Couples with undocumented marriages urged to rectify situation before year end

AMMAN — The Chief Islamic Justice Department (CIJD) on Thursday said it will exempt couples with undocumented marriages from fines if they submit their marriage records before the end of this year.

The decision, issued on Thursday with the approval of the Council of Ministers, seeks to encourage marriage documentation and limit undocumented matrimony in the Kingdom.

The issue of undocumented marriage contracts has emerged with the migration of Syrian refugees to the Kingdom, Ashraf Omari, general inspector at the CIJD, told The Jordan Times over phone on Thursday. 

“Most of these nuptials occur in camps, where refugees don’t know that Jordanian law prohibits undocumented marriages,” Omari said, adding that these contracts often do not meet all legal conditions for marriage such as age.

The judge added that some refugees do not document their marriages due to insufficient legal papers, which they may have lost or left behind in their hometowns, while traditions followed by some Syrians do not recognise official marriage documentation.

In cases of pregnancy and delivery, women without documented marriage contracts cannot register their children through proper channels.

In previous remarks, Civil Status and Passports Department Director Marwan Qteishat said around 10,000 babies are born every year to Syrian refugees, but there are no exact official figures.

“Marriage documentation safeguards the rights of spouses and their children,” Omari said, adding that the exemption applies to all undocumented marriages before October 29.

He noted that the CIJD will document marriage contracts based on their “religious legitimacy”. 

The legal fine is over JD200 for each of the spouses and the witnesses who signed the contract, reaching up to a total of JD1,000 in each case, the official said.

In a bid to resolve the issue, the CIJD has set up a religious court at the Zaatari Refugee Camp to facilitate documentation procedures and educate refugees on the matter, Omari said.