Since 26 February 2023, a marriage can't be registered by the ma'zoun or in church without the premarital medical certificate. The step is simple if you start early, and this order saves you running around in the last week.
Where is the exam done?
- Only at primary care units and centres approved by the Ministry of Health, not at private labs.
- It doesn't have to be the unit for the address on your ID. You can go to the nearest approved unit.
- Find the nearest one on the hotline 15335, or on the website of the «100 مليون صحة» ("100 Million Healthy Lives") initiative.
The papers you need
- A valid national ID card for each of you.
- A recent personal photo of each of you, which goes on the certificate.
- If either of you isn't Egyptian, or is an Egyptian living abroad: a valid passport and proof of residence.
In 2023, units also asked for a copy of the other partner's ID, so take one with you just in case.
The steps
- Go to the unit early: the Ministry advises starting at least 14 days before the date of the contract.
- The tests and the check-up: blood tests and an examination, with a counselling session.
- Collect the certificate: results come out within 14 days of the tests at most, and the certificate is collected from the health offices.
- Take it to the ma'zoun or the church: the certificate is electronic and carries a QR code that protects it from forgery. Forging one, or using a forged one, is a crime punishable by prison.
When should you start?
The certificate is valid for 6 months from the day of the tests, and the result can take two weeks. So the right window is anywhere from 6 months to two weeks before the katb el-ketab. A month before is the most comfortable.
If one of you lives abroad, they can do the tests in Egypt within the 6 months before the katb el-ketab, as long as it's at least 14 days before.
The wedding plan adds a "Do the medical exam" task a month before the katb el-ketab, and you can move it.
The fee
Published figures differ. When the exam became compulsory in February 2023, it cost EGP 220 a person: EGP 180 for the tests and EGP 40 for the certificate. A report in August 2026 said the tests and certificate now cost EGP 450. Ask the unit about the fee before you go.
Your privacy
The exam is a step in your papers, and its results belong to you alone. Zaghrouta never asks about any result and never stores one. In the katb el-ketab station, the exam is one item on the papers checklist, and your ticks stay on your phone only. The rest of the papers are in the katb el-ketab papers guide.