U.S. citizens wishing to contract marriage in Bahrain are required to submit a No Objection Affidavit for Marriage letter to the Ministry of Justice. Please make an appointment for a notarial service to have your Affidavit notarized and signed in front of a Consular Officer. These affidavits are available HERE. If the fiancée is not an American citizen, he or she should complete a similar document at their representative embassy. Additional documents that may be required for marriage include passports, no-objection letters from the couple’s sponsors, and evidence that any prior marriages have been legally dissolved.
U.S. Diplomatic and Consular Officers are not permitted to perform marriages (Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations 52.1). Marriages abroad are almost always performed by local (foreign) civil or religious officials. U.S. Consular Officers also cannot make any official certification about the status or eligibility to marry of persons residing in the United States who propose to be married abroad.
Marriages may be performed by the Ministry of Justice or by one of several Christian churches in Bahrain. Regardless of the marriage venue, persons who have been married in Bahrain should be certain to request an English translation of their marriage certificate, and have the original certificates authenticated by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For additional information on getting married in Bahrain, please contact the Bahrain Ministry of Justice. For information on churches in Bahrain please visit the websites below.