Organising a Roman Catholic Wedding Abroad
As pointed out elsewhere, not all countries will register marriages which take place in a Roman Catholic Church. If such marriages are recognised you will also need to comply with all civil requirements for the country.
However complicated the paperwork for a Catholic wedding overseas may seem, it does have the advantage of being the same, regardless of the country in which the wedding is held.
Documentation for Roman Catholic Weddings
The church paperwork takes some time to complete, so realistically you need to start at least 6 months prior to the wedding.
All church paperwork is completed in the Bride's parish, though some documents, such as a baptismal and confirmation certificates, will be needed from the Groom's parish also.
Most priests are quite familiar with the procedures involved in arranging an overseas wedding and will be very helpful in ensuring you complete all the documentation in full.
Documentation Overview
- Pre-nuptial enquiry form for each party to the marriage (can be obtained from your local parish)
- Baptismal certificates for each party, issued from the parish of your baptism and dated within the past six months.
- Confirmation certificate issued from the parish of your confirmation and dated within the last six months.
- Permission from the bride’s Parish Priest that she may be married outside her own parish (Letter of Freedom).
These documents are forwarded by the bride’s parish priest to the local Bishop who will then prepare a covering letter and forward them directly to the church where you will be getting married.
Special Documentary Requirements
In certain cases additional documentation is required:
- Additional Letters of freedom from other parishes where either party has lived for a significant period.
- A dispensation if either party to the marriage is not baptised in the Roman Catholic Church.
- If either party had a previously annulled marriage a Decree of Nullity.
- If either party was previously married, a death certificate.
Your local priest will be able to advise on which if any of these are required.
Pre-marriage Courses
While a pre-marriage course is not a requirement in all countries, it will invariably be recommended that you attend one and many parish priests do make it a requirement before issuing documents.