Urfi Marriage

An unregistered or undocumented marriage that may take place in certain Islamic countries, such as Egypt. Under this contract, a husband is not financially responsible for his wife.

Urfi marriages are increasingly popular among Egyptian youth, due to the high cost of marriage. As Egyptian society forbids sex before marriage, many young people view an urfi marriage as a way to legitimise their sexual relationship.

This type of marriage may take place without the public approval of the bride's guardians, even though the contract is officiated by a religious cleric and sometimes by a state representative. However, if conducted in secret without the consent of their families, a couple's urfi marriage is not sanctioned by Islam.

There are a number of requirements for an urfi marriage:

• It must take place before a Muslim cleric.
• There must be two witnesses.
• The couple must say "We got married" and pledge their commitment before God.
• A document must be written that the two are married and must be signed by the witnesses.

Under Egyptian Law, if a woman can produce proof of an urfi marriage in court, she can ask for a divorce without alimony or child support. However, if a husband hides or destroys the urfi marriage document, a woman can't prove she was married. This prevents her from getting a divorce or remarrying.