Official painting abroad. Registration of marriage abroad - is it possible for Russian citizens to get married in another country? Marriage contract with a foreigner: features

Congratulations, you have decided to get married and become married couple, as everybody. It’s easy to imagine how happy you are, but when the first joy subsides, the question of preparing the wedding will inevitably arise, and you probably won’t want to spend this most important event “like everyone else.” How about inviting friends and family to a ceremony in another country? In this article we will tell you what points you need to consider when preparing a wedding abroad.

A wedding in another country will certainly be a memorable event. However, organizing a ceremony will inevitably require a lot of time, effort, money and patience. Although there are exceptions, because each country has its own rules for registering marriages and wedding laws, so in some cases the holiday can be held even cheaper and with less emotional cost than in your homeland. But anyway, get ready to overcome the obstacles, which we will now talk about in more detail.

Step One: Hire a Local Wedding Planner

Using the labor of local specialists is not a legal requirement, but is probably the only right decision when preparing a wedding abroad. Experience shows that the path to a magnificent ceremony is not covered with rose petals, but strewn with thorns, and it is better to walk along it with those who know how to avoid them.

Don’t forget that you are going to follow the preparation process while being thousands of kilometers away, communicating e-mail or Skype with people who, like you, English language not native, and they hardly speak Russian. If you don’t know a single organizer in the country where you are going, simply enter, for example, “wedding planners Jamaica” into the search bar and choose by comparing photos and prices.

In fact, even with an organizer, renting a hall, a hotel, ordering flowers, cars, a banquet, and finding a photographer and stylist will most likely not be the easiest thing. Imagine how exhausted you will be by your wedding day if you decide to do all these important things yourself.

Step two: collect documents and translate them

To register a marriage abroad for citizens Russian Federation You will need: a birth certificate, an internal passport and its copy, a statement that you are not married and a certificate of divorce from a previous marriage (if necessary). All documents must be translated into the required language and the translation must be legalized by a notary by affixing an apostille. Remember that the transfer is only valid for six months, so do not start doing this earlier than six months before the wedding date.

Step three: visit the consulate of the country you are going to

Not all states require this, but it is best to visit the consulate to show all the documents you have collected and receive assurance that you will not have any obstacles to registering your marriage in their country. At this stage, romantically inclined future newlyweds understand that not all the people around them will throw rose petals at their feet, lavish smiles and congratulate them on their upcoming wedding. But this discovery should not break you. Be patient. After all, ahead...

Step four: visit the Russian consulate in the country where you will get married

Several months have passed, you and your entourage of friends and family are standing at the airport, ready to take off. The good news is that your wonderful journey is beginning. It’s unpleasant that upon arrival you will have an equally exciting adventure - a trip to the Russian Consulate. This is like step three, only in reverse: now here you should be assured that there will be no problems with registration.

Be prepared to spend a couple of hours making endless copies of completed documents. Remember that not everyone shares your joy from the upcoming event. Do not give up. By the way, if you decide to sign at the consular department of the registry office, then the marriage certificate will not need to be legalized in Russia. But if you want to register at the city hall of the town near the picturesque lake, where the wedding will take place, then be prepared for the next step.

Step Five: Select a Date

In Russia, you can line up at the registry office early in the morning six months before the scheduled event and get the opportunity to get married on the cherished day. In some foreign institutions, the registration date and time may be assigned to you in the last days before the wedding, because they need your personal presence to submit the application.
At this stage you will especially need help wedding planner, who knows all local laws and customs, will be able to gather everyone in right time and knows how to be flexible when negotiating with the pastry chefs and photographer.
Be sure to show the papers to him to get assurance that you will be able to register the marriage without interference. In one hundred percent of cases, the organizer will tell you that you need to go to another local official institution and get a couple more stamps.

Step Six: Have Fun!

Did you not believe that this would finally happen? But now this solemn moment has come - you swear love and fidelity to each other in the presence of friends, family and officials. Don't be surprised if you are allowed to decorate the city hall as a knight's castle, and the representative of the law himself is dressed in chain mail. Be prepared for the fact that when reading a congratulatory farewell, an official may burst into tears of emotion. During a wedding abroad you are expected pleasant surprises, and at this stage you will already be able to feel how roses are thrown at your feet. And you will understand that such an event was worth all the trouble. But, unfortunately, the last one awaits you...

Step seven: are you sure you’re married?

After the noisy wedding has ended, you will have to take up the papers again. Citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to marry abroad, and it will have legal force in their homeland. But for this you need to sweat a little more.
If you did not sign in the strict environment of the Russian consulate, most often located in the capital of the country and far from the place where you would like to get married, then you will have to legalize your marriage certificate. This must be done in the country where registration took place.

It would be most reasonable to entrust this matter to the organizer, who will send you the documents along with wedding photos. All you have to do is translate them into Russian and get an apostille from a notary, but that doesn’t scare you anymore, does it? After all, there is ahead family life, and even your grandchildren will be interested in listening to the story about your fabulous foreign wedding.

While traveling, pay for purchases, and up to 10% of the order amount on OneTwoTrip, as well as up to 2% of any purchases paid for by card, will be returned to your account.

Additionally, provide a statement in which you must indicate that the person intending to get married is officially free from a relationship (not married or unmarried). Death certificate ex-husband(spouses), if one of the future newlyweds is a widower.

If one of the couple has already been in an official union, you will need a divorce certificate, as well as a photocopy of it.

In addition, the couple must provide a document from the registry office, which will indicate that there are no obstacles to registering the marriage. Most often, the listed documents are sufficient, but there are situations when additional items may be required abroad.

Important point! Future newlyweds are required to provide not only originals, but also copies of documents.

They should first be translated into the language of the state in whose territory the ceremony is planned. The documents are apostilled and certified in the Russian Federation so that the documents acquire legal force.

Change of surname and citizenship when registering a marriage with a foreign citizen

In Russia, it is customary for a woman to take her husband’s surname after the wedding ceremony. Once upon a time, such a requirement was mandatory, but now the future spouse can make the decision she likes.

If registration will be carried out in another state, information about the change of surname is not indicated at all in the document.

As for obtaining the appropriate certificate, this must be done upon arrival in the Russian Federation. But this rule has exceptions. For example, in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria, a woman will be given an official document indicating that she now has the surname of her husband.

  • How many days before the ceremony should you arrive in another country?

In this matter, everything will depend on the state in whose territory the ceremony is planned.

For example, on the island of Mauritius, registration of marriages is not carried out on weekends, and future newlyweds must appear in this place 3 days before the special event. The laws of France are more categorical, because the couple will have to spend at least 10 days in the territory of this state before the wedding.

It is best if the bride and groom arrive in another country at least two or three days before registration in order to sort out the documentation in advance.

Useful video

Apostille and translation into the language of another country of documents when registering a marriage abroad, which is important to consider - you will learn from this video:

What difficulties may arise

Those who decide to get married abroad may encounter certain difficulties. For example:

  • Not all countries issue newlyweds with a marriage certificate, which will have legal force in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the spouses will have to draw up such a document for quite a long time.
  • Newlyweds should understand that not all friends and relatives have the opportunity to travel abroad for their wedding ceremony. Some people don’t have that much free time, others have limited finances, or simply haven’t gotten a foreign passport.

The most important disadvantage of getting married in another country is the time it takes to prepare documents.

In order to register their union, the couple will have to prepare all the necessary papers, translate them into English or another language that is official in another state and have the translation notarized.

In addition, future newlyweds will need to prepare apostille, and then send the papers to the organization dealing with such matters or to the consulate of the country where the ceremony will take place.

According to the rules that were once adopted by the convention in The Hague, persons who are citizens of the Russian Federation will definitely need an apostille.

This procedure is necessary so that documents issued to a man and woman in another country can be made legal. Doing the paperwork in this way will take a lot of time for the couple.

In order to legalize documents, future newlyweds will have to spend more than seven days, as they will need to visit translators and notaries.

Interesting! Despite the fact that officially registering a marriage abroad is not a cheap pleasure, such a ceremony can be much cheaper for newlyweds than if it took place in their homeland.

For example, most hotels abroad offer newlyweds huge discounts and special accommodation conditions, which is undoubtedly very convenient.

Important point! If the state in which the ceremony is planned is not one of the countries of the Hague Convention, then there will be difficulties in legalizing documents for marriage.

In order to give the papers legal force, the couple will have to visit the consulate of a foreign country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

An unforgettable wedding is the dream of every couple. Is it possible to gain vivid impressions while sitting in a restaurant in your city and looking at the boring competitions?

There is a way out - this is official wedding Abroad. You can organize it yourself or through a tour operator. The second option makes life much easier.

With some organizational issues we will introduce the reader right now.

You will learn about marriage registration, the intricacies of the organizational process, as well as prices for getting married abroad.

We have already written about independent organizational efforts, so we will focus on turning to professional organizers.

They will take on the boring paperwork:

  • hotel reservations;
  • purchasing air tickets;
  • They will offer several ceremony options.

All you have to do is choose what your heart is drawn to.

When working with an agency or tour operator, your efforts are reduced to a minimum. And your task:

  • contact the organizer;
  • choose a country and holiday program;
  • choose a wedding venue;
  • invite guests;
  • express your wishes to the manager;
  • pay money.

Agency you hired:

  • will resolve all difficulties associated with local legislation;
  • will take on the lion's share of the work on legalizing documents;
  • will find a qualified coordinator.

Wedding with official registration

Marriages concluded abroad are legal in the Russian Federation.

There will be no problems with official registration.

True, it is necessary to take into account the subtleties of local marriage legislation. Let's give some examples.

  • Thailand. You need to be registered with the Russian embassy or have a permanent residence permit.
  • Hawaii. The certificate is certified by the Ministry of Health.
  • . Religion plays a key role here.
    Newlyweds must officially confirm that they profess the same religion.
  • . Prepare to live on the islands for at least 11 days.
  • Sri Lanka. It is enough to spend four nights on this fabulous island.
  • France. You will have to spend 10 days in this romantic country.
  • Indonesia. Here is the legendary island of Bali, where you can register your marriage... if you belong to the “right” religion.
    Marriages are celebrated in Bali:
    • Hindus,
    • Muslims,
    • Protestants,
    • Catholics,
    • Buddhists.

    There are problems with Orthodoxy here.

Having received the official certificate, certified it and arrived back in Russia, you will have to translate the document into Russian and legalize it by contacting a notary.

The wedding day should be the best day for the newlyweds. This is one of those events that people love to remember throughout their lives. That's why wedding celebration you need to organize it so that wonderful impressions of it remain forever.

Everyone decides this in their own way: from simple registration at the local registry office, even without minimal paraphernalia, to lush, crowded celebrations. Some people try to make their wedding original, coming up with very unusual ways to hold it.

What if you want to get married in heaven under the high arches of Notre Dame Cathedral, or conduct a marriage ritual in the Temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, or get married in Verona, the homeland of Romeo and Juliet? Can these desires be realized in reality or will they remain dreams? Where and how can you have an official wedding ceremony abroad?

Wedding far away

Marriage options

The main issue, if you want to hold a wedding ceremony abroad, is its official side. There are several solutions here.

1. Carry out only the wedding ceremony abroad.

2. Organize a symbolic ceremony outside the country after the official registration of the marriage at the local registry office.

3. Conduct official marriage registration in another state.

There is nothing complicated in the first two options. This can be done through a travel agency anywhere in the world, wherever your heart desires.


Such rituals do not require conventions, only official permission to be in the chosen country, because they carry a sacred and romantic meaning only for the lovers themselves and have no legal force.

It’s a completely different matter if you want to register an official marriage abroad, which will be recognized by government agencies in your home country.


This option requires care and consistency. The problem lies in bureaucratic subtleties, both paper and procedural.

Thanks to Russia's participation in many interstate and international unions, according to current legislation, official marriage is possible in almost any country.


And the Hague Convention, concluded in 1969, including the simplification of the circulation of documents between countries, further facilitates the process of obtaining a legal marriage certificate.

According to this convention, official documents are mutually recognized in more than 120 countries. In addition, there is such a thing as a “consular marriage”, according to which, in almost every country, you can enter into an official marriage through the consular representation of your state.

The best place for a wedding tour

Geography of places suitable for official wedding ceremony abroad, very extensive. You can choose from these.

In Europe:

  • Austria – from 120,000 rubles;
  • Great Britain – from 250,000 rubles;
  • Hungary – from 120,000 rubles;
  • Greece – from 80,000 rubles;
  • Spain – from 70,000 rubles;
  • Italy – from 110,000 rubles;
  • Cyprus – from 70,000 rubles;
  • Netherlands – from 130,000 rubles;
  • Portugal – from 110,000 rubles;
  • Slovenia – from 100,000 rubles;
  • France – from 140,000 rubles;
  • Croatia – from 110,000 rubles;
  • Montenegro - from 60,000 rubles;
  • Czech Republic – from 80,000 rubles.

In Asia:

  • Bali – from 70,000 rubles;
  • Vietnam – from 60,000 rubles;
  • India – from 25,000 rubles;
  • UAE – from 90,000 rubles;
  • Thailand - from 80,000 rubles;
  • Türkiye – from 80,000 rubles;
  • Philippines – from RUB 90,000.

In Africa:

  • Egypt - from 105,000 rubles;
  • Morocco - from 105,000 rubles.

In America:

  • Mexico – from 50,000 rubles;
  • USA – from RUB 95,000.

In Australia and Oceania:

  • Australia – 420,000 rub.

In the Caribbean:

  • Bahamas - from 45,000 rubles;
  • Dominican Republic - from 160,000 rubles;
  • Cuba – from 30,000 rubles;
  • Jamaica – from 60,000 rubles.

Among the islands of the Indian Ocean:

  • Maldives – from 40,000 rubles;
  • Seychelles - from 20,000 rubles;
  • Sri Lanka – from 40,000 rubles.

Among the Pacific Islands:

  • Fiji – from 90,000 rubles;
  • French Polynesia – from 170,000 rubles.

This list is far from complete and includes countries that are most popular among those wishing to get married abroad.

Difficulty of choice

The choice of country depends on the preferences of the young couple. Among the most typical options are the following:

  • in an ancient castle or palace (mainly European countries);
  • on the seashore (island states);
  • in wedding churches (USA).

You also need to take into account financial capabilities and the ease of resolving all official issues.

The cost of a wedding depends on what additional services are included in the official ceremony and may be adjusted accordingly. And when staying in some hotels in certain island countries, the wedding ceremony is offered completely free of charge.

Among the problems with official registration, it is worth paying attention to:

  • degree of complexity of the preparatory stage;
  • number of required documents;
  • the need to translate documents;
  • the need to confirm the legal status of documents;
  • time to wait for permission to conduct the ceremony;
  • time to legalize a marriage certificate in Russia.

It is necessary to prepare for a wedding abroad in advance, 4 to 6 months before the wedding date.

The greatest attention should be paid to the correct preparation of documents.
Wedding planner: don't forget the most important thing.

List of documents for official marriage abroad

IN Family Code RF (clause 1, Article 158) states that “marriages between citizens of the Russian Federation, concluded outside the Russian Federation in compliance with the legislation of the state in whose territory they were concluded” will be recognized as valid.

According to this document, the main thing is that the wedding ceremony takes place legally.

It must be carried out by an authorized person in the local municipality or other location permitted in that country. After the ceremony, the received marriage certificate must be officially legalized in Russia.

Each country has its own requirements for the list of documents required for a marriage ceremony.

But the main ones are the following:

  • passports and foreign passports;
  • birth certificate of both newlyweds;
  • a certificate from the registry office stating that both are not married to other persons;
  • certificate of divorce or death of the other spouse (if there were such circumstances);
  • documents confirming the ability to reside in the territory of the selected country.

In some countries, a medical certificate may be required. It is also sometimes required to provide a document confirming a change of last name or first name, if there are appropriate circumstances.

Subtleties of marriage law

The prepared documents must be translated into the language of the country chosen for the wedding and certified by its consulate. This order may also differ.

Some states do not require legal certification, for example, the Czech Republic. And in some countries, certain documents will need to be obtained locally.

You should also take into account some procedural requirements that may apply in individual countries.

There are such conditions:

1. Be registered with the Russian Embassy or have a permanent residence permit.

2. Have the marriage certificate certified by the Ministry of Health.

3. Live in the country you have chosen for the wedding for several days before the ceremony.

Due to such a large difference in the lists and requirements, it is recommended to involve a law or travel company in preparing a wedding ceremony abroad.

Many travel agencies have this specialization and can help you find the ideal place to get married, and will also take care of all the problems.

Careful and thoughtful preparation is the key to a wonderful, bright holiday, where there will be only love and harmony.

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