Getting married abroad is a popular choice for couples, but legal entry, permission to marry, proper documentation, and obtaining a legal marriage certificate are important considerations. Birth certificates with an apostille and medical forms are often required, and a marriage license guarantee can save time and frustration. After the ceremony, an official copy of the marriage certificate must be obtained, and the marriage may need to be registered in the couple’s home country.
Everyone has a different idea of what makes the perfect wedding. For some couples, a dream wedding means getting married abroad. In some cases, couples choose to get married abroad because one of the wedding parties is a citizen of another country, while in other cases, they simply make the wedding a fairy tale affair by getting married in an exotic, foreign location. For whatever reason, the things to consider when getting married abroad are legal entry into the desired country, permission to marry, proper documentation, and obtaining a legal marriage certificate.
The first consideration when getting married abroad is that the parties can legally enter the country where the wedding will take place. For citizens of the destination country, entry is not a problem; however, if one or both parties to the marriage are foreign nationals, legal permission must be obtained to enter the country. In most cases, this requires a passport and, in some cases, a visa. If you are traveling as a US citizen, the US Department of State can provide information on entry requirements for foreign countries.
Legal permission to marry must also be obtained when planning to marry abroad. In some countries the legal requirements for getting married are simple, while in others it is very complicated for a foreign national. Some couples decide to conduct the ceremony abroad and then return home for a civil ceremony. This will make marriage legal in the country of origin when the requirements for a legal marriage abroad are too complex.
In many popular destinations for getting married abroad, it is relatively easy to find the requirements and applications for a marriage license via a simple internet search. There are also, often, a number of wedding planners or services that include a marriage license guarantee in their ceremony planning fee. In many cases, these services are relatively inexpensive and can save the couple an enormous amount of time and frustration, particularly if the wedding also includes guests arriving from overseas.
While requirements vary by country, in most cases, birth certificates for each party to the marriage must be presented with an apostille and medical form of some sort. It is important to understand that an apostille is not equivalent to a certified copy. An apostille is an internationally accepted legal mechanism for certifying a legal document from one country for use in another country. Within the United States, an apostille stamp can usually be secured through the state’s office of the secretary of state.
Once the marriage is over, the couple must obtain an official copy of the marriage certificate, or equivalent, from the appropriate office in the country where the marriage took place. While the couple may now be legally married in the country where the ceremony took place, they may not be in their home country. In many cases, a couple married abroad must then register the marriage in their home country in order to be able to legally marry there as well.
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