Guides

Nikah Nama translation in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi

Every big city in Pakistan has translators who do Nikah Nama translations. Whichever one you use, the same preparation makes the job faster and the result easier to check. This site does not recommend or rank translators.

What to take

• The Nikah Nama, or a clear attested copy from the union council if the original is faded.
• The NADRA marriage registration certificate, so the translator can match spellings.
• Both passports, or a note of the exact spellings of every name: bride, groom, both fathers, vakils, witnesses and the Nikah Registrar.
• What the visa office asks for: the US asks for a certification of competence and accuracy; the UK asks for the translator's details and date; Canada may ask for a sworn affidavit. See the guides.
• A typed draft. If you prepare the English in NikahDraft first, the translator checks and signs instead of deciphering handwriting, and you can compare their final version with yours.

What to check before you pay

1. All 25 columns are there, blank ones included.
2. Names match the passports letter for letter.
3. The dower in columns 13 to 16 matches the Urdu, in figures and in words.
4. Struck-out columns (often 18 and 19) say so, rather than "No".
5. The translator's name, signature, contact details and date are on the last page.

If you are abroad

Family in Pakistan can read the form to you on a video call while you type it into NikahDraft. You can then send the draft to a translator where you live, or to one in Pakistan, by email.