Civil Marriages in Croatia
Applications for a wedding in Croatia must be submitted to the registrar (known as the Maticar) in the municipality where the wedding will take place. Applications should be made between 30 and 45 days prior to the date of the wedding, and documentation sent at this time also.
The bride and groom must attend in person at the registry office at least 24 hours before the wedding to finalise paperwork. You will need to check the exact timing with the local Maticar.
Location of Civil Marriages
Civil weddings do not have to take place in a registry office but can be organised in hotels or other venues.
In Dubrovnik, the Fortress Lovrijenac, the Sponza Palace and Rectors Palace are popular locations for marriages. Weddings can be held both indoors and outside.
If the couple being married do not speak Croatian a court appointed translator must attend the wedding at their expense. The local registry office will supply you with a list, or you can usethis one maintained by the US embassy in Zagrab.
Residency & Application
There is no residency period, but you will have to attend at the registry office in person at least one day and sometimes up to 8 days prior to the ceremony, so check this carefully at the time you make your application.
With the initial submission of documentation photocopies of passports are accepted, but you must produce the original copies when you attend at the registry office prior to your wedding.
Age Requirements
18 years old without special permission.
Paperwork and Legal Declarations
- Legal identification in the form of passports (photocopies initially) and birth certificates (which must not be older than six months) is required
- You must provide the full names of your witnesses and copies of your witnesses' passports must accompany your application.
- A Certificate of No Impediment.
If the Marriage Officer has any doubt about the accuracy or genuineness of the certificate, the couple may be called upon to make a sworn declaration before the Registrar of a District Court that they are single and have never been married before or are otherwise free to marry. - Certificate of Custom & Law
This can only be issued by the embassy of your country in Croatia, not in your home country, and states that the marriage will be valid in your country, that your passport is valid and that you are indeed a citizen of your country. - Divorcees have to present the “Decree Absolute” of their dissolved marriage
- Widowed persons have to present the “Certificate of Death” of their late partner. Also they have to make a declaration on oath (affidavit) that they have not married again since then.
Verification of Documentation
Croatian authorities require that the Certificate of No Impediment and the Certificate of Custom and Law must be certified at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Zagreb, who will verify that they were issued by the proper authorities.