Does a Qatari need approval to marry a non-Qatari?

Law No. 21 of 1989 requires the Minister of Interior's approval after review by a committee at the Ministry, and bars some groups from marrying foreigners other than GCC nationals. The SJC asks for this approval when it documents a marriage to a foreign woman who is not a GCC national.

How do I attest a marriage certificate issued outside Qatar?

It is attested in the issuing country, then by the Qatari mission there, then by MOFA in Qatar. To record it with Qatar's family authorities, the SJC offers the "Marriage Contract Attestation Certificate" service.

Can a marriage be concluded through an agent?

Yes, through a special power of attorney attested by the competent authority (Article 19). If the agent goes beyond the power, the contract binds the person only if they, or their guardian, approve it.

What if we married without registering the marriage?

A marriage is normally proved by an official contract; as an exception, the judge may accept other evidence (Article 10). Ask about your situation before taking any step, especially if you have children.

A couple at a marriage registration counter as a clerk hands them the contract folder.

Divorce & custody9 min read

How do I register, get a copy of, or attest a marriage contract in Qatar?

Faysel Al-Mohannadi, lawyer, at Al Faisal Law Firm in Doha

Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on 18 October 2026

Short answer

Muslim marriages in Qatar are registered by authorised marriage officers through the Supreme Judiciary Council's Family Documentation Department, and you apply online. The Family Law requires offer and acceptance, capacity, a guardian and two witnesses (Articles 12 and 36). A Qatari marrying a foreigner needs the Interior Minister's approval. MOFA attests marriage contracts for use in Qatar and abroad.

Who registers a marriage contract in Qatar, and how do you apply?

In Qatar, a marriage is proved by an official contract drawn up under the law (Article 10 of the Family Law, issued by Law No. 22 of 2006). Muslim marriages are documented by marriage officers (ma'thoun) authorised by the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC), through its Family Documentation Department.

Situation	Who documents it	Official service
Two Muslim spouses	A ma'thoun and the SJC's Family Documentation Department	"Marriage Contract Request" on the family documentation portal, or "Request Marriage Contract" on Hukoomi
Two non-Muslim spouses	Issued through the Interfaith Complex, then documented by the Ministry of Justice	"Authenticate Marriage Contract of Non-Muslims" on the Sak portal
Married outside Qatar	The SJC's Family Documentation Department	"Marriage Contract Attestation Certificate"

Sign in to the family documentation portal with your Tawtheeq account, book the date and choose a ma'thoun.
Enter the details of the groom, the bride, her guardian and two witnesses, and attach the documents.
The ma'thoun reviews the request and may ask for more documents.
Pay the contract fees online once he approves; his own fee is paid to him directly.
The contract is issued in two copies; you can ask for extra copies and a marriage card.

Hukoomi lists the online service for citizens, while the SJC's description does not limit it to them. Residents should ask the Family Documentation Department which channel applies.

What makes a marriage contract valid, and which documents do you need?

The Family Law requires capacity and no legal impediment, a valid offer and acceptance, and a qualified guardian and witnesses (Article 12).

Requirement	What the law says	Article
Offer and acceptance	Full consent, in words that mean marriage, taking effect at once, in one sitting	13
Capacity	Sanity and puberty. A marriage of a young man under 18 or a young woman under 16 (Hijri years) is documented only with the guardian's consent, both parties' consent and a judge's permission	1, 14, 17
Guardian (wali)	The father, the paternal grandfather, the son, the brother (full, then paternal), then the uncle (full, then paternal). He concludes the marriage with the woman's consent	26, 28
Two witnesses	Two sane, adult, Muslim men of good character who hear the offer and acceptance	36
Dower (mahr)	What the husband gives for the marriage; it may be paid at once or deferred, in whole or in part	37, 39
Medical check	A certificate from each party; each is told what the other's says	18

Document	When it is needed
ID card or passport of the spouses, guardian and witnesses	Always
Premarital medical certificate from an approved centre	Always
Divorce document	If the bride was divorced before
Death certificate	If the legal guardian or a former husband has died
Special, attested power of attorney	If an agent concludes the marriage (Article 19)
Ministry of Interior approval	For a marriage to a foreign woman who is not a GCC national

If the nearest guardian unreasonably refuses, or is absent and waiting would cost a real benefit, the judge may let the next guardian act (Article 29). The judge is the guardian of anyone who has none (Article 30).
The marriage officer may not refuse to document the marriage because of the medical results if both parties want to go ahead (Article 18).
A lawful condition written into the contract must be honoured; if it is broken, the party who set it may ask for the marriage to be dissolved (Article 53). On agents, see our guide to power of attorney risks.

What is different for residents and for marriages to non-Qataris?

The law that governs a marriage depends on the spouses' nationality and religion.

Muslim non-Qataris: the Family Law applies to followers of the Hanbali school; others follow their own rules unless they ask for the Family Law or differ in religion or school (Article 4). See our guide to divorce for residents of Qatar.
Non-Muslims: their own rules apply (Article 4). The contract goes to the Ministry of Justice with an Arabic translation, and the spouses need not attend.
The conditions of a valid marriage follow each spouse's national law at the time of marriage; if one spouse is Qatari, Qatari law alone applies, except for capacity (Civil Code, Article 13).
A Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim man, and a Muslim man may not marry a non-Muslim woman unless she is a kitabiyya, of the People of the Book (Family Law, Article 25).

A Qatari marrying a foreigner falls under Law No. 21 of 1989 on marriage to foreigners, as amended.

Issue	What the law says	Article
Approval	The Minister of Interior's approval, after review by a committee at the Ministry	2, 4, 8
Barred groups	Including ministers, diplomats, the armed forces and police, and students on scholarships abroad, except for marriage to GCC nationals	1
Conditions	Including social reasons, no disease that bars marriage, the husband's means to support a family, and the guardian's permission for a Qatari woman	2, 4
Exemption	A Qatari man's conditions do not apply if the bride is a GCC national, his first cousin, or born to a Qatari mother	3
Reply and grievance	No reply in three months counts as a refusal; a grievance goes to the Minister within 30 days, and his decision is final	9, 10

How do you get a copy of a marriage contract, or replace a lost one?

Copies and related certificates come from the Family Documentation Department, mostly online.

What you need	Official service
Extra copies of a new contract	Requested within "Marriage Contract Request"
A card proving the marriage	"Marriage Card Request", with the contract or on its own
Proof that the marriage still stands	"Marriage Continuity Certificate"
A certificate proving the marriage	"Marriage Proof Certificate", with a copy of the contract, or proof of it for foreign contracts
A certified copy of a non-Muslim contract	"Authenticate Replica of Marriage or Divorce Contract of Non-Muslims" (Ministry of Justice)

We found no official "lost marriage contract" replacement service, though the SJC publishes one for heirs certificates. If yours is lost, ask the Family Documentation Department, and keep any photo of it with its number and date.

How do you attest a foreign marriage certificate, or a Qatari one for use abroad?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Consular Affairs attests marriage contracts for use in Qatar and abroad. Its chain of live seals and signatures must end with a Qatari mission abroad or a foreign mission accredited to MOFA.

Have the certificate attested in the issuing country, including by its foreign ministry.
Have it attested by the Qatari embassy or mission there.
Submit it to MOFA in Qatar, online with Tawtheeq or at a service centre, in Arabic or English or with a certified translation. MOFA says this takes 3 to 4 working days.
If stamps are missing, MOFA's "Complete Attestation Outside Qatar" service sends it to the Qatari mission abroad.
To record the marriage with Qatar's family authorities, apply for the "Marriage Contract Attestation Certificate" with a copy of the contract.

For use abroad, the issuing Qatari body certifies true copies and MOFA attests them; then ask the other country's authorities what else they need.

What if the marriage was never registered, or the contract has an error?

A marriage is normally proved by an official contract; as an exception, the judge may accept other evidence (Article 10). So proving an unregistered or customary (urfi) marriage may need a court judgment; see our Family Court guide.

An irregular (fasid) marriage, lacking a condition, has no effect before consummation; after it, lineage (nasab) is established and a waiting period applies, with other effects (Article 51). A void (batil) marriage, lacking a pillar, has no effect (Article 52).
A Qatari's marriage to a foreigner in breach of Law No. 21 of 1989 is not recognised under that law and may not be documented (Article 7).
A marriage abroad takes its form from the law of the place of marriage, either spouse's nationality or their shared home, and its proof from the law that governed its form (Civil Code, Articles 14 and 15).
We found no published service for correcting a marriage contract. Contact the Family Documentation Department; a disputed correction may need a court decision.

When should you speak to a lawyer?

Much of this is administrative. Early legal advice can still help when:

Your marriage was never registered, or was customary, and you want to know where you and your children stand.
A Qatari married a foreigner without the required approval, or the application was refused.
A foreign certificate cannot complete attestation, or is not accepted in Qatar.
The contract has an error in the names, the dower or the conditions, and the spouses disagree on correcting it.
The guardian refuses or cannot be reached, or you want conditions in the contract that will hold.
You and your spouse differ in nationality or religion and want to know which law applies.

What the law says

This guide relies on Qatar's Family Law, issued by Law No. 22 of 2006, in particular Articles 1, 4, 10, 12 to 14, 17 to 19, 25, 26, 28 to 30, 36, 37, 39 and 51 to 53; Articles 13 to 15 of the Civil Code, issued by Law No. 22 of 2004; and Articles 1 to 4 and 7 to 10 of Law No. 21 of 1989 on the regulation of marriage to foreigners, as amended, most recently by Law No. 13 of 2015. The texts were read on Al Meezan on 19 October 2026, and we found no amendment to the Family Law articles cited.

Read on Al Meezan

Questions people ask

Yes. You apply to document the contract on the SJC's family documentation portal, and Hukoomi lists the service too. The contract comes in two copies, and you can ask for extra copies and a marriage card.