I feel so sad and confused Please help

Hi Bon15,

Please note that i have created a new thread from your post on Cairo forum so as members may help you and for a better interaction.

Thank you

Stéphanie

You've made your bed, now lie in it. You're married to him. Get used to it.

Bon15 wrote:

I have done something totally out of character which I now regret greatly. I agreed to sign a marriage contract which has our photos on the top. My "husband" said he needed me to agree to this contract as he could not stay with me ( and I do not even mean sexually) so I agreed. It was done in the solicitors office with witnesses and we had to recite words declaring our marriage to friends and family. My husband said it was not an orfi as he is a good Muslim and could not do that. He said this is the first stage of paperwork needed to take to Cairo where it can be finalised. Sadly he started treating me differently ,we recently argued and he disappeared back to Cairo and won't speak to me.
Now I need to know how official this contract is and whether it will cause problems for me in the future if I return to egypt. How legal is this contract?
I feel so sad and confused. Please help?

my strong advice is to do not continue with this marriage, i dont know details about how you made this papers but try to do not move to egypt for him. hope someone who can get your details can help you......

Bon15 wrote:

I have done something totally out of character which I now regret greatly. I agreed to sign a marriage contract which has our photos on the top. My "husband" said he needed me to agree to this contract as he could not stay with me ( and I do not even mean sexually) so I agreed. It was done in the solicitors office with witnesses and we had to recite words declaring our marriage to friends and family. My husband said it was not an orfi as he is a good Muslim and could not do that. He said this is the first stage of paperwork needed to take to Cairo where it can be finalised. Sadly he started treating me differently ,we recently argued and he disappeared back to Cairo and won't speak to me.
Now I need to know how official this contract is and whether it will cause problems for me in the future if I return to egypt. How legal is this contract?
I feel so sad and confused. Please help?

I have no idea what do you expect from an online blog/forum? Your problem is more serious than to be discussed via wires with strangers. If you are REALLY looking for a legal advice you should contact an attorney.

Dear Bon,
What's done is done, stop feeling sad because we all do mistakes, and maybe this will not
Really turn on to be a big mistake as you imagine. You are legally married, but as a foreigner your husband can't really enforce anything on you due to the fact that you have a foreign nationality that will protect you from any legal action taken by him such as (restraining you from leaving the country without his permission) which is very unlikely to be administered in your case  .   You have the right to ask for a divorce as well, this procedure may take a year or less, where you will be asked to turn back any possessions you have claimed from him such as a dowry or equivalent which is most probably not applicable in your case.

I do not believe that any foreigners marriage can take place anywhere other than the Ministry of Justice in Cairo. This is the only place another nationality can marry an Egyptian therefore if yours wasn't done there I suspect that this marriage is an Orfi even if done in a solcitor's office.

I feel so sorry for you my dear. I have no idea about marriage contracts here between foreigners and Egyptians, I have refused to get involved with a man here as I know there are too many complications and you never know what is around the corner or what to expect.
I hope someone with some knowledge on this will reply to you. Unless you have a valid reason to stay here, i would think it is better to go and let him sort out his own mess ! Sorry i cannot advise you more dear.

Tracy

Dear Bon,
You shouldn't worry too much coz what you mentioned here as......marriage papers has nothing to do with the Legal ones, which is never happening in a solicitor Office but at the Ministry of Justice - in Lazoghly, Cairo.
Anything else is ourfi and fortunately for you, has no value and is not recognized anywhere.
Personal advise.....just take care of your life, go back to your country, forget about this man and no worries for divorce, coz what you have done, has no Legal value.

Hello,

I read ur post and aome replies..

First if u had witnesses and family of u both and friends attended this marriage os ita not orfi..

Second some people do marry outside egypt 1st then come back with papers here to finalize stuff because the proceedures will be easier and shorter as i knew from some friends married foreigners .

Dont be afraid too much about it and check it... a contract with photos or not i must show it to a lawyer to see if it fake or real?

Finally about treating u bad in so sorry for that but i hope u can make sure he really loves u or this marriage is all about benefits, and about coming here, if this marriage is real he could have the right to stop u from travelling as he is ur hubby but im not sure if he can do this with foreigner or no....

hi Bon15
hard to hear all what happened to you by irresponsible person, don't feel bad and learn the lesson , and believe that a lot of us want to help you but tell us what you need particularly, are you want to divorce or still you want him back .

Hi Judge 85 the "hubby" cannot stop her from travelling so she is safe to go to Egypt. She should contact her embassy and revoke his visa application and give them the reasons why and if she takes any papers to them they can advise wether  or not the marriage is legal.

If u have that contract i can help u knowing wether its real or fake

If you're living here in Egypt and have this documents,  you can send me msg here i can put you in contact with some smart attorney he can speak little English and you can meet up together if you prefer i can come with you ,
Rgds,
Diddi

See a solicitor but.......and I doubt this has changed.......the only marriage legally recognised by the Egyptian government and a foreign national is that which has taken place at the Ministry of Justice in Cairo. Contact your Embassy immediately for more advice though.

For others......never sign anything without an official translation!!!! If in doubt check with solicitor or consulate.

Hope it works out.

hey, how are you? did you solve your problem? Hope you are doing well there?

Its unfinished, I agree with other posters, if its not done at the ministry its not official... they can hold this "contract" for years... its nothing. This is how they do the orfi marriage. Now u have a taste of what hes like. If you don't like this treatment, believe me, it wont get better. Don't finalize this. its not official, anyone can go pay a lawyer to draft this paper. Its not how its done officially. this paper is made to keep the police off your back to live together. Thats it. It can be ripped up no problem. Thats my opinion. I agree contact your embassy.

Thankfully when he lied to you he gave you the full set.

All you need to do is rip up your copy and the "marriage" is void. (You did keep your copy????)

It IS an ORFI and is useless anywhere.

My guess is that if you do come back to Egypt he will try to control you and tell you that it's a binding contract - ignore him and move on with your life.

Learn and move on please.  Don't make the same mistake again.

As far as my own experience goes, you are NOT legally married, as it was an orfi marriage ceremony. In which case he has no legal hold over you whatsoever.  You don't say what nationality you are or where your home is.......Where did you have this marriage ceremony? Legal marriages are usually (always?) conducted in Cairo.
I hope this helps you: try not to feel sad - if he has changed towards you he is not fit to be your husband. Keep away from him. I was abused in this way 2 years ago buy a younger man who swore he loved me. We had an orfi 'marriage' (known locally as a f**k paper) but it turned out it was my money he loved, not me.

PS  - My orfi marriage also required 2 witnesses and to our agreeing, in Arabic (I didnt understand a word!!) that we are married under Allah.
It all meant nothing - it is not legally valid. Only marriage at the Ministry of Justice in Cairo is legally binding. You may have noticed that the solicitor gave your 'Husband' 2 pieces of paper stating that you are married, and you are supposed to each have your own copy. The man I 'married' never gave me my paper but I don't worry because it means nothing in law. Just get clear of him ASAP and wait for the man who deserves you.

It is a legal document that can cause you a problem unless you find legal assistance from a lowyer .
Do not leave loose ends that can back fire on you .

well , i don't know about the troubles , or how long you didn't communicate with him ... if it is long time , or short .....


but , life is always ups and downs ... and all partners nag , and have some problems , through life  ( regardless the nationalities ) ......... so , if the one escape , and think about breaking marriage , with the first problem , there will be no stable family ........ misunderstanding doesn't mean a fight or war , or to think about divorce

why don't you think about trying to contact with him and negotiate about the problem ........ may be it can be solved .....  may be it is simple , and communication solve it 

i hope that problems be solved very soon

Your message lacks in details which can assist. Like under which law,jurisdiction and Country did you sign the contract? Second was the marriage consummated that is did you guys sleep together and have sex? Three can you prove fraud? Because any marriage entered into fraudulently is null and void upon proof or discovery of the fraud in some jurisdictions.

You can anul the marriage under the law in which you penned the contract. You need to put yourself together and go to work. Why are you looking for him when he is not obviously your husband.

Please note that it's important that you did not play part in encouraging the contract or influenced it for you to succeed.

Please listen to Jannareid - I am sure she is correct. Please tell me again WHERE (which town/city) the marriage took place.

I am sorry - I meant to say Jannahreid.She makes a very sensible - and I believe correct, assessment. It was wither an orfi marriage or it was a legal marriage - there is nothing in-between. Having witnesses there means nothing, but WHERE it took place does.

It is an orfi marriage. To be legally married here you must take permission from YOUR embassy and the marriage must be registered with the authority in Cairo.
If he has made you sign a marriage contract that is in Arabic only YOU can put him in jail! He has broken the law if it is not in English and Arabic.
Rip the paper in pieces and forget about it.
If you have a lawyer wanting to charge you 1,000's of LE to check this paper then that means he wants to cheat you.
This marriage contract only makes it 'legal' under Islamic law for you to live together.

Don't worry

Wow so much bad information!!!! 1st off to legally marry you need permission from your embassy you have to go there get the permission then take that completed and stamped paper work to the ministry of Justice  where they will finger print you and legally marry you then that paper has to then be translated and filed with your embassy . so unless you have done all of that then its just an orphie marraige .  move on with your life good luck!  And as for the ones posting rude comments shame on you ! This is why I hate this country bunch of liars and cheats only time they are nice is when there is something they can gain from you like money or a visa! Girls you got to learn !

Exactly !

This is just half of the truth..Orfi marrage is recognized infront of courts,Children under this marrigae are getting same rights from father as well as civil marriage...its important to give clear advice not to cause a real problem for whoever ask for advice!....better spend money for a legal assistance than wake up one day with a legal problem.
You need a paper from your embassy to certify your orfi marrage if you can not provide a proof that you was divorced in case of a previous marriage .

European nationals are not bound in any way by an orfi as it is not recognised as valid in Europe.

The Embassy of the foreigner's country must be involved to make it an actual marriage.

Lisaann is 100 percent correct. You do have to have fingerprint on certificate you also Have to have blood test.  You must produce original paper work eg birth certificate previous edit marriage and divorce papers from your country of origin All this paper work has and must be certified by both your country and the Egyptian Consulate. They have to be stamped by the Justice department and copied. I am married to a Egyptian man and it took three days of running around getting all paper work validated.   I doubt very much if you are legally married.  So, leave while your ahead. If you would like to contact me please do so vial personal message. Iam genuinely happy to af use in any way I can
Unfortunately there are many people who offer assistance but unless they have been through the ropes themselves they really do not understand the formalities one must endure if they are expat  embarking on marriage or business. Legal certificates of any kind are not easy for expats to obtain here in Egypt

Hi there..

Note: in Orfi they don't use pictures, just a paper written by a regular person with ink

If you have a marriage certificate with both pictures(you&him) so it's a real marriage

Best way is to talk to him - separate peacefully

Pictures make no difference, unless the marriage is officiated by the embassy of the foreign national then the marriage is bogus.  This is agreed by the Egyptian authorities due to the number of scam artists who marry foreigners.  Just saying.

no marriage contract between an American and an Egyptian is legal unless you register it at the American embassy and befor hand got their permission to marry......case closed.........he is playing with you to try and get the green card RUN   forget about him

Happy some one else out here knows what they are talking about .

Well said - most here are more scam artists tring to make money out of foreigners - !!!!!

Why isn't the initiator of this topic replying first of all, despite lots keep replying and helping?
If only we could have just as much help, replies, info and initiative in other topics regarding Cairo forum?

Just a thought

Maybe she found answers elsewhere and now wants to forget it, so talking about it on here won't help in that process. Or she got back together with him somehow (won't be surprised - oddly enough it does actually happen!).

Yes, but a thanks and a nod to "it's all sorted" would be fine too. Again pointing to my opinion above. Free flowing communication, is what expats learn a lot from. Totally off topic here, but not entirely irrelevant.