A Bahraini couple were left in a legal limbo after discovering, five years and two children later, that their religious marriage was never officially registered.

Lawyer Eman Al Ansari, representing the family, said her clients held a traditional ceremony in 2019 witnessed by relatives and an approved officiant. However, the officiant passed away before completing civil documentation with authorities.

The couple spent most of the following years abroad for the husband’s job in the US. In 2022, they had a daughter born stateside. Upon their return to Bahrain, they learned their union lacked official status.

In its ruling, the court affirmed the marriage fulfilled all religious requirements according to Ja’afari doctrine. It was also consummated through the birth of their children.

The judge therefore ordered the marriage be officially recorded through a registration certificate. This grants the family full legal recognition and secures the children’s parentage rights.