Can 2 different nationalities get married in Saudi Arabia?

12POSTS

11 years ago

I've checked both our embassies, the norwegian and the filipino embassy, both of them only marries couples from the same nationality.
So is there anyone out there who knows how or if its even possible to get married there? Im, not a muslim, neither is my future wife

See also

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kom340 Contributor

181POSTS

11 years ago

Why dont you go to Vegas, Las Vegas, they marry anyone and anytime just go with your passports.

live.ali Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

You will have to check that with your Norwegian embassy i believe.

James ViP

11272POSTS

11 years ago

Most if not all of the information you will find on the internet and from Consulates regarding foreigners getting married in Saudi Arabia actually only applies to cases where a foreign national is marrying a Saudi citizen.

A couple of things that you need to know:

There is no such thing as civil unions or same-sex marriage in Saudi Arabia, all marriages are strictly governed by Saudi law.

Many nationalities actually cannot get married in Saudi Arabia and anyone thinking of marriage there should first contact their own Embassy/Consulate there for advice and information.

In most cases, especially when the would-be couple are both foreign nationals, they choose to marry in their home country to avoid potential problems.

Your case would be even more complicated due to the fact that both you and your future bride are of different nationalities. I'd really suggest that you arrange the marriage during a trip to one of your home countries.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

2 members reacted to this post

stigandre-norway Member

12POSTS

11 years ago

another forum-user just gave me this, is this: is this possible?

Hello stigandre-norway,
You both are different nationality. So that following requirements you need:
1, Your spouse parents consent letter which one attest by her city magistrate, then make it DFA Red Ribbon in Passy city in Manila, After that make it Translate as Arabic from Saudian Embassy Manila,
2. Need her companys (owner of Hospital) permission letter, and this permission letter approve by Zawajat, After Zaqajat go to聽 Ministry of Foriegn affairs to stamp,
3. Then go to philippine embassy or go to Nikah Court .i think Philippine embassy better for you,
4. take two witness from your spouse side who knows her very well,

Ehtesham ViP

1296POSTS

11 years ago

wjwoodward wrote:
There is no such thing as civil unions or same-sex marriage in Saudi Arabia, all marriages are strictly governed by Saudi law.

Many nationalities actually cannot get married in Saudi Arabia and anyone thinking of marriage there should first contact their own Embassy/Consulate there for advice and information.

In most cases, especially when the would-be couple are both foreign nationals, they choose to marry in their home country to avoid potential problems.

Hi,
You can get married at local court called ""賲丨賰賲丞丕賱囟賲丕賳 or聽亘丕賱賲丨賰賲丞丕賱毓丕賲丞聽 " , you just need to visit them and ask for requirements. They will fix an appointment for you to finalize marriage contract.
But marriages in court are done according to Shariah laws here and I am not sure what process is applied for two non-muslims getting married.

Trapezius ViP

1309POSTS

11 years ago

There is no way you can get married here in court, as all court marriages are Islamic marriages, and neither of you is Muslim.

The only way you can get married here is at the embassy/consulate of one of countries you two are from, if they do it.聽 But, you already said they don't, so in that case you can not get married here.

Go to Mauritius or Maldives and get married there... just need passports and birth certificates, and you can have your honeymoon there as well!

1 member reacted to this post

stigandre-norway Member

12POSTS

11 years ago

she's working there, and we figured we might get married there so that i could visit her there while she was still on duty. But i t hink it will get hard.

Trapezius ViP

1309POSTS

11 years ago

Not possible... get married in Norway when she has some time off!

mannyd Serial expat

309POSTS

11 years ago

#10

hi stig, best wishes on your marriage. yes, you can marry your future bride in the Philippine embassy here in Riyadh. it's called a civil wedding sanctioned by the Philippine laws and only philippine official like ambassador, consul, mayor, judge, senator, etc can perform. The wedding will be added in the philippine registry attested by the Foreign Affairs. Then after that civil wedding, you need to file or register your wedding to your own embassy , for change or apply citizenship for your future wife.

mannyd Serial expat

309POSTS

11 years ago

#11

i doubled check with the PH embassy, only Philippine citizens are accepted for marriage in the embassy.

hosam1970 Member

1POSTS

11 years ago

#12

Welcome to Saudia Arabia,and u can marry a women聽 vby embassy only.
thanks
hussam

Abuwaqqas Member

17POSTS

11 years ago

#13

Friend of mine, is a Syrian Muslim man and married by a Filipino Muslim lady. They got married by Saudi law and they live in Riyadh now. They married over 2 years ago, while friend is already married by a Syrian lady before he got married by the Filipino one.

Actually, I want to do the same, if I find a suitable Filipino lady. Although I prefer a Muslim one, but if she is Christian and single or divorced, I shall have no problem.

However, if there is any interested Filipino lady, please contact me on my email: abuwaqqas@gmail.com.

1 member reacted to this post

stigandre-norway Member

12POSTS

11 years ago

#14

my questions was not for you to get laid FYI!
plenty of dating sites for guys in need like yourself mr:)

faymoyo1 Active member

42POSTS

11 years ago

#15

welcome to saudi arabia !
you need to go to cyprus nearer to here and marry. knew someone who did that

faymoyo1 Active member

42POSTS

11 years ago

#16

welcome to saudi arabia !
you need to go to cyprus nearer to here and marry. knew someone who did that

tansari VIP Member

255POSTS

11 years ago

#17

Yes, they can but the process is rather complex. Your wife will require her guardians to provide documentation on approval for this marriage. Some of my friends got married (two different nationalities, not including Saudi) but I am not fully aware of the process.

live.ali Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

#18

I think it will be practical and also 100% sure if you and your future wife both go to philippines and have your marriage done there. It might be costly but im sure money wont be a question when you really want to settle down with a woman you love....after that, both of you can go back to saudi as a married couple, with an unquestionable marriage certificate....

ctaylor74 New member

6POSTS

11 years ago

#19

You seem very knowledgeable about Saudi law.聽 Can you tell me if it is possible for a Saudi man (living in Saudi Arabia) to marry an American woman (living in the US) and either the woman moves to Saudi or the man moves to the US?聽 Can the woman comes to Saudi to marry him under Saudi law?聽 Or does he have to move out of the country to somewhere with less strict laws (like UAE)?聽 Both of us are NOT Muslim.

Thank you!
CAT

1 member reacted to this post

tansari VIP Member

255POSTS

11 years ago

#20

You can read this blog for more information about marriage with a Saudi.

Sweetjam Member

2POSTS

11 years ago

#21

asalam mualaykum..
im from philipine and my partner to be is from pakistan were both muslim and live in riyadh but working in different company..i want to ask how we can marry here in riyadh other thn from mekama ..is there other court here that we get marry in legal way?
hope for your positive response...

THanks..

Popolocroix Serial expat

423POSTS

11 years ago

#22

Sweetjam wrote:
asalam mualaykum..
im from philipine and my partner to be is from pakistan were both muslim and live in riyadh but working in different company..i want to ask how we can marry here in riyadh other thn from mekama ..is there other court here that we get marry in legal way?
hope for your positive response...
THanks..

What hinders you from marrying in "mekama?" - i just think, that is the most legal, and easiest way for you! i recently, attended, and stand witness to a marriage in mekama --- and their "consultant" brave standing about (Philippine) women marrying a foreigner, is to be *strict* in the conditions in the contract you will set for marriage, ask for a "hefty" dowry (not to make you look greedy - but assurance of your partner's "pure" intentions), and to make sure that the dowry is actually given to you (not in just agreeing "hey, tell the judge you already receive the money" thing)....and always be mindful about the many cultural, and geographical consequences....

Sweetjam Member

2POSTS

11 years ago

#23

THank you for the great lesson..!
appreciated well..

Abuwaqqas Member

17POSTS

11 years ago

#24

What do you mean by 'FY'. Is it Fuck You,or what?!

live.ali Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

#25

Abuwaqqas wrote:
What do you mean by 'FY'. Is it Fuck You,or what?!

It is FYI (for your information).

Trapezius ViP

1309POSTS

11 years ago

#26

ctaylor74 wrote:
You seem very knowledgeable about Saudi law.聽 Can you tell me if it is possible for a Saudi man (living in Saudi Arabia) to marry an American woman (living in the US) and either the woman moves to Saudi or the man moves to the US?聽 Can the woman comes to Saudi to marry him under Saudi law?聽 Or does he have to move out of the country to somewhere with less strict laws (like UAE)?聽 Both of us are NOT Muslim.

Thank you!
CAT

How is it possible that a Saudi is not Muslim?聽 He can believe what he wants, but in the eyes of the government and his family, he will always be Muslim.聽 Any expression to the country could lead to imprisonment, or worse!聽聽 Tell him to keep his beliefs to himself since he is still living in his country, for his own safety!

Abuwaqqas Member

17POSTS

11 years ago

#27

Thank you Ali, but 'FYI' stands for聽 'For Your Information' and we use it frequently at our work. But not 'FY'!

I want stigandre-norway answers me, please.

live.ali Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

#28

Abuwaqqas wrote:
Thank you Ali, but 'FYI' stands for聽 'For Your Information' and we use it frequently at our work. But not 'FY'!

I want stigandre-norway answers me, please.

If you look closely. it is F Y I

Abuwaqqas Member

17POSTS

11 years ago

#29

Oh, thank you Ali. Yes, you are right! It looks the resolution of my screen is not good enough to distinguish the "I" from the "!".

Popolocroix Serial expat

423POSTS

11 years ago

#30

Abuwaqqas wrote:
Oh, thank you Ali. Yes, you are right! It looks the resolution of my screen is not good enough to distinguish the "I" from the "!".

聽 or maybe, you needed eye glasses....聽

stigandre-norway Member

12POSTS

11 years ago

#31

for your information(FYI)

ctaylor74 New member

6POSTS

11 years ago

#32

OK, fine he is Muslim in the eyes of his country.聽 So, does that mean I have to be Muslim too in order for Saudi government to allow us to marry?

Trapezius ViP

1309POSTS

11 years ago

#33

No, you don't have to be Muslim, but he does need permission from the government to marry a non-Saudi woman (even if she is Muslim), and from what I know, permission is not given to those under 30 years of age.聽 It might even be 35, but don't quote me on that.聽 See the link posted by tansari, it is from the blog of a Western woman who married a Saudi, and documents her trials and tribulations she encountered in the process.

Of course, you might say, well what if you get married outside SA.聽 I don't know what the consequences of that are if you do plan on coming to Saudi once you are married.聽 That puts the government in a tough situation and is akin to twisting their arm, and they don't like that.聽 You would still have to go through some terrible amount of paperwork, bureaucracy, and condemnation if you were to take that route.

If you want to get married in the US, you should look up the State Department's website regarding that.聽 I believe he will have to apply for a fiance visa to the US, and after getting married, he would have to apply to legally live there as your spouse and become a permanent resident.聽 That can take 2-3 years too, but unlike in Saudi, it is just waiting time, no bullshit.

Ehtesham ViP

1296POSTS

11 years ago

#34

ctaylor74 wrote:
OK, fine he is Muslim in the eyes of his country.聽 So, does that mean I have to be Muslim too in order for Saudi government to allow us to marry?

To get a clear picture on Govt control over marriage, pls go through the below article published yesterday

Rules for Saudi men marrying foreign women made tougher
saudigazette. com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140805213657

1 member reacted to this post

ctaylor74 New member

6POSTS

11 years ago

#35

Thank you for the information.聽 I have read that men under 35 have to have their parents' permission as well.聽 We really do not plan to live in Saudi but that is where he is and if he has to stay there, I am willing to move there...if I can.聽 We have also discussed the UAE since he is able to travel there easily without a Visa.聽 I never realized how strict marriage laws are outside the US.聽 They are very lenient but at least we can marry whomever we want!

Trapezius ViP

1309POSTS

11 years ago

#36

Well, is he over 35?聽 If not, and assuming that's the cutoff set by the SA government, you can't get married in SA (unless he or someone he knows has some serious connections to the top).

Oh, and another thing you should know is that hardly any Saudis choose to live outside the country, especially in the West.聽 The main reason for this is family (parents, siblings, extended family).聽 So, that's something you should consider as well.聽 Even if he says he wants to live outside, chances are high that he will receive the dreaded 'call' one day, ~~requesting~~ ordering him to return.

sara_sa Member

22POSTS

11 years ago

#37

One of my friend's sister got married to an Austrian guy,about 10 years ago.The guy came from Vienna to marry her in Saudia.The guy was a Muslim too.I remember my friend telling me that the boy faced some problems in marriage and he had to prove that he was a Muslim.Anyway,I think marriages between two different nationalities should be possible in Saudia.You should check with your embassy.

kenjie0917 Member

1POSTS

10 years ago

#38

can this be apply to Filipino and Indian nationality..? the Philippine embassy will marry them too..? whats the process and the requirements..?聽 Thank you