Marriage Registration

If you got married in Lebanon, you have to complete the following steps to register the marriage with the civil registry authorities of Lebanon (Personal Status Department).

Step 1: Obtain a marriage contract signed by the relevant religious authority (See Question 3). A religious marriage is only valid if it is contracted by an authorized religious authority.

Step 2: Obtain a marriage certificate from a Mukhtar nearest to the religious authority that authenticated the marriage contract. Bring with you the marriage contract authenticated by the religious authority, and the identity documents of you and your spouse (passports for non-Syrians and ID cards, passports or individual civil extracts for Syrians). The costs vary from one Mukhtar to another.

Step 3: Register the certificate with the local civil registry office, Nofous, closest to the place of marriage. Bring with you the marriage certificate issued by the Mukhtar, the identity documents of you and your spouse (passports for non-Syrians and ID cards, passports or individual civil extracts for Syrians). The fee is LBP 400,000.

Step 4: Register the certificate with the Foreigners’ Registry at the Governorate for finalization and execution of the process.

If you are a Syrian refugee, bring with you:

• The marriage certificate that you registered with the Nofous.
• Evidence of valid stay in Lebanon for you or your spouse. No need for valid stay if one of the spouses is Lebanese.
• Either valid passports for both spouses and proof from Syria of civil status of the wife or individual civil extracts for both spouses certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon and of Syria.

Note: At least one of the parents should have a valid legal residency at this stage. However, in case couples married in Lebanon will register the birth of their child born in Lebanon, they can register their marriage without having legal residency.

If you are a non-Syrian refugee, bring with you:

• The marriage certificate ratified by the religious authority, organized by the Mukhtar and registered with the Nofous.
• Valid visa or valid legal stay in Lebanon for you and your spouse if she is foreigner too.
• Valid passport for the foreigner husband with his ratified birth certificate or an attestation from his country concerning the details of his register.
• If the wife is also a foreigner, a valid passport with her ratified birth certificate or an attestation from her country concerning the details of her register. If the wife is Syrian, a ratified individual civil extract stamped and ratified is accepted instead of the valid passport.

Note: A valid legal stay in Lebanon for the foreign spouses is required at this stage.

The cost varies based on the documents presented (LBP 20,000 stamp fee for each document presented for the registration).

Step 5: Ratification of the certificate at the Ministry of foreign affairs. The ratification fee is LBP 1,000,000 (stamped fee).

Even if you and your spouse do not have all the documents required to complete the registration of your marriage with the Lebanese authorities up to the level of the Foreigners’ Registry, it is still important that you start the process and reach highest step possible. Importantly, you should make sure to obtain a marriage contract signed and stamped by the relevant religious authority when you celebrate your marriage. If you have the necessary documents, it is also important that you obtain a marriage certificate by the Mukhtar and, where possible, register the certificate with the Nofous.

You should approach the Sharia Court in Lebanon which will assign you an authorized Sheikh to celebrate the marriage after you and your future husband/wife obtain a Permission to Marry (‘Izen Shar’i) from the same Court. You will not be able to get a marriage certificate from the Lebanese authorities if the marriage contract has been issued by a Sheikh who has not been authorized by the Lebanese sharia court.

In this case, you need to go to the Sharia Court in Lebanon and authorize your marriage.

For individual counselling and more detailed advice and support, please call the UNHCR National Call Center at 📞04726111, Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:00.

You can also call the partners’ hotlines.
➡️For Syrian refugees, please visit this page.
➡️For non-Syrian refugees, please visit this page.