Marriage certificate translation in Dubai is a legal translation of your marriage record (a civil certificate, church certificate or nikah nama) into Arabic, or of a UAE Arabic marriage contract into English. Couples need it to sponsor a spouse, register children, open a family case or change a surname abroad. Wordcraft's MOJ-licensed legal translators render every column, witness name and seal.
We translate marriage records from 150+ languages and prepare English, French, German and other versions of UAE contracts for embassies and registries overseas.
Why a Spouse Visa or Family File May Need It in Arabic
When you sponsor a husband or wife (see spouse visa), ICP or GDRFA must be able to read the marriage record. Many departments read English, so an English certificate is often accepted once attested. A nikah nama in Urdu, a Russian civil certificate or a Chinese marriage booklet needs a legal translation. Personal status courts, joint property registrations and notary appointments where both spouses sign are stricter: they work in Arabic, and an Arabic translation stamped by an MOJ-licensed legal translator is the version they recognize.
Nikah Nama, Church and Civil Certificates: What We Watch For
- Nikah nama (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh): often handwritten in Urdu, Bengali or English, with columns for the wali, witnesses and mahr. We translate each column, handwritten entries included, and mark anything unreadable as illegible.
- Church certificates: authorities often want the civil registration as well. If yours is likely to, we say so before you attest the wrong document.
- Civil registry certificates and extracts (Europe, Latin America, the Philippines, China): the registry number and issuing office are copied exactly as printed.
- Remarriage: if either spouse was married before, the authority may also want the divorce decree or a death certificate, which we can translate in the same order.
Marriages Registered Abroad: Attest in the Home Country First
A foreign marriage record has to be attested before any UAE authority will take it. For a Philippine certificate, for example, that means the PSA copy, DFA authentication, then the UAE Embassy in Manila, which now completes the UAE MOFA attestation digitally in the same step. We translate after that, so the embassy certificate and its verification code are part of the translated file. An apostilled certificate still needs the UAE embassy step. Our marriage certificate attestation team can handle the chain, and marriage certificate attestation for a UAE visa walks through it for visa files.
Translating a UAE Marriage Contract for Use Abroad
Couples who marry in the UAE receive an Arabic contract from the court or an authorized marriage officiant. To register the marriage at home, apply for a spouse visa overseas or update a surname, the contract normally goes through MOFA attestation, then the destination embassy, then translation. We translate all of it: the names of the guardian and witnesses, the mahr clause word for word, conditions the couple added and each court seal. If the destination accepts only its own sworn translators, we tell you before you pay.
What to Send for a Marriage Certificate Translation
- Every page of the certificate or contract, reverse sides and stamps included
- Both spouses' passports, so the names follow the passport spelling
- The UAE embassy attestation page, for a certificate issued abroad
- A divorce decree or previous spouse's death certificate, if the authority asked for one
- Who will receive the translation: ICP, a court, a notary or a foreign embassy
Tell us the receiving authority and the quote reaches you within 10–30 minutes. A second linguist checks the dates, registry numbers and names against both passports before the stamp goes on. We only need the paper original when it must also be attested or notarized, and a courier can pick it up at no cost. For a previous marriage, see divorce certificate translation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an English marriage certificate enough for a spouse visa?
Often yes, once it is attested. A certificate in any other language needs a legal translation, and courts usually want Arabic regardless.
Can you translate a handwritten nikah nama?
Yes. Handwritten columns, stamps and signatures are all translated. Any word we cannot read is marked illegible rather than guessed.
We married in Dubai. Can you translate our Arabic marriage contract into English?
Yes, into English or another language, for registration in your home country, a visa abroad or a passport name change.
Do you translate the mahr clause and added conditions?
Yes, word for word as they appear in the contract. We do not summarize or leave out clauses.
Should the marriage certificate be translated before or after attestation?
After. The attestation page then appears in the translation, which is what UAE authorities expect.
Last updated: September 2026
