitabi (of the book, i.e. Christian or Jewish), she must first convert to Islam. In either case, the court will only register the marriage religiously, with the nekah ceremony.

• Civil Marriages

If both parties are non-Muslim foreigners, the court will register the marriage by performing solely the igaba wa qabul or acceptance agreement without the other half of the typical Muslim religious ceremony. The court will also seek to apply the regulations governing marriage in the couples� home country. For example, although Afghan law permits polygamy, American men will not be allowed to marry multiple women.

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

The document is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. If you do not marry your Afghan fianc� within 6 months of the issuance of the Afghan Marriage document, you must apply again with new supporting documents.

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

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Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
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Instructions

It is not possible for a non-Muslim man to marry a Muslim woman in Afghanistan, but it is possible for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim, foreign, woman.

Additionally, the court will not register marriages involving Afghans who claim not to be Muslim, unless the couple consents to a Muslim religious ceremony. Afghan law considers all Afghans Muslim by default.

Foreigners must apply for official permission from the Afghan government to marry a citizen of Afghanistan. You must demonstrate to Afghan officials that they are not currently married to anyone else - either you have never been married or all divorces are finalized - that your identity is proven, and that you have never committed any crimes in Afghanistan. This is done by providing various documents including an Affidavit of Single Status to the Afghan government either in Afghanistan or via an Afghan embassy.

Required Information

• Province, regions, district, and village
• Names of the couple
• Names of the fathers of the couple
• Number and date of marriage certificate
• Marital status of the couple prior to their present marriage
• Profession of the man
• Places of birth of the couple
• Dates of birth of the couple
• Tazkira number of the man
• Name, name of father, Tazkira number, and signature of the regional officer or the village head
• Name, name of father, Tazkira number, and signature of the father or the witness
• Name, name of father, Tazkira number, and signature of the priest
• Name, name of father, Tazkira numbers, and signatures of the two witnesses of the marriage ceremony and the two representative witnesses of the father.

Need for the Document

According to Section 61 of the Afghan Civil Code, all marriages shall be registered.

Marriage shall be reported by the municipal authorities or village heads who are present at the marriage.

Information which might help

In general, if a marriage is contracted outside of Afghanistan, it will be recognized in Afghanistan if it is civilly registered in the country in which it takes place.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

After the marriage has been registered, you can obtain a copy of the marriage certificate from the Registrar on payment of the appropriate fee.

Couples who are married at a religious ceremony will not be able to obtain a marriage certificate immediately after the ceremony.

External Links

http://kabul.usembassy.gov/marriage.html

http://www.irinnews.org/report/70684/afghanistan-new-contract-to-curb-child-marriages

http://supremecourt.gov.af/en

http://ago.gov.af/en

http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/afghanistan.htm

Others

Many countries require non-nationals, before they can get married in their jurisdiction, to produce a certificate from their country of origin to show that they are free to marry.