EXOTIC
WEDDING ABROAD
It is
possible to marry in an exotic way in the
Dominican Republic.
Arranging a Dominican Republic wedding is easy, thanks to local laws that
recognize out-of-towners who come here to get married. Before holding a
Dominican Republic wedding, couples need only present a valid passport, birth
certificate, and affidavit of single status translated into Spanish.
Wedding
can be celebrated by the consul or ambassador of the country
of the fiancès, if the couple lives in the Dominican
Republic, or by a registrar of the Dominican Republic if the
fiancès are resident abroad.
Preliminary
steps:
For the
French citizens, as in France, the wedding of a French couple
abroad (living in France or abroad) requires the publication of banns
which has
to be done at the town hall of the place of residence or at the
Consulate of
France in the Dominican Republic in order for the marriage to be
recognized
afterwards by French authorities (“transcription”
at the Embassy or at the
Consulate of France there).
In fact,
theoretically, and it is preferable to
proceed in that way, the French bride-and-groom-to-be, living in France
or abroad,
will have, at least 2 months before the appointed date of the wedding
abroad,
to refer the case to the Consulate or the Embassy of France of the
country
where the wedding takes place, which will initiate the publication of
banns.
This one
will be done at the French town hall
of the place of residence of the bride-and-groom-to-be. The period of
two
months is necessary to allow the examination of publication requests
and takes
mail and posting time into account (10 days in the town hall).
Afterwards,
a “requisitioning of publication”
will be addressed to the Mayor or Consul territorially competent. When
the
legal deadline expires, the town hall sends back a
“certificate of publication
and non-opposition to marriage” to the French Embassy.
Once these
formalities accomplished, a
“certificate of capacity to marry” is established
and delivered to the
bride-and-groom-to-be in order for them to be able to prove their
capacity to
contract marriage and their single life in the eyes of French Law.
The
interested parties have theoretically to go
to the French Embassy or Consulate to collect this certificate. After
the
wedding, the married couple has to go to the French Embassy or
Consulate there
to have their marriage certificate transcribed to be recognised in
France
(transcription). It will be done without any problem if banns
publication in France
has been correctly carried out and recorded.
(Transcription
is the validation of marriage by
the Embassy or Consulate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
In short,
banns publication, which will
determine how much time you will have to wait to get married, will
allow you to
obtain the certificate of publication and non-opposition to marriage.
Then,
after the wedding, the marriage
certificate transcription at the competent Embassy or Consulate will
allow you
to have your marriage recognized in France and to obtain a family
record book and certified copies of the marriage certificate.
A
period of about 40 days to 3 months is
necessary for the obtaining of these documents.
As
for the different documents to provide here
is what is indicated by default:
1-
A residence permit in order.
2-
A full original copy of the birth certificate of the bride and groom
(certified copy by the town hall of the place of birth dating back less
than 3 months or 6 months if it has been delivered in a French overseas
department
(DOM), a French overseas territory (TOM) or a Consulate).
3-
A prenuptial medical certificate dating back less than 2 months (only
if
the wedding is celebrated in the French Consulate – The
document has to be
filled in by a doctor after a medical examination (it is possible to do
it at
the French Consulate by a registered doctor).
4-
A copy of the identity cards or the original copy of the
certificate of nationality.
5-
A proof of address of the bride-and-groom-to-be (bills, receipts or
certificate of residence delivered by the town hall or registration
certificate delivered by Consulates).
6-
Birth certificate(s) of the child(ren) you have had in common before
the
date of the wedding.
7-
A notarial certificate if you have signed a marriage contract: the
marriage contract is not obligatory. However, if you get married
abroad, it is
preferable, before the ceremony, to make one out. Indeed, a foreign
marriage
settlement chosen at the time of the wedding is recognized in the eyes
of the
French Law if the married couple establishes their main residence in
the
country where the union is celebrated. Otherwise, if you come back
immediately
to live in France,
it is preferable to establish a marriage contract before the marriage
ceremony,
in front of a French notary (or a Consul there).
Otherwise,
when you come back, your marriage
settlement will be the communal estate comprising only property
acquired after
marriage. It will apply by default, without retroactive effect, for at
least
two years (it is the French settlement by default, applied if there is
not a
marriage contract).
Thus,
transcribed marriage will be recognized
in France,
even at the marriage contract level.
At last,
some destinations also require other
documents but it is not the case for the Dominican Republic (for
example,
adult witnesses, legalization and translations of official documents by
the
Dominican Consulate).
You should
imperatively ask for information to
our Consulate General of the Dominican Republic to know exactly all the
procedures.
(Please
see below what are the procedures of
the Dominican Republic.)
REQUIRED
DOCUMENTS TO MARRY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
- The original copy of the birth
certificate of the bride-and-groom-to-be (Doc. N°1) dating back
less than 3 months. (Please note that the certificate delivered by the
Church cannot be accepted).
- A valid passport (Doc.
N°2) or a proof of nationality (national identity card
or, failing that, a certificate of nationality).
- A formal declaration
of single life (in french) (in english) (Doc.
N°3). (This formal declaration must be made with the Consul General
who has to legalize it. It is a sworn statement).
- If need be, a proof of divorce
or of the death of the previous spouse (Doc. N°4).
- A parental consent in case of
minority (Doc. N°5).
Note:
In case the person cannot go
to the Consulate, he/she must go to a notarial office to make
a formal
declaration. In that case, we will translate the document and legalize
it for
115.00 euros.
Please
note that:
-
The documents N°1, N°3, N°4, N°5 must
be translated into Spanish and
legalized by the Consulate of the Dominican Republic in order to make
them
valid in the country.
-
Legal fees of 90.00 euros for every legalized document.
Please
note that translation fees
are 40.00 euros per document.
-
The interested party must send the documents by post and join a stamped
envelope to return the documents once legalized.
(See
hereinafter pieces of
information such as publication banns, the marriage certificate
transcription
to have it validated in France…).
DECLARATION OF SINGLE STATUS
I, [Full Name as in passport] of the City of __________, in the Department of
________
DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE THAT:
1. I am [full name as in passport], born as [name as it appears on
Birth Certificate] on [date of birth] in [place of birth].
2. I am a [country] citizen with passport No. _______ who resides at [full
address].
3. I intend to marry [full name as in passport] in the Dominican Republic during the month of [month of
marriage].
4. I am single and have never been married before. [If
divorced, please put: I am divorced as per divorce certificate No. __ as
of [date of divorce]. During my previous marriage I was known as [name as it
appears on divorce certificate]]. To the best of my knowledge and belief there
is no legal impediment or other lawful cause to prevent me from getting
married.
5. I am currently employed as a [occupation].
6.
The names of my parents are _______________, Mother and ________________,
Father.
And, I make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously believing it to be true
and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath.
DECLARED
before me at
)
[City],
Department of ________,
)
_____________________
[Country],
this __ of _______, 2006
)
[full name as in passport]
_______________________
As a Notary Public
A Dominican person who wants to marry in France has to
get in touch with the town council of his/her place of residence in order to
know the formalities.
In France, it is compulsory to carry
out banns publication in the town hall where the wedding will take place. On
the other hand, it is not an obligation in the Dominican Republic for the
Dominicans who get married abroad.
The most frequently required documents by the
town council are the following:
- A
valid passport or a residence permit.
- A
birth certificate.
- A
customary certificate.
- A
declaration of celibacy (by sworn statement).
- A
prenuptial medical certificate dating back less than 2 months before banns
publication. If the medical examination takes place in the
Dominican Republic, the doctor’s signature must
be legalised by the Consulate of France in Santo Domingo.
- A
certificate from the notary if spouses want to draw up a marriage contract.
- A
sworn statement to replace on the one hand a certificate of non-bankruptcy and
on the other an extract from the criminal record.
- A
certificate which states that banns publication is not compulsory in the Dominican Republic.
- A
certificate which states the form in which family names and first names appear
on birth certificates in the Dominican Republic.
- A
document certifying that military service is voluntary and non-compulsory in
the Dominican Republic.
The General Consulate of the Dominican Republic in Marseille
provides certificates and legalisations which are required by French civil
authorities.
Couples who contract marriage in France receive
in town hall, from the registrar, a marriage certificate as a family record
book. Family record book is an official document which allows to prove one’s filiation,
that is to say the legal link which exists between children and parents. It
also allows to obtain attestations of civil status and national identity card.
It contains an extract from the spouses’ marriage certificate and it will be
completed later with extracts from children’s birth certificate, death
certificates and possibly divorce and separation certificates.
It is possible to get free an extract from
marriage certificate, writing to the town council which celebrated the wedding.
The request must make clear the date and place of the wedding and the full
names of the newly-weds. A stamped envelope with the address of the person has
to be attached.
We advise you to visit the following french web
sites for further information: www.service-public.fr,
Le Mariage Civil from the Ministère de la Justice and the Ministère des solidarités, de la santé et de
la famille.
