Getting married in Europe isn’t as easy as it seems, since before starting to organize everything, you will have to take into account many factors and know all the papers and legal requirements you have to fill in. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Grece, Ireland are many couple’s favorite wedding destination to say “Yes, I do”. Thus, if you have also chosen one of these destinations to celebrate your wedding and have an unforgettable day, the first thing you need to do is choose if it will be a legal or symbolic wedding, and we will inform you about all the necessary documents.
Administrative processes and paperwork
Will our marriage be legally recognized if we get married abroad? This is one of the couples’ most commonly asked questions when they decide to have a destination wedding. And the answer is ‘yes’. It is true that, perhaps, it will require a little more paperwork and organization than if you decide to marry in your country, but with a call to the consulate or embassy of the country concerned, you will be able to answer your doubts. Here is a small guide to the most demanded countries for a wedding in Europe and how to get married legally in these places.
How to legally get married in Portugal
Portugal offers a great variety of possibilities to design the wedding of your dreams for two main reasons: you can have a legal wedding in the place you want without having it to be held in the embassy and the officiant will move to the place where the legal wedding takes place.
In order to get married legally in Portugal, it is necessary to present several documents such as the Passport or ID, birth certificate and certificate of matrimonial capacity. All these documents must be presented in Portuguese, so a specialized translator is needed. In addition, you should also note that the required documents may be modified depending on the area of Portugal where you are going to get married.
How to legally get married in Spain
Spain is a country full of joy, landscapes, paradisiacal beaches and spectacular spaces ideal to celebrate a wedding. For this reason, foreigners who decide to marry legally in Spain must present a series of documents such as a birth certificate and a marriage certificate.
It is very important to know that documents that are not multilingual must be legalized with the Apostille of The Hague or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Diplomatic Representation in that country. These documents must be translated into Spanish by a translator recognised by the Ministry.
On the other hand, if you want to celebrate a religious wedding in Spain, you will request the marriage file by providing the following documents: Baptismal certificates, family book of your parents and a pre-marriage course. As we have commented before, these procedures can take months and the documentation to contribute often depends on many factors like the couple’s nationality or the Church in which they are going to marry.
How to legally get married in Italy
Civil ceremonies in Italy are juridically recognized in most of the other countries in the world. Some documents you will have to present for it if you don’t live in Italy are: valid passports, birth certificates and the Nulla Osta, a certificate of unimpeded access issued by the local authorities in your country of origin.
Legal wedding in England
If you are a UK resident, whether you are marrying a foreigner or not, you must be at least 16 years old to get married. However, if you are under 18, you must get approval from your parents or legal guardian. These conditions, for example, do not apply in Scotland. Once in the UK, you and your partner must give a 28 days’ notice at a certain registered office to marry legally. The process varies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
As for the rest, in order to marry a non-UK partner in England, you must apply for a marriage visitor visa. The earliest that can be applied for is three months before your trip and the approval process will take a maximum of three weeks. Once your visa has been approved, you can visit and stay in the UK for six months during which you can get married.
Has our little guide on how to legally get married in Europe helped you? If you need help with the preparations for your big day, don’t hesitate to write to us at info@perfectvenue.eu. We’ll be happy to help you!
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Photo1: Cotton Blue , Photo2: Hugo Coelho Fotografia , Photo3: Doncel y Alcoba , Photo4: Chris Singer , Phot5: Julie Livingston Photography