Marrying abroad is, legally, far less complicated than most couples fear — and the fear is usually caused by websites inventing requirements that do not exist. The principles below hold wherever you marry. The specifics belong to the country and occasionally to the individual town hall, which is why we confirm your list in writing for your date rather than handing you a generic checklist.
Will it be recognised at home?
Yes. A marriage contracted abroad is recognised in the UK provided it was validly contracted under the law of the country where it took place, both of you had the legal capacity to marry, and it does not conflict with UK law on age or prohibited degrees. A civil ceremony conducted by the proper authority in any of the countries we work in satisfies that. You are married from the moment of the ceremony, not from some later administrative step at home.
You do not need to register it in the UK
This is the single thing we most often have to correct. There is no requirement to register or deposit a foreign marriage certificate in the UK — and no facility to do it either. The General Register Office deposit service closed on 1 January 2014, and even when it existed, depositing a certificate never conferred recognition. Keep your certificate safe, get a certified translation if it is not in English, and that is genuinely the end of it.
What every country asks for
The core set barely changes between destinations. Start gathering these early — two of them are ordered from an office rather than found in a drawer.
Valid passports
For both of you, usually with a minimum validity beyond the wedding date. Check the name on it matches every other document exactly.
Full birth certificates
The long form showing parents, not the short certificate. If you only hold the short version, order the full one early — it takes weeks, not days.
Proof that you are free to marry
Some countries accept a sworn affidavit, others require a Certificate of No Impediment, which you obtain from your own register office at home after giving public notice.
Decree absolute, if either of you is divorced
The final decree, not the conditional one. A decree nisi is not enough anywhere.
Death certificate and the previous marriage certificate, if widowed
Both are normally required together.
Evidence of any change of name
A deed poll or the marriage certificate that changed it, where your documents do not all read the same.
What some countries add
Legalisation, sometimes
A few countries require UK documents to carry an apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office before they will accept them. We tell you whether yours does.
Official translation, sometimes
Where documents are not in the local language, an approved translator may have to produce the version the authority will accept. Not every country asks; the ones that do will not bend on it.
Being in the country a few days early
Most places require you to appear in person before the ceremony to swear the final declarations and hand over originals. This is why we build arrival dates into your plan rather than leaving them to the flights.
We will not publish a notice period or a document list as gospel. They differ by country, they differ by municipality, and they change. A figure quoted wrongly on a website is how a couple arrives too late to marry on their own wedding day. Ask us and we will confirm the current requirement for your date, in writing, before you book anything.
Legal or symbolic — know which you are having
A legal ceremony
Conducted by an authority with the power to marry you, and it creates a marriage recognised at home. It is the paperwork above that makes this possible, and it is what we arrange by default.
A symbolic ceremony
A blessing or celebrant ceremony with no legal effect. Some couples complete the formalities quietly at home and hold this abroad for the day itself — far less paperwork, and nobody watching can tell the difference. A perfectly good choice, as long as it is a choice.
Country by country
Cyprus is the most straightforward place in Europe for a British couple to marry, which is a large part of why we are based there, and it has its own page below. For the others, the destination page carries what you need and we fill in the current detail for your date.
Common legal questions
- Is a wedding abroad legally recognised in the UK?
- Yes, provided the marriage was validly contracted under the law of the country where it took place, both of you had the legal capacity to marry, and it does not conflict with UK law on age or prohibited degrees. A civil ceremony conducted by the proper local authority in any of the countries we work in satisfies that test, and the marriage is a marriage at home from the moment it happens.
- Do we have to register our marriage in the UK when we get home?
- No — and there is no facility to do it. There is no requirement to register or deposit a foreign marriage certificate in the UK. The General Register Office deposit service closed on 1 January 2014, and even while it existed, depositing a certificate never conferred recognition. Several wedding websites still tell couples otherwise, and it causes a great deal of unnecessary worry.
- What paperwork do we need to get married abroad?
- Passports, full birth certificates, proof that you are free to marry, and — where either of you has been married before — a decree absolute or a death certificate with the earlier marriage certificate. Some countries add legalisation or official translation. The exact list depends on the country and occasionally on the municipality, so we confirm it in writing for your date rather than leaving you to work from a generic checklist.
- What is the difference between a legal and a symbolic ceremony abroad?
- A legal ceremony is conducted by an authority with the power to marry you, and it creates a marriage. A symbolic ceremony, sometimes called a blessing or a celebrant ceremony, creates none — it is a ceremony in every emotional sense and in no legal sense. Both are entirely valid choices. Some couples complete the legal formalities quietly at home and hold a symbolic ceremony abroad for the day itself, which can simplify the paperwork considerably. What matters is that you know which one you are having, and we will always tell you plainly.
- How long does the paperwork for a wedding abroad take?
- Begin around six months out and you will be comfortable. The long poles are ordering a full birth certificate if you do not hold one, and giving notice at home if your destination requires a Certificate of No Impediment — both are measured in weeks. Nothing about the paperwork should be rushed, and nothing about it should be left until you are at the airport.
- Can same-sex couples marry abroad?
- In some of the countries we work in, yes; in others the law provides a civil partnership rather than a marriage, and in a few it provides neither. The difference matters, so we set out the position country by country on our LGBTQ+ weddings page rather than giving a single answer that would be wrong somewhere.
This page describes how marrying abroad works in practice and is not legal advice. For the UK government’s own guidance, see gov.uk/marriage-abroad. We confirm the requirements that apply to your ceremony in writing before you commit to a date.
Ask us for your actual list
Tell us the country and the date and we will send the current requirements for your ceremony — in writing, with the dates you need to act on.
Get your requirements
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