Legal Requirements for a Civil Wedding in Rhodes
Noted below is a checklist of legal steps you will need to go through to succesfully complete the legalities of a Civil wedding in Rhodes (weddings in Lindos, Filerimos, and Rhodes Town Hall).
Before you leave the UK
Go through the checklist below and decide which documents relate to both of you. As a minimum all couples should have a birth certificate and certificate of no impediment each.
- Passports - please supply clear photocopies.
- Full A4 Birth certificates with both parents' names.
- If divorced, a Decree Absolute is required.
- If widowed, the spouse's Death Certificate is required.
- If adopted, an Adoption Certificate is required.
- If you have had a change of name, a Deed poll certificate is required, which must be signed by a UK public notary or a solicitor.
- A Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage proves you are single and free to marry. It is issued by your local Registrars office. It may take a month for the certificate to be issued and there is a fee to pay. This must not be obtained more than 3 months prior to the wedding date.
- 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 £27.00 per document (price correct at time of writing).
Payment is via cheque or postal order payable to:
The Legalisation Office
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Old Admiralty Building
The Mall
London SW1A 2LG
Tel : 020 7008 1111
Web : http://www.fco.gov.uk.
The Foreign Office currently have a backlog of approximately 4 weeks and we recommend that clients send their documents by recorded delivery.
Eros Weddings needs to receive copies of all the relevant documents and the Apostilles as soon as possible prior to your arrival in Rhodes
When you arrive in Rhodes
- Please bring your original documents and all Apostilles for your
wedding co-ordinator during your first meeting. 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 are legalised and translated in Greece and lodged with the appropriate authorities.
- 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
After the Ceremony in Rhodes
- You will be issued with two copies of your wedding certificate in Greek – in Lindos and Filerimos this may be two days after your wedding.
- Both copies now have to be translated into English and legalised by a lawyer.
- Eros Weddings will organise the documentation and ensure you have legalised wedding certificates – two in Greek and two in English, delivered to your accommodation prior to your return to the UK
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 documents