Please read the following instructions carefully before you fill in the application
STEPS OF RENEWING A “MARRIAGE PERMIT” THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED BY THE
FORMER GENERAL CLERICAL COUNCIL IN CAIRO OR BY A DIOCESAN COUNCIL

• If an applicant wishes to renew a Marriage Permit that had been issued by the former
  General Clerical Council in Cairo prior to July 1, 2015, or by a Diocesan Clerical Council,
  the applicant must send the following documents by regular mail to the Clerical Council
  for Family Affairs – Americas District (CCFFAA) whose address is posted on
  www.ccffaa.org:
  1. A scanned copy of the original Marriage Permit that is usually marked as being
     valid for one year from the issuance date.
  2. A recent Church Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (CCNIM) issued by the
     applicant’s Father Confessor. The CCNIM must be less than one month old at the
     time it is mailed to the CCFFAA, signed by the Father Confessor and sealed by
     the official stamp of his parish. If the Father Confessor deems appropriate, he
     may use the recommended CCNIM form that can be downloaded from the
     “FORMS” section of the CCFFAA website (www.ccffaa.org).
  3. A completed “Expired Marriage Permit Renewal Application” form along with a
     cheque in the amount of US $50.00 paid to the order of “Coptic Orthodox
     Archdiocese of North America.” On the memo line, the applicant shall write
     “Expired permit renewal Fee”
• After the CCFFAA verifies the authenticity of items 1.a. and 1.b. above, it will send the
  applicant a Notification of Approval of Marriage Permit (Notification). This Notification
  does not expire nor does it serve as an official Ecclesiastical Marriage Permit (EMP).
• When the applicant intends to marry in the Coptic Orthodox Church, the applicant shall surrender the Notification to the Coptic Orthodox priest who will officiate the marriage at least one month prior to the date of the Crowning Ceremony.
• After the officiating priest affirms that the applicant has remained free of marriage
  impediments, he, the priest himself, shall request the applicant’s official Ecclesiastical
  Marriage Permit (EMP) from the CCFFAA.
• The Clerical Council shall send the Ecclesiastical Marriage Permit (EMP) to the officiating priest directly or to his diocese headquarters.
• The Ecclesiastical Marriage Permit (EMP), that replaces the old Marriage Permit will only be issued once to the officiating priest. The Clerical Council will NOT reissue another permit or a copy thereof until it thoroughly investigates and determines the reasons.

No person can remarry in the Coptic Orthodox Church unless the Officiating Priest of the Crowning Ceremony is in physical possession of the Ecclesiastical Marriage Permit (EMP)

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