Wedding Quest: 10 stories about how to get married in different countries of the world
PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS FOR MARRIAGE WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGES RECOMMENDS A QUITE QUESTespecially if the wedding is planned in a third country. On the other hand, even Russian couples often choose wedding ceremonies in hot countries or on exotic islands, but marriage is registered at home. We asked the girls who were married in different countries, what difficulties they had to overcome and where to get married the easiest.
My husband and I are from St. Petersburg - he, unlike me, has been living in Israel since the age of fifteen. Everything is difficult there: the registration of secular unions even between Israelis is prohibited, but they recognize marriage registered abroad. We chose Georgia for the almost complete absence of bureaucracy - compared to the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Russia or France, everything is very simple there: any piece of paper is made in a matter of days, and for a marriage that is registered in a couple of hours, passports are enough.
As witnesses, you can take passers-by from the street; we asked for help from another couple who went to the registry office with us early in the morning, the guys were from Ukraine. You can marry in any city, we chose Sighnaghi, but it was possible to immediately in Tbilisi: if you register your marriage in the House of Justice, then you don’t even need to bring them to apostille and translation of documents, everything is done on the spot. There were no problems with the paperwork, the recognition of marriage - and even the registration of a divorce in the future. Georgia is the simplest and very romantic option, given the mountains, air and khachapuri.
I lived in Volgograd, my future husband is from the USA, Colorado. We chose marriage registration in Volgograd: weddings in Russia are more fun, I have many friends and relatives, and he has few, besides, getting a visa to go to America and get married there is problematic. Getting a wife's visa is easier than a bride's visa — at least that was ten years ago. So that I could apply to the registry office without a bridegroom (he could not come from the States, since he only got a job), he sent a power of attorney. But several registry offices that I bypassed refused to me: it was believed that there were too many fake marriages with foreigners and the institutions did not want to be contacted so that they would not be visited for divorce. One registry office nevertheless accepted the documents, and the registration took place as with a Russian citizen - no problem.
Then there was an embarrassment: his name Lile on a visa at the entrance to Russia was transferred as "Lyle". Based on this, I wrote a new last name in my passport - Lyle. Then I made out a passport, and “Lyle” was written in Latin letters like “Layl. That is, also four letters, but immediately with two errors. No matter how I ran - my passport was not changed, so my husband and I remained with different surnames. Then I had to fill out a bunch of questionnaires and send to immigration authorities in America to get my wife's visa. Usually they wait for the result for six months, but we waited a year and a half.To get through to the embassy it’s impossible to write, they don’t answer. the card is why it happened so long. If it were not for this, then in half a year I would already be in the USA and draw up a green card on the spot.
Unfortunately, I am tired of such a long wait. After the wedding, he left to work home and came to visit as early as eleven months - and only for two weeks. The next time he got another seven months. During this time I managed to move from Volgograd to Moscow, change jobs, social circle and forget my husband. In general, the marriage could not be saved. I still went to America, but stood for six months and fled back to Moscow. A couple of years later I met my current husband and now I am happy.
I'm from Krasnoyarsk, and my husband from São Paulo. We live most of the time in Phuket, in Thailand - this is due to the profession of her husband, he is a professional boxer. Our wedding took place in Brazil, in Kampinos, the city where my husband's parents live. At first, we planned a wedding in Thailand so that people close to both sides could attend, but only a festive ceremony could be held there, without a formal wedding. Then we looked at Russia, but after traveling around the registry offices, we could not get an answer to the question of which document could confirm the marital status of a Brazilian citizen. In Brazil, this is, oddly enough, a birth certificate - it is updated upon entry into marriage, and it indicates the marital status. That is, as such, the certificate that the husband is not married does not exist.
We flew back to Thailand, then to Brazil, there we also decided to find out how we can sign. They explained to us that I needed my birth certificate - and at that time it was in a closed house in Phuket. It seemed that the mission was impossible, and we postponed the idea of marrying later. A week and a half before leaving Brazil, my husband went to a notary in some case and at the same time asked again what a Russian girl needs for marriage in Brazil. What was his surprise when he received the answer: "Passport, tax paid and two witnesses." We could not believe! It turned out that in just a couple of months the legislation changed and everything became simpler. Two weeks later we were already an official husband and wife. As for conveniences, Russia and Brazil have good visa-free relations, and the process of obtaining a residence permit or citizenship also looks friendly, besides, everything has to be simplified by a joint child.
I was born in Ryazan, studied in Moscow, and after the university I moved to Panama - there I met my future husband, an Argentinian. We registered marriage in Panama, but the big Catholic wedding was in Argentina. Sometimes we joke that we got married because of the visa: my expiring Panamanian visa and our desire to move to another country in the near future — and it is much easier to do this, being husband and wife — were the impetus for registration in Panama. Perhaps in other circumstances we would choose Argentina. In Panama, this is not a solemn event. Everything happens in a regular notary office, you can choose the nearest; only passports, local Panamanian IDs and an affidavit that you are not married in other countries are needed. You come with two witnesses, sign the act of marriage, the notary makes a more or less solemn speech, certifies the documents - ready, the act of new civil status is sent to the register of Panama, and you acquire the status of a husband and wife.
The Panama marriage certificate brought us many problems later. They give it out for a period of six months, after which it is necessary to ask for a new one, and we often need the document for processing visas. Apparently, there is no belief in Panama in a long indestructible union. At our marriage registration there were only the closest friends who lived in Panama at that time, so when we moved to Argentina, we decided to have a big celebration and decided to go to a Catholic wedding - with a passage to the altar, a white dress and a priest, saying the words of farewell. What we did not expect was the church bureaucracy. It turned out to marry in heaven is much more difficult than to declare the seriousness of intentions before the Panamanian notaries.
You must first go to the church at your place of residence, and from there the priest must give permission for the ceremony at the church of our choice. The ceremony was planned in a church in a small Argentine village, almost a thousand kilometers from Buenos Aires, where we moved. The priest refused to give permission for the ceremony just like that, because he was not acquainted with us and could not “recommend” us as diligent parishioners ready for marriage. And it went and went: first, a certificate of my baptism was required, then we were sent to marriage courses at the church. The latter were pleasantly surprised: in spite of their religious orientation, they talked mainly about what is important for everyone in a relationship, about values in marriage. The classes were conducted by a sociable and pleasant couple of parishioners, and we were given homework - for example, to think about what the values for our family are fundamental, and then to discuss it with the group.
We had everything ready for the wedding: a place for a holiday, a hundred guests, a dress — but everything was not enough for the priest. Now he called to the conversation witnesses who have been familiar with us for at least a few years, a difficult requirement when you just move to a new country. As a result, a girlfriend from Russia who came to the wedding spoke on my part. The priest did not speak English, and her friend did not speak Spanish. As a result, they found out through a translator how, in her opinion, our intentions are serious and whether we are ready for marriage. After a time consuming process, we were still given permission, and the wedding with the passage to the altar took place in the church we chose. In general, there were very bright memories - and the difficulties were quickly forgotten.
Our wedding took place in Copenhagen in 2014, although we live in Moscow. Since we are a same-sex couple, there were few places where we could sign: at that time, the United States, Portugal, South Africa, Canada and Denmark were available - they register marriages of foreign citizens. The USA and Canada were too expensive, we somehow did not consider South Africa, so it remained to choose between Denmark and Portugal. There was more information on the Internet about marriage in Denmark at that time, and the choice fell on Copenhagen.
We found an agency that helps the citizens of any countries register a marriage. At that time, in order to get married in Denmark independently, it was necessary to visit the country twice: for the first time to submit documents, and in the second - to come for registration. And if you do this with the agency, then you need to come only to the ceremony itself. So we did. The agency sent us a list of documents that needed to be translated into English and notarized. For one of us, the list was slightly longer, since there was a divorce behind our shoulders. After collecting the full package, we submitted a marriage application on the website of the Copenhagen Town Hall and sent the documents electronically. There was a nervous wait. The date has been chosen, the tickets have been bought, the hotel has been booked, it only remained to wait for confirmation from the town hall. Usually the process takes about a month, but in our case it turned out a little longer, and we received confirmation one and a half weeks before departure. Of course, we were extremely happy and started packing our bags.
Upon arrival in Copenhagen, we had to take the original documents to the town hall. There we were met by a nice woman and had a little excursion. The next morning we signed: the ceremony was held in the main town hall of Copenhagen - the building is considered one of the most beautiful in the capital. The employee, dressed in a robe, led for about ten minutes. From our side there was one witness - a representative of the agency, he also translated the ceremony from Danish. In addition to the witness, there were two close friends with us.
After receiving a marriage certificate, he needed to be apostilled so that the document was valid in all countries where partnerships or same-sex marriages were officially allowed. The agency assumed this formality, and at that moment we drank champagne with our friends on the town hall square. Literally half an hour later the documents were in our hands. As far as we know, now the process of registering a marriage in Denmark has become much easier, it can be done independently and faster, and in our case the whole process took four months. Unfortunately, in Russia such marriages are not recognized, and we do not believe that this situation will change in the near future. But for us it was very important to get the first joint document that we are a family.
I was born in Moscow and my husband Aaron in the Philippines, but he grew up in the small town of Bad Radkersburg in Austria. We met on an airplane on the flight Moscow - Vienna ten years ago, where he worked as a steward. Then we exchanged email addresses, but didn’t communicate much: I had a relationship with another person. A year later, we met again, this time in Tokyo, and I was no longer bound by any obligations. A month later, we met in the USA and spent exactly a day together, after some time - five days in the Dominican Republic. Soon he made me an offer, and I agreed - and said that we would get married in six months.
Usually in Europe, the engagement lasts for years, but it was not our option: we did not want to live in two countries and see occasionally for several days. As a person from Russia, I was ready for bureaucracy: I prepared all the documents, apostilled, translated, told my husband a hundred times to apostil his birth certificate at the consulate of the Philippines in Austria - but he missed everything, said: "I am an Austrian citizen and it will come down. " As a result, when the wedding date was already set and we came to the registry office with the documents, his birth certificate did not fit! The wedding is in three days, guests are invited, the restaurant is paid for - we were terrified.
Aaron called the registry office of Bad Radkersburg, the very small town where he lived. They calmed him down and said that they would marry without problems. We were madly glad, but we had no idea how magically our ceremony would take place. Refusal in Graz was the best (although at that time we did not know about it) solution. In Graz, marriages are registered as on a conveyor belt, for a couple of ten minutes - and in Bad Radkersburg, our ceremony was the only one that day, it lasted about an hour, everything was not a carbon copy and somehow very family-friendly. Then there were no problems, three months after the wedding, I quit my job, sold the car, burned all the bridges - and my husband strongly supported me, morally and financially.
I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, and my husband is from Nigeria, from the city of Lagos. We met in India, in the state of Goa, and here we decided to get married, because Goa was and remains our home, now common. Different states of marriage have different laws in India. For example, in Delhi, you first need to get married in the church - only then, having a certificate of wedding, you can register the marriage in the local registry office. And in the state of Goa, on the contrary, to get married, you need a certificate of marriage from a local registry office. My husband and I were planning to get married.
Since we are foreign citizens and did not know the laws, we turned to a lawyer for help. It turned out that for marriage we need to get permission through the courts. For a whole month we spent almost every day in the police, the courts and some state organizations. Our lawyer gave a lot of bribes, literally in every instance, to speed up the process. A month later, the main hearing of our case was held, to which we had to invite seven witnesses - at least three from each side, and several of them were to be citizens of India.
Each witness was called in turn to the courtroom to give "testimony." Witnesses were asked how long they knew us, if we were a couple, how long ago in a relationship, or if we love each other. The next day we received a long-awaited permission to register a marriage, and then went to the registry office. Our marriage was registered in five minutes, without the Russian pathos and beautiful speeches I was accustomed to, in a small and stuffy office of about eight meters, half of which were occupied by a table littered with huge stacks of documents, after a positive answer to the standard question: "Is your marriage reciprocal and voluntary desire? " A week later, we had a wedding and got married.
To tell you the truth, it was not an easy quest, from time to time we gave up. Sometimes we were ready to spit on a wedding in Goa, to which many friends, including from Russia, had already been invited, and to go to Delhi and get married there, together. But we did not surrender, reached the end. And most importantly - everything was not in vain, we have a wonderful family and a happy marriage.
I am from the city of Timashevsk in the Krasnodar Territory, and my husband is from Belgium, the small village of Ertvelde, near the city of Ghent. We live in Switzerland and got married here. The process is simple and transparent, but for the citizens of Russia the package of required documents is, of course, more than for the citizens of the EU countries. We both provided inquiries that we were not married in our countries. And in Belgium, this certificate is issued at the place of registration by the bodies such as the registry office, and in Russia it is different: I myself wrote that I was not married, and the consulate assured my signature. The most difficult thing is a copy of a birth certificate with an apostille, which only a Russian registry office can issue. I did a general power of attorney at the consulate for my mother, sent her to Russia, and she received this certificate on my behalf.
In general, the process seemed reasonable to me, even though there were a lot of documents, and everything was expensive: the papers had to be translated and the translator's signature notarized, which was not cheap. After the wedding, there were no problems - on the contrary, the filing of documents for a visa to the United States and registration of a daughter's birth certificate were easier than if we were not married. We have something to compare: the son was born here two and a half years ago, and it took a lot of paperwork and time to recognize fatherhood and give his son the name of her husband.
I am from Moscow, my husband from Berlin, we live in Innsbruck in Austria. Five years ago I decided to enter the University of Strasbourg for marketing. Flew on the open door with a change in Amsterdam. I had only fifteen hours in the city, for which I accidentally wandered into a cafe and met my future husband there. Начали встречаться на расстоянии, через месяц встретились в Берлине, только у него теперь было пятнадцать часов и он улетал в Австрию. Ездили друг к другу туда-сюда, и через восемь месяцев он сделал мне предложение.
Мы решили пожениться в Дании: по документам там получалось легче и быстрее всего (Дания - это такой Лас-Вегас для Европы). В России мне в любом случае не по душе местные традиции вроде лимузина и платья "баба на чайнике", а в Германии нужно было полгода ждать визу невесты. I flew to Innsbruck to the bridegroom, we drove to Denmark in seventeen hours. They took a house with a hairy roof for six people on the island of Rymo in the west of the country. Witnesses with their spouses rode with us — this is required by law — so that for a whole week we enjoyed a leisurely life in a gnome house in Denmark. After submitting my passports, two days later we came to sign the town with a lighthouse, I bought myself a short white dress in Mango for nineteen euros, and I collected a bouquet in a field of wild flowers. There was no plan, everything was spontaneous, we walked along the seashore, drank wine, grilled vegetables at home. The perfect wedding option - without stress, nerves, failures, spontaneously and happily.
Then I decided to change my last name - in Austria it is rather complicated with Russian. To do this, I had to return to Russia and change everything: the internal passport, passport, medical insurance card, pension certificate, and so on. I sat in Moscow for four months waiting for documents - it was a bureaucratic hell. But from the Austrian side everything was clear. As soon as I was given a passport with a new name, I called the Austrian embassy. "The wife of a member of the European Union? And what are you sitting, go quickly to us!" And I was given a visa right that day. I immediately left, and in Austria in one day I received a residence permit for five years with the right to work.
In Catalonia, where we live, everything is very relaxed and quite simple in terms of documents - for example, even those who travel on tourist visas can apply for state health insurance. Illegal immigrants have long been deported by no one, and after three years of stay, it is easy to legalize - there are rumors that the illegal immigrants will soon be given a document confirming that they do not have documents at the moment. It is also possible to get married, even if you are in the country illegally, however, registration takes a lot of time. In principle, we are considered a stable couple already on the basis of the fact that we share a common child together - and the rights of a stable couple are generally the same as those of a married couple. The only exception is that after one year of marriage with a Spaniard, a partner may apply for Spanish citizenship, but simply in a stable couple - he cannot. My fiance will soon become a Spaniard, and we decided to get married in order to speed up this process for me later.
I am from Russia, he is from Nigeria, two foreigners - this is terrible, because everyone must provide documents from their homeland, duly certified and translated. For Russians, by law, the registry office documents do not need to be apostilled, but for Nigerians, it is necessary, but here is a hitch: Nigeria is not included in the list of countries where the apostille generally exists and is used. Therefore, you can only certify in the Consulate of Spain in Nigeria, so that the Spaniards believe in the authenticity of the documents. Everything is fair: a gentleman from the consulate came to the house of my groom's sister, who asked who was who.
Another difficulty is that the Spaniards all documents, including a birth certificate, cease to be valid after three or six months (depending on the situation). We have part of the papers dated November 2016, that is, in May, their validity period ends, and it was possible to collect a full package of documents only in April. The expiry date of the birth certificate is also half a year, and this is incomprehensible to the Russian mind, because we have one for life. I made a new one, but, in fact, of course, this is not the original, it says “duplicate” on it. True, there are so many Russians in Barcelona that they even asked me at the registry office why I brought a duplicate and if I didn’t lose the real evidence, the green book. That is, it seems that they have already learned that we have this document valid for life.
In April, we filed documents; in May, we had to bring a witness who would confirm that we were a couple. Of course, this is a formality - it is unlikely that a witness will come and say: "I see them for the first time." We came with my girlfriend, she was asked questions behind closed doors - we waited in the corridor. They asked if, in her opinion, there were any reasons why we should not marry. After that, the entire package of documents went to the judge, who after a couple of weeks decided to allow us to marry. It happens that a judge requests additional documents or even assigns an interview for a couple (usually it is separate, to make sure that people know each other well). We did not have it; A common child is a strong enough argument that marriage is not fictitious. The date of marriage, we were assigned to November 2 - that is, the whole process from the beginning of the collection of documents takes about a year.
We are both citizens of Russia, and the idea that we can get married in America arose with us quite by accident. We met for about a year, and both dreamed of going to the USA. We both loved this country and have been there several times already, but separately. One evening we sat in a cafe, discussed plans for a vacation, and then it all began. I offered to fly to Hollywood - to look and walk. And he replied: "Let's go to Las Vegas too! We'll get married there!"
The fact that we are going to get married in a journey, we did not tell anyone. Las Vegas was wonderful. After two days we lowered a decent amount of money on the machines, we decided to do what we came for - a wedding. By this time I had studied the issue and knew that the actual process of organizing the registration of marriage consists of two parts: first you need to get a marriage permit in the local municipality (something like our registry office), and then with this permission go to any church, where a marriage ceremony is being held.
We reached the municipality, defended a long line, filled out questionnaires (where it was necessary to indicate that you were not married) and received a piece of paper that Clark County of Nevada gives us permission to marry. I must say that it was at that moment that we realized that all these spontaneous Las Vegas weddings in films are a myth. At the entrance to the building hangs a huge poster, which says that the permit is not issued to people in alcoholic and drug intoxication. Well, in general, as long as you fill in the questionnaire, while you stand in line, in general, the movie is very different from the truth.
With the paper issued, we went in search of a chapel where we could exchange rings. A lot of chapels, we chose a modest Hollywood Wedding Chapel near our hotel. After examining the price list, we realized that the ceremony could be held by anyone - Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Batman - to any music - heavy metal, lullaby, "Abbu" and further down the list, this is only a question of your wallet. We decided to dwell on a simple ordinary woman registrar and the standard march of Mendelssohn. We were given a date, and we set off to get ready.
On the appointed day, we arrived at the specified time, missed a couple dressed in superman costumes, and were legally married. The ceremony took five minutes - everything is pretty standard: "are you ready in joy and in grief, kiss each other, declare you husband and wife, pay $ 50 to the cashier." We received a document confirming that our marriage was registered. Then everything is very simple: we sent this document by mail back to the municipality with a request to make an apostille and send it to us in Russia.
About a month later we received an envelope, transferred the documents and carried them to the local MFC. There was not a single surprised look there, and we were marked on the passport with a "marriage registered, place of registration Clark county, Nevada, date, signature". The boss smiled wearily and said: "Well, now it will be difficult for you to get a divorce, will you go to America again?" After that, we posted a photo print on Facebook and told friends that we are husband and wife - and we still don’t know how to get divorced, and I hope we’ll never need this information.