Wedding abroad: in which countries will Ukrainians officially marry

The tradition of grand weddings for 500 guests and a three-day feast is a thing of the past. Nowadays, simple and laconic wedding ceremonies are in vogue, with a modest celebration, when the young people go on their honeymoon the next day or immediately from the festive table. Why not combine these two events and have a wedding abroad? This is not only beautiful and unusual, but it will also save your budget, because there is no longer a whole crowd of relatives whom you would certainly have to invite to a wedding in Ukraine. Today there is a whole list of countries in which Ukrainian newlyweds will be officially signed. All that is needed for this is to properly prepare the documents.

In which countries can Ukrainians have a wedding

If we are talking about a gorgeous outdoor ceremony that you need for vivid memories and a beautiful photo shoot, you can choose absolutely any country. Today, all self-respecting wedding agencies in Ukraine offer newlyweds such a service as a wedding abroad. The "background" for a symbolic marriage can be

sea ​​coast or mountain peaks, an ancient castle, Egyptian pyramids or black sands of volcanic beaches. However, here we are talking simply about a beautiful ceremony, which will be organized for you for a lot of money. You will need to officially tie the knot either before or after in Ukraine.

If you want to sign abroad officially, so that this marriage is recognized in our country, you need to take into account the nuances of international law. There is a generally accepted rule: marriages registered abroad must be legalized in Ukraine. This means that after registering a marriage and upon returning home, you will have to deal with bringing the documents into the form adopted in our country. However, there is an exception to this rule, which is established by the Hague Convention of 1961. The countries that signed this convention (and today it is 136 countries) cancel the need to legalize documents among themselves. All you will need to have your marriage recognized as legal is to affix an apostille in the Ministry of Justice of the country where you entered into the marriage.

There is an exception to this exception: Ukraine has concluded agreements on legal assistance with some countries. According to these agreements, in order to declare a marriage legal, you do not even need to put an apostille on the documents. It will be enough to translate the marriage registration document into Ukrainian and to certify it with a notary. As of 2021, there are only 21 such countries:

• Azerbaijan
• Armenia
• Belarus
• Bulgaria
• Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of)
• Hungary
• Georgia (does not apply to the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Mongolia
• Poland
• The Republic of Moldova
• Russia
• Romania
• Serbia
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Czech Republic
• Estonia

What documents are needed to register a marriage abroad

For a wedding in another country, you will need to prepare in advance. The main thing is not a white dress and a suit of the groom, but a correctly assembled package of documents. Each state has its own requirements for the set of documents for registering a marriage, and this point needs to be clarified at the consulate of the selected country. As a rule, future newlyweds will be required to:

• corresponding application or questionnaire
• internal passports of Ukraine
• foreign passports with valid visas (if they are needed in this country)
• birth certificates
• certificates from the registry office that none of the newlyweds is married
• no criminal record
• certificates of residence registration and family composition
• certificates from the place of work about official income
• international medical insurance

If this is not the first marriage for some of the newlyweds, it will be necessary to prepare a certificate of dissolution of a previous marriage or death of a previous spouse, as well as a certificate of change of surname. All documents must be translated into the language of the country in which you are going to marry, and notarized (or apostilled). It is important to know that translated and certified documents are considered valid for only six months, so you should not deal with this issue too early.

How is marriage registration carried out abroad?

Book now specific date and the time for a wedding abroad you are unlikely to succeed. Unless you agree to travel to the selected country twice. Firstly, many agencies need your presence in person to apply for marriage registration. Secondly, foreign municipalities, as a rule, do not hold ceremonies. The whole procedure of painting is put on stream and takes about 10-15 minutes. No pigeons, glasses of champagne, wedding loaves and towels. For beauty purposes, foreigners order visiting ceremonies with representatives of local authorities. However, this is a separate and expensive procedure.

After the wedding, your actions completely depend on the chosen country. If this is a country with which Ukraine has entered into an agreement, you calmly put the marriage registration document in your suitcase, and only upon returning home translate it and carry it to the notary. If this is a signatory country to the Hague Convention, go to the Ukrainian consulate for an apostille. You also need to go there for the full legalization of documents. This process is not quick and can take one to two weeks. If by this time you have already returned home, the legalized and certified document will be sent to you by mail.

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