Guide
I need my nikah registered,
or a marriage certificate
A marriage in Pakistan is written down twice: first in the nikah nama, then in the record that the state keeps. The certificate other countries ask for comes from that record. This page shows what has to exist before it can be issued.
Where this applies This page covers a marriage performed in Pakistan. What the country you live in asks for, and in which form, is decided by that country.
What this is about
The nikah nama is the form filled in at the marriage and signed by the couple, the witnesses and the person who performed it. It is then registered with the local office. Only when that has happened can the state issue a marriage certificate, and only that certificate is what an embassy or a foreign office usually wants to see.
The common problem is a nikah that was performed but never registered, or a nikah nama that has been lost. Both can be put right, but not from abroad on your own.
What has to be in place
Three things have to be in place.
The nikah nama, or the details to trace it: the date, the place, and who performed it.
Identity documents for both spouses.
Someone in Pakistan to go to the office: the spouse who is there, or an advocate with a power of attorney.
Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.
The documents you will be asked for
The papers usually asked for.
- The original nikah nama, or a copy.
- Identity cards of both spouses.
- Witness details, if the nikah has to be traced or registered late.
How an advocate helps from where you are
What an advocate does.
- Finds the record, or gets a late registration done where the nikah was never entered.
- Obtains the certificate and gets it attested for use abroad.
- Tells you which certificate the country you live in will accept, and which it will not.
What to ask before you agree
- Have you done a late registration before, and where?
- Which certificate will the country I live in accept?
- Can you get it attested and sent to me?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
- What is your fee, and what is not included in it?
More in Ending a marriage
What should be written in the nikah namaEnding a marriage
We married abroad. Does it count in Pakistan?Ending a marriage
There is violence at home, and I need protectionEnding a marriage
Also relevant
Words you will meet
- nikah nama
- The form filled in and signed at the marriage.
- marriage certificate
- The certificate the state issues from the record. It is what other countries usually ask for.
- registration
- Entering the nikah in the record kept by the local office.
Written
11 September 2026
Pakistan.