Legal Issues

It is straightforward for British citizens to get married in Cyprus, and the marriage will be completely legal in the UK. There are however, a number of criteria that by Cyprus Law you must meet before the marriage can take place.

You can choose to have a civil wedding ceremony only or you can elect to have either an Anglican or Catholic Church ceremony. Catholic couples who elect to have a church ceremony must also have the civil ceremony.

Firstly, you must be resident in Cyprus for at least three working days before the wedding day. This excludes the day of your arrival, weekends and local public holidays. However, we do recommend that if possible you arrive a little before the legal minimum period as it gives you time to relax and enjoy the sunshine before the big day.

Both bride and groom must hold a valid 10 year passport which must not expire within the next 6 months, plus photocopies of all the pages containing personal information

Both of you must have a Single Status Statutory Declaration confirming that you a free to get married. These must include you name, address, nationality, religion, passport number and occupation. It must state whether you are single, widowed or divorced and that you intend to marry in Cyprus. The document must be signed and stamped by a UK solicitor, stating ‘solicitor’ on the document.

Scottish nationals must obtain a Certificate of No Impediment from the local registry office in place of the Declaration.

Irish Nationals must obtain Freedom to Marry Certificate from the department of foreign affairs in Ireland or the Irish Embassy in the UK. Please note the above certificates are only valid for 3 months so please ensure that they do not expire before your wedding day.

You must have a copy of the Decree Absolute if you are divorced, and if you are Catholic, a copy of the marriage annulment. Once are married the Registrar will keep the original Decree Absolute, so if you think you may need a copy of this in the future, please make sure that you make any required copies before you arrive in Cyprus.

If you are a widow or widower, you must have a copy of the death certificate of your husband or wife.

If the bride or groom is under 18 years of age, proof of parental consent it required, this must be stamped and signed by a solicitor.

If you have changed your name by Deed Poll, you must bring proof of this, signed and stamped by a solicitor.

Birth Certificates for both of you.

If adopted, please bring your adoption certificate.

In order to have an Anglican Church wedding, either the bride or the groom must have been baptised or possess a christening certificate. Both parties in a Catholic wedding must have a baptismal certificate.

To ensure that there are no legal problems, we must receive a fax or photocopies of all relevant documents 6 weeks before your wedding which will give us sufficient time to have them checked for acceptability. You must bring all the original documents with you, copies will not be accepted by the Town Halls. It is a good idea to carry these documents with you on the plane, to minimise the risk of them going astray.

If you wish to arrange a wedding at the last minute we will of course try to fulfil your wishes. Please note that we can’t be held responsible for any changes of date or time of the wedding ceremony, nor any changes to reception venues which are beyond our control. If you do not have the correct documentation with you this may result in cancellation or delay of the wedding, for which we can’t be held liable. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all necessary legal paperwork with you.

When you arrive in Cyprus your wedding co-ordinator will meet you, check all your documents and arrange to either take you to or meet you at the Town Hall to make apply for your special Marriage Licence. There will be paperwork to sign, and you will need to provide details of your two witnesses, including their passport numbers. If you do not have any witnesses we can provide them for you. Please check all the details carefully as this information will go onto your marriage certificate and can’t be corrected later. If you are having a Town Hall wedding, the licence will be kept by the Town Hall. If you are having a Church wedding then a Certificate of Notification will be issued to your wedding co-ordinator and she will hand it to the Church. At the wedding you will be given this back with your marriage certificate. Please note that

If you are having a church wedding you will have an appointment with the Church co-ordinator and also the vicar who will be conducting the ceremony. He will discuss the procedures with you, find out what music you would like, and also learn a little about you so that he can personalise the service for you. Please note your wedding co-ordinator will not attend this meeting.