Overseas Marriage and Irish Citizens
Rome has traditionally been the most popular destination for Irish couples getting married abroad but other places are now catching up fast! If you get married legally in a country which appears on this list, your marriage will be fully recognised for all legal purposes in Ireland.
Validity of Foreign Marriage
Overseas marriages by Irish citizens are recognised as legal and valid within Ireland provided:
- the marriage is legal under the law of the country where it took place
- the marriage would have been legal if it had taken place in Ireland.
Certificate of No Impediment
Almost all countries will require that both parties to the marriage produce a Certificate of No Impediment issued by your district registrar before they will issue a marriage licence or give permission to marry.
In Ireland this is most commonly referred to as a Certificate of Nulla Osta and can be obtained from the Consular Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs (note, not the Registry Office).
To acquire your certificate both parties to the marriage must attend at the Consular Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs in person, with birth certificates, and if relevant divorces certificates or proof of widowed status. You will both be required to make a solemn declaration that you are free to marry.
If you are living abroad you can apply for a Certificate of Nulla Osta at an Irish Embassy or Consulate.
Department of Foreign Affairs
Consular Division
80 St. Stephen’s Green
Dublin 2
Tel. 01 478 0822
Registering a Foreign Marriage
It is not possible to register a foreign marriage with the registry office in Ireland, but it is not in any case necessary to do so, since a valid marriage certificate from another country will be recognised for all legal purposes.
If the certificate is in a foreign language, you may need to have a copy of it in translated into English (or Irish) for some purposes.