Information last reviewed November 2026. Addresses and hours are taken from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website and published announcements and may change, so check the MFA site before you go.

If you are looking for the address of a Foreign Ministry legalisation office, or the hours of the Merryland or Ahmed Orabi offices, you probably have a document that needs the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp before an embassy, university or employer abroad will accept it. This practical guide covers what you need before you go: what MFA legalisation is, which documents usually need it, the usual order of prior approvals, where authentication offices are in Cairo and Giza, and what to bring.

To be clear from the start: Galenus Certified Translation is a private translation office, not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not a government office. We provide certified translation, and we can follow up the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp as an optional add-on, as explained at the end of this article.

What is Egyptian Foreign Ministry legalisation?

Foreign Ministry legalisation (also called MFA authentication or consular legalisation) is a stamp that MFA authentication offices place on the original paper document. It confirms that the seal and signature on the document belong to the Egyptian authority named on it. The stamp does not review or approve the content of the document. It is one step in a chain of approvals that starts with the issuing body and may end with the embassy of the country where you will use the document.

For a wider walkthrough of the legalisation steps and the MFA rule on translating documents, see our full guide to Egyptian MOFA certificate authentication.

Which documents usually need the Foreign Ministry stamp?

The receiving body abroad decides what it requires. Documents that commonly need the MFA stamp include:

Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, and family registration records.
University degrees, transcripts and school certificates.
Criminal-record certificates (fish / police clearance).
Powers of attorney, declarations, and lease or sale contracts.
Experience certificates.
Commercial documents such as the commercial register and company contracts.
Court judgments and other court-issued documents.

The usual order of approvals before the MFA stamp

The most common reason an authentication office returns a document is that a required prior approval is missing. On its page about dealing with authentication offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the prior approval for each document type, including:

Birth, death, marriage, divorce, and family or individual registration records: Civil Registry (Abbasiya, Giza near Cairo Mall, or other offices named by the ministry), or the approved civil registry office in the governorate.
Electronic criminal-record certificate: no prior approval required.
Paper criminal-record certificate: General Administration of Criminal Evidence.
Powers of attorney, declarations, lease and sale contracts, and experience certificates (non-government): the local Notary Public (Shahr Al-Akari) office, then the Secretary-General of the Notary Public.
Judgments, inheritance notifications and prosecution documents: Ministry of Justice authentication.

Educational certificates have their own approvals depending on the school or university. Details are in our Arabic guide on authenticating a graduation certificate with the Foreign Ministry (linked from the Arabic version of this topic).

Typical sequence in most cases

Obtain the original document from the issuing authority.
Complete the prior approval required for that document type.
Get the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp at an MFA authentication office.
Have the document translated by a certified translator, including every stamp on it.
Get the receiving country’s embassy stamp if that embassy requires it.

Some receiving bodies ask for a different order, or for the MFA stamp on the translation itself. The ministry publishes a specific rule for that case, so confirm with the receiving body before you start.

Addresses of Foreign Ministry legalisation offices in Cairo and Giza

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the list of authentication offices on its website. Offices include:

Cairo

Merryland office: Merryland Park wall, Heliopolis.
Armed Forces office: Hesham Barakat Square, Nasr City.
Investment office: Salah Salem Street, Investment Authority building.
Al-Torgoman office: Al-Torgoman Group, Cairo Land Port.

Giza

Ahmed Orabi office: 96 Ahmed Orabi Street, Mohandessin.
Giza Chamber office: Chamber of Commerce building, Giza Square.
6th of October office: 7th District, October 6 University.

In a June 2026 announcement the ministry also mentioned other offices, including ones at Ain Shams University, Cairo University, the Isis building in Garden City and the New Administrative Capital, as well as offices in the governorates. Exact street addresses for those extra offices were not listed in the same detail as the Cairo and Giza offices above, so check the MFA site before you travel.

Opening hours of Foreign Ministry legalisation offices

From 14 June 2026 the ministry extended hours at offices including Ahmed Orabi, Merryland and 6th of October to 9:00–19:00 Sunday to Thursday, and 10:00–13:00 on Saturday. Other offices generally work morning hours Sunday to Thursday; their hours are listed in the MFA authentication-offices table.

Hours change from time to time, and the ministry’s own page may lag behind a later announcement, so call or check the official site before you go. A practical note from an MFA official: queues grow in summer from late June to late September, so go outside that period or arrive early if you can.

Legalisation without visiting the office in person

By post: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a protocol with Egypt Post. You can submit the document at a nearby post office; it is reviewed, sent to an authentication office, then returned to you after the stamp.
Through a translation office that handles the stamp: if you also need certified translation, a certified translation office such as Galenus can follow up the Foreign Ministry stamp for you once the document already carries every prior approval.

What to bring to the authentication office

The original paper document: the stamp goes on the original; a photo or scan is not enough.
Completed prior approvals: check the list above before you leave home.
National ID and a copy, in case they ask for it.
A clear note of what the receiving body wants: MFA stamp on the original only, or on the translation as well? Embassy stamp afterwards?

Tips that save time

Do not translate the document before all stamps are complete unless the receiving body asks you to, so the translation can include the MFA stamp.
Make sure seals and signatures on the document are clear; the authentication office checks those specifically.
If the document was issued outside Egypt, the ministry requires it to be legalised first by the Egyptian mission in the issuing country or by that country’s embassy in Egypt.
Egypt is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so do not look for an Apostille stamp on an Egyptian document. See our guide on Apostille in Egypt (Arabic) for the background.

How Galenus helps with translation and the Foreign Ministry stamp

Galenus For Certified Translation & Businessmen Services has operated since 2014. We provide certified translation to and from more than 120 languages, including embassy-certified translation.

Certified translation online or from the office: send a clear photo or scan of the document with all its stamps, and receive the stamped paper translation by courier or pick it up from our Dokki office.
Foreign Ministry stamp as an optional add-on: we follow up the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp only. The add-on does not include earlier approvals (such as education, Notary Public or Civil Registry) and does not include embassy stamps.
Requirements check before we start: we review with you what the receiving body asks for, so you are less likely to need a re-translation.

We serve clients in Egypt in person from our Dokki office, and clients in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar online.

Message us on WhatsApp: wa.me/201101001427 — send a photo of the document, the receiving body’s name, and the language you need.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Merryland Foreign Ministry legalisation office?

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, the Merryland authentication office is at the Merryland Park wall in Heliopolis, Cairo.

What are the opening hours of Foreign Ministry legalisation offices?

In June 2026 the ministry announced that the Ahmed Orabi, Merryland and 6th of October offices work 9:00–19:00 Sunday to Thursday and 10:00–13:00 on Saturday. Other offices have different hours, so check the MFA site before you go.

Is Galenus a Foreign Ministry legalisation office?

No. Galenus is a private certified translation office, not a government body. We provide certified translation and can follow up the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp as an optional add-on.

Does Galenus’s add-on include education, Notary Public or embassy stamps?

No. The add-on covers only the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stamp. The document must already carry any prior approvals required for its type. Embassy legalisation is a separate step and is not included.

Should I translate the document before or after the Foreign Ministry stamp?

In most cases the original is stamped first, then translated with all stamps. If the receiving body asks for the MFA stamp on the translation itself, the ministry publishes a specific rule — ask the receiving body first.

Can I send my document online from Saudi Arabia or the UAE?

You can send a photo or scan so we can start the certified translation, and we deliver the stamped paper translation by courier or office pickup. The Foreign Ministry stamp itself goes on the original paper document, so message us on WhatsApp and we will explain the steps for your case.

Galenus For Certified Translation & Businessmen Services
Address: 1 Mohie El Din Abou El Ezz St., above Kunooz Cafe, Dokki, Giza
Phone / WhatsApp: +201101001427 | Email: info@galenus-translation.com
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 17:00 Cairo time. Friday and Saturday closed.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry Legalisation Office: Locations, Hours and What to Bring