Legal Requirements for a Catholic Wedding in Rhodes
Noted below is a checklist of legal steps you will need to go through to succesfully complete the legalities of a Catholic wedding in Rhodes Town (Santa Maria Church).
Before you leave the UK
State Requirements :
- Full birth certificates for both parties mentioning your name and surname; Father’s and Mother’s name and surname, Date and place of birth and nationality
- If there has been a change of name by either party, a copy of the Deed Poll Certificate is required.
- Apostilles
All the necessary certificates and documents must now be legalised by the Foreign Office, who attach an Apostille to the reverse of each document. This takes approximately 10 days, and costs £19.00 per document (price correct at time of writing).
Payment is via cheque or postal order payable to: Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Address: The Registration Office, Old Admirality Building, Whitehall, London. SW1A 2LG. Tel: 0208 7008 111. www.fco.gov.uk. Your documents can be returned to you via Special Delivery.
Church Requirements
- Letter of Freedom from the diocese in your own country
- Baptism certificate
- Confirmation certificate
- Letter of dispensation in the case of a Catholic marrying a non-catholic
When you arrive in Rhodes
State Requirements
- You must bring all documentation and Apostilles to your first meeting with your wedding co-ordinator.
- All documents and Apostilles have to be translated and legalised by a lawyer in Greece. Payment for translation and legalisation is per document and must be paid for in cash in resort. Please contact us for prices.
- We then ensure that all documents for the State are legalised and translated in Greece and lodged with the appropriate authorities.
Church Requirements
- Documents for the Church must be presented to Father Luke at the Santa Maria. Your wedding co-ordinator will accompany you for your initial meeting
After the Ceremony in Rhodes
After the wedding ceremony the couple must register the marriage in the Registry Office of Rhodes (Rhodes Town).
In order to do this you will need to have:
- All documents as mentioned above as being required the State.
- The marriage certificate signed by the officiating Priest bearing the official stamp of the church
- Your passports
- Photocopies of your passports.
Please note, the Greek Authorities keep all original documents (except your passports), as official records of your wedding; none of these documents or certificates will be returned to you
On Returning to the UK
To ensure your marriage is legally recognised in the U.K. you need to lodge a copy of your wedding certificate with your local Registrar.
Important Notes:
- Travelling to and from offices to enable completion of all paperwork and arrangements will be at your own expense.
- Although Eros Weddings will help and guide you in every detail of planning your wedding abroad, you are ultimately responsible for making sure you have all the correct legal and church documents.