Reply to becreative - Orfi marriage

Submitted by Isis (Australia), May 14, 2009 at 21:09

Becreative, there would have be a section on the Orfi paper tthat would list the amount of the dowry and it is usually 50 or 100 LE but this is rarely exchanged. It also mentions how you met, if either of you are already married (permissable for the man because he can have up to 4 wives but if the woman is already married or only separated she would be committing adultery which is punishable in an Egyptian court), your passport number, your date of birth, address and occupation amongst others. Obtain a photocpy of the paper and have it translated in your own country for your own security.

Under Orfi, if you divorce and this can be done by one partner informing the other that they no longer wish to continue with the relationship, the paper can be destroyed. If you end the relationship, thae paper states that you are supposed to give back the dowry that you never received. There are moves afoot in Egypt for changes to the Orfi paper in relation to property and child custody rights for the woman but I am sure that the well known confusing and frustrating Egyptian bureauracy will find some way for this change to slow down or disappear altogether. The Orfi paper is designed to satisfy the Islamic clerics because the Quran states that there cannot be sex outside of marriage and this is why so many Egyptian couples marry so quickly with very short engagements. The Orfi paper also gives Egyptian couples especially in Cairo, the opportunity to have a sexual relationship with only minor Islamic backlash.

The Orfi paper can also be registered in the Egyptian courts to give it more of a binding contract if so desired. However, outside of Egypt the Orfi paper is not generally recognised as a legal marriage certificate. The only legal marriage that is recognised out of Egypt between a foreign woman and an Egyptian man is the signing of a marriage papers at the Ministry of Justice in Cairo. This is a long, confusing and belittling process for a Western woman and is why this option is not usually taken up by foreigners. If you want to know more about this option, please let me know.

As for legal marriages for other countries - British citizens are able to marry an Egyptian man at their consulate in Cairo but the Australian Embassy does not perform marriages at any of its consulates. I;'m not sure abouat the protocol of the American Embassy in Cairo, but I do believe that make it difficult for an Egyptian man and an American woman to marry and discourage it.

So in reality, the Orfi paper is a contract between the parties and is showing that you are giving your man pemisssion to be with you in a relationship given that you are a foreign woman. It is illegal under Egyptian Islamic law for a foreign woman to be alone anywhere with an Egyptian man in Egypt. Correctly licensed and certified tour industry representatives are permitted to accompany foreign women in the streets without being hassled by the police but if you are in a relationship with an Egyptian man you will need some form of accepted "marriage" papaers ti avoid unwanted attention at some stage.

I hope that this helps you understand the concept of Orfi marriage.

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