Guides

Nikah Nama in English word format (Pakistan)

People search for a "Nikah Nama in English word format" because a visa file needs an English copy, and the Pakistani form is handwritten Urdu. A blank Word template gets you only halfway: you still have to translate the printed headings, write amounts in words and note what was struck out. Here is what a usable English version contains, and the quickest way to make one.

What the English version must contain

• Every column, in order. The Pakistani Nikah Nama issued under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 has 25 numbered columns, from the place of marriage (1) to the registration fee (25). A translation that skips columns looks incomplete, even when the original column is blank.
• The printed text and the handwritten entry. Each row needs the English of the printed question ("Whether the bride is a maiden, a widow or a divorcee") and the English of what was written in it ("Maiden").
• Notes for blanks and crossings. Registrars often strike out columns 18 and 19. The translation says so: [Struck out in the original]. Blank columns say [Left blank in the original].
• Amounts in figures and words. "Rs. 5,00,000/- (Rupees five hundred thousand only)", the way Pakistani documents write them.
• Signatures, thumb impressions and the seal. Written as notes: [Signed], [Thumb impression], [Seal of the Nikah Registrar].
• A translator's statement with name, date, signature and contact details, signed by whoever checked it against the original.

Make it in Word format in about 15 minutes

1. Open NikahDraft with your original Nikah Nama next to you.
2. Copy the registrar's details from the top of the form: union council, book number, page number, serial number.
3. Go column by column. For each, choose whether it is filled, blank, "Nil", struck out or partly illegible, then type the entry. Names go in the spelling used in the passport.
4. Check the preview on the right. It is the finished layout.
5. Press Word (.docx) for an editable file, or Print or save PDF.

The preview and the watermarked PDF are free. The editable Word file and the clean PDF cost $9 once.

Why not a blank template from the internet?

Most "English format" files found online are scans of someone else's translation, Bangladeshi kabinnama layouts, or Indian nikahnama formats with different columns. The Pakistani form has its own order: the vakil and witness columns (7 to 11), the dower columns (13 to 16) and the divorce-right columns (18 and 19) are where mismatched templates go wrong. Matching the column numbers to your own paper is what makes a caseworker's job easy.

Is the Word file a certified translation?

No. It becomes a translation someone vouches for when the person who checked it against the original signs the translator's statement. Which person your office accepts depends on the country. See the US guide and the UK guide.