Getting married overseas

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY ACCURATE IN EVERY CASE. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE FOREIGN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE, THE FOREIGN LAW DIVISION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, OR A FOREIGN ATTORNEY. THE CIVIL MARRIAGE PROCESS IN UKRAINE The Ukrainian civil marriage process can take several weeks to several months. If you are marrying another American, or a third-country national, it is the Embassy’s understanding that Ukrainian authorities require that one of the parties be present in Ukraine - for an unspecified period of several months - before they can register their marriage in Ukraine. To marry a Ukrainian citizen, a U.S. citizen should follow these step-by-step instructions. Step 1: If you have been married before, please make sure that you have the original divorce decree or death certificate properly authenticated in the U.S. Since Ukraine acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, the U.S. documents destined for use in Ukraine should be certified by one of the officials in the jurisdiction in which the document has been executed. Said official must have been designated as competent to issue certifications by "apostille" (usually in the office of the State Secretary of State of his/her counterpart). PLEASE NOTE: According to the law, the U.S. Embassy cannot certify any documents issued in the U.S. Step 2: Fill out a Letter of Non-Impediment to Marriage ("marriage letter") at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. This form (in English and Ukrainian) contains basic information and is a sworn statement that you are not currently married. It must be signed only in the presence of a Consular Officer and, as for a notarial service, there is a fee of $30. At the same time you can obtain the forms and instructions necessary for filing an immigration petition with the Embassy or at your local USCIS office in the U.S.* Step 3: Authenticate the "Letter" at the Legalization Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, located in Kyiv at 2 Velyka Zhytomyrska, tel: 238-1815, 253-1266, 212-8392, 238-1669, any working day of the week except Thursday from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (accepting documents) and 4:00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. (returning documents). Please keep in mind the difference in working hours between the Ministry and the Embassy when you make your travel plans. The application fee is 8 Hryvnas for each document. The legalization fee is 8.50 Hryvnas (about $1.5) for Ukrainian citizens, 17 Hrivnas (about $3) for foreign citizens and 85 Hrivnas (about $16) for legal entities per document for next-day service. For one-day expediting service one has to pay a double fee. The fee must be paid to account 141924 of the National Bank of Ukraine in any neighborhood (They are called: Oshchadna Kasa). Step 4: Obtain a certified translation of the data page of your passport, any annulment decrees, divorce decrees or death certificates of your former spouse(s) (if you were previously married), and the letter of non-impediment to marriage. Step 5: To arrange for your marriage, take all the documents, including your original passport (with a translation), the authenticated original death or divorce decree (if any) (with translation), and the authenticated Letter of Non-Impediment to Marriage, with translation to RAGS - loosely translated as the civil registrar’s office in the hometown of your fianc?(e)*. The Central RAGS in Kyiv is located at 11 Prospekt Peremogy, tel: 236-0071. The person who deals with marriages to foreigners can be reached at 236-7981. *Please be aware that if you plan to file an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative for your spouse to immigrate to the US after you get married, it may take from 3 to 5 months for the petition to be processed. THE CIVIL MARRIAGE PROCESS IN RUSSIA Marrying a Russian citizen in Russia is a momentous and joyous occasion. The United States government it self imposes no requirements on American citizens getting married overseas and only offers its congratulations. However, you will have to satisfy the Russian governments requirements for getting married here. This guide will help you navigate through those regulations. In most cases, getting married in Russia can be achieved through the following 5 steps: Step 1: Register Your Visa Visitors to Russia are required by law to register. Registration of your visa is done by your sponsor at either the local or central UVIR (Office of Foreign Visa Registration) office. Step 2: Complete and Notarize the Marriage Letter A marriage letter affirms your marital status. The marriage letter must be completed in Russian and notarized by Consular Officer at the Embassy. The transliteration of your name should be identical to that on your Russian visa. The document is valid for only three months after notarization. When two American citizens are involved, two marriage letters should be completed. Citizens of countries other than the United States and Russia, should consult their Embassy for more information. Please refer to the schedule of fees for the cost of notarial services. Refer to hours of service to see when we are open. Step 3: Authenticate the Marriage Letter Authentication of the marriage letter is performed by the Department of Legalization of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The procedure costs around 100 rubles for a five-day return. Fees are paid at the Sberkassa located at Department of Legalization. Department of Legalization, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1st Neopalimovskiy Pereulok, Dom 12a (near Smolenskaya Metro) 10:00am - 1:00pm; 3pm - 5pm (4:30pm on Fridays), 244-3797 Step 4: Translate Your Passport The passport page containing your vital information must be translated into Russian. The necessary translation can be obtained at any certified translation center that has a Russian notary public present. You may visit our website to find a list of certified translation centers in Moscow. Step 5: Get Married The Zapis Aktov Grazhdanskogo Sostoyaniya (ZAGS) office where your fiancee/fiance is registered must inspect your documents. ZAGS officials generally will require that you submit apostilled copies of all pertinent US civil documents (i.e., divorce certificates, annulments). ZAGS schedules civil service weddings 32 days from the date of registration. You may leave Russia during this time and then return on the 32nd day to receive the marriage license. Residents of Moscow may submit their documents to the Civil Registry Office at the following address: Palace of Weddings, 17 Butyrskaya Street, telephone 285-1960, 285-7988. THE CIVIL MARRIAGE PROCESS IN BELARUS NOTE: Only marriages performed at a registrar's office (ZAGS - Office for Matrimonial Acts Registration) are legally valid in Belarus. A church ceremony may be held later, if desired. It is important to remember that all documents submitted must be translated into Russian (or Belarusian) and that the processing, in most cases, will require time. (The application fee and marriage registration service fee is about $7 charged in local currency, and subject to minor cost fluctuations.) Marriage registration is preceded by filing a marriage application with the ZAGS assigned to the area where the Belarusian fianc?(e) resides. Applications should be filed by both fianc?(e)s who certify their intention to get married by signing the application in the presence of a ZAGS representative. According to Belarusian laws, a marriage can not be registered sooner than 17 or later than 90 calendar days after it was applied for. BELOW IS A LIST OF DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE REGISTRAR'S OFFICE (ZAGS) BY THE ENGAGED COUPLE: Passport translated into Russian: translation must be notarized by a local notary public. Certificate of Free Status (Certificate of Non-Impediment) - required of all foreigners marrying in Belarus. ZAGS offices generally accept an "Affidavit of Free Status" executed before an American Consul in Belarus (See on the Main Page - Consular Services: U.S. Citizen Services; or enter http://travel.state.gov/acs.html#marriage on your internet browser) or before a notary public in the U.S. In the latter case, the affidavit should be translated into Russian and authenticated in accordance with the Hague Legalization Convention (see http://travel.state.gov/hague_foreign_docs.html for additional information on the Hague Legalization Convention and its procedures) and bear an apostille. Documents issued in the U.S. can be authenticated only in the U.S. The state where the document is issued will need to affix the apostille. In case the "Certificate of Free Status" lists the American fianc?(e)'s status as "divorced" or "widowed" a divorce decree or death certificate is required. In both instances the document must be translated into Russian and have an apostille affixed to it. After the marriage is performed, a marriage certificate will be issued by ZAGS. For further use outside Belarus, the certificate should bear an apostille from the Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus in Minsk (37a Karl Marx Street, Minsk 220030, tel. +375 (172) 222661; an equivalent of $7 is charged in local currency for each apostille) or at the appropriate Belarusian consulate abroad. We recommend that you do this in Minsk, as otherwise the cost can be prohibitive. Prior to travel to Belarus, U.S. citizens are urged to review the Consular Information Sheet, and any pertinent Public Announcements or Travel Warnings (http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html). THE CIVIL MARRIAGE PROCESS IN UZBEKISTAN The following guide is for American citizens who wish to register their marriage in Uzbekistan. There are many steps to this process and it is important to follow them all carefully. Step 1: PLEASE PLAN AHEAD: If you are an American citizen and intend to marry in Uzbekistan, you should bring to Uzbekistan all pertinent civil documents from the U.S. (i.e. divorce certificates from a previous marriage). A letter from the U.S. certifying that you are single is not necessary; you will make a statement regarding your marital status at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent and a consular officer will certify the statement. The Uzbek law requires both groom and bride to undergo medical examination prior to marriage registration. Certificates from U.S. doctors are accepted. Step 2: PREPARE THE STATEMENT: The begining of the process takes place at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent. The U.S. Embassy has a form for you to complete with basic biographic information about you and your fiance(e). Information should be written in both English and Uzbek/Russian. You are welcome to the Consular Section for this service from 10a.m. to 12 noon and 2pm to 4 pm Monday thru Thurday and Friday 2pm to 4 pm. The fee to have the document notarized at the Embassy is $30. Step 3: AUTHENTICATE THE DOCUMENTS: The Statement must be authenticated by the Legalization Section of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) (tel: 133-36-03). The documents accepted at the MFA’s Reception House;address is #1, Sailgokh Street; Receiving hours: from 10-12. Step 4: OBTAIN AN OFFICIAL TRANSLATION: The information page of your U.S. passport must be translated into Russian or Uzbek and certified; the Embassy does not provide translations. One source of certified translations is the first city notary office (address: Mahmud Tarobi Str. #8). The Embassy provides no guarantees about the quality of services performed. Step 5: ENSURE THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED: If you are staying in a hotel, you will be registered automatically; otherwise, you must register with a local Entry, Exit and Citizenship office (EE&C formerly known as OVIR); proof of registration is required for further processing. Step 6: GO TO VITAL RECORDS OFFICE (ZAGZ): Take all of the documents you have prepared (including the originals of any documents proving the dissolution of any previous marriages, the certified translation of your passport information, and your passport with the Uzbek visa and registration stamp) to the vital records office (ZAGS in Russian) in your fiance(e)’s home town. In Tashkent, couples should go to a district (ZAGS) office according to the fiance(e)’s residence registration (propiska) or Republican Marriage House named “Navroz”; its address is prospect Druzhba Narodov, #5 Furkat Street, telephone number 45-77-48. Receiving hours: Tuesday thru Sunday from 9 a.m. till 6p.m. There is a fee for marriage registration paid in soms; the couples should also pay the equivalent of $50 in soms at the National Bank as state tax and submit the receipt of payment at the vital record office (ZAGS). You will be given a marriage date 32 days from the date of registration unless you can demonstrate a pressing need for an earlier date. Step 7: OBTAIN A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE: The vital records office (ZAGS) will issue you a marriage certificate. Since the marriage certificate may be unfamiliar to those in the U.S. who require proof of marriage (insurance companies, etc) you may, if you wish, have the certificate authenticated by the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy. Before you bring the certificate to the Consular section you should get it translated and certified at the first city notary office, then at the Ministry of Justice (receiving hours: 9am-11am) and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (receiving hours: 3pm-5pm). The fee at the Embassy is $30. You’ve done all 7 steps? Congratulations! Now you are legally married and you have a marriage certificate recognized both in Uzbekistan and in the U.S.