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Post-wedding legalization

Legalizing Your Georgian Marriage Certificate for the UAE, Qatar and Beyond

The UAE, Qatar and several other countries do not accept an apostille. Your certificate goes through a legalization chain instead: two stages in Georgia, then the embassy of the destination country. We run the whole chain and prepare the Arabic translation.

Start the legalization See the chain

Last reviewed 21 October 2026 against the Public Service Development Agency rules and the UAE and Qatar embassies in Tbilisi.

Which countries

Apostille or legalization: check your country first

The apostille is a shortcut that works only between parties to the 1961 Apostille Convention. Every other country still requires the older legalization chain, and several of them are popular destinations for couples who marry in Georgia.

Legalization required

  • United Arab Emirates
  • Qatar
  • Kuwait
  • Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon
  • Iran

Not parties to the Apostille Convention, per the HCCH status table checked on 21 October 2026.

An apostille is enough

  • Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman
  • China, India and Israel
  • The EU, the UK and the USA
  • Turkey, Russia and Ukraine

For these countries see apostille on a Georgian marriage certificate.

The chain

How legalization works for a Georgian certificate

Each link confirms the one before it. The order cannot be changed, and a document legalized for one country can be used only in that country.

1
Stage 1 in Georgia

Public Service Development Agency

The agency that issued your certificate carries out the first stage of legalization at the Public Service Hall.

2
Stage 2 in Georgia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs checks the signature, the authority of the signatory and the seal. The agency handles this step through a single window, so it does not mean a second visit.

3
Destination country

Embassy or consulate

The embassy or consulate of the destination country then certifies the document. For the UAE and Qatar this happens at their embassies in Tbilisi. We translate the certificate and every stamp into Arabic or the language you need.

Country by country

What each embassy expects

The two Georgian stages are the same for every country. The last step differs, and these are the points we plan around.

United Arab Emirates

  • The certificate is first certified in Georgia, through the Public Service Hall and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • The UAE embassy in Tbilisi runs digital attestation: the application is filed online with UAE Pass
  • The original certificate is handed in at the embassy
  • The result is certified by the UAE embassy in Tbilisi and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Qatar

  • The certificate goes through the Georgian stages first
  • The Qatar embassy in Tbilisi then legalizes documents issued in Georgia
  • Documents that do not meet its requirements are refused, so we check the set before submission
  • Personal documents are handled for citizens and residents

Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran

  • The same two Georgian stages
  • Then the embassy or consulate of that country
  • Some are accredited to Georgia from a neighbouring country, which adds travel or courier time
  • We confirm where and how to submit before we start

Embassy procedures change. We confirm the current requirements with the embassy before every submission. The UAE embassy states that most digital attestation requests are completed within 2-3 business days; the other steps follow each authority's own term.

Good to know

Planning legalization for a Gulf or Middle East country

Start before the wedding

Legalization takes longer than an apostille because there are more links in the chain. If you live in the UAE, Qatar or Kuwait, tell us at the document audit stage. We then plan the registration date, the Georgian stages and the embassy step together, and you know before you book your return flight whether the set will be ready or will follow you by courier.

Arabic translation

Authorities in the Gulf usually work with documents in Arabic. We translate the certificate together with every legalization stamp into Arabic, keeping your names exactly as in your passports and residence documents. Some offices accept a translation made in Georgia, while others want it made by a translator licensed in their own country. Tell us which office will receive the certificate, and we will prepare the format it accepts.

One country, one legalization

A document legalized for the UAE cannot be used in Qatar, and the other way round. If you need the certificate in two non-Apostille countries, or in one Apostille country and one non-Apostille country, we prepare separate sets from the start, so that you do not have to come back to Georgia for a second round.

If you have already left Georgia

Most couples fly home before the chain is complete. We can carry the Georgian stages forward for you. For the embassy step, the requirements differ: the UAE application, for example, is filed online with UAE Pass, which you may need to do yourself while we deliver the original to the embassy. We tell you exactly who does what before you leave.

Names and dates

Gulf authorities compare the certificate with your passport and residence documents line by line. Our interpreter checks every name and date on the Georgian certificate at the registration, before any stamp goes on it. A mistake corrected on the day saves weeks later.

FAQ

Questions about legalizing a Georgian marriage certificate

No. The UAE is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so the certificate goes through legalization: the two Georgian stages at the Public Service Hall and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then attestation by the UAE embassy in Tbilisi.

Through digital attestation. After the Georgian stages, the application is filed online with UAE Pass and the original is handed in at the embassy. The result is certified by the UAE embassy in Tbilisi and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

No. Qatar is not a party to the Convention. The Qatar embassy in Tbilisi legalizes documents issued in Georgia after the Georgian stages, and it refuses documents that do not meet its requirements, so we check the set before submission.

They are parties to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille is enough. Saudi Arabia has applied the Convention since 7 December 2022.

Longer than an apostille, because each link has its own term. The UAE embassy states that most digital attestation requests are completed within 2-3 business days, and the Georgian stages and other embassies follow their own terms. Our translation is ready the same or the next day.

No. A legalized document can be used only in the country whose embassy certified it. If you need two countries, we prepare two sets from the start.

Usually yes. We translate the certificate and all stamps into Arabic. Some offices accept a translation made in Georgia and others require their own licensed translator, so we check with the receiving office first.

Yes, for the Georgian stages. For the embassy step it depends on the embassy: the UAE application, for example, is filed with UAE Pass. We tell you exactly what you need to do yourself before you leave.

Contact

Tell us your wedding date

Send your passports and your planned date. We reply with a document checklist and a timeline for your wedding.

WhatsApp

+995 501 113 200

Email

info@targmanebi.ge

Office

118 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi 0102, Georgia

Business hours

Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00
Sat 11:00-19:00