Married, but not married? US citizen marrying my gf in DR

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DKano

New member
Sep 4, 2004
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I want to bring my girlfriend to live with me to New York (US). After reading some posts here and visiting the US Dept. of State's website, it seems like it would be better if I bring her as my fiance and we get married here in the states. If we have a church wedding, but not legal papers are filed (no civil wedding) in the Dominican Republic, can I still apply for her to come here as my fiance and we then have a civil wedding here?
Thanks!
 
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ALGS

New member
Jul 14, 2003
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If you get married by the Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic you will be automatically having a civil wedding at the same time (the priest acts as the "Oficial de Estado Civil" which is the public officer appointed to perform civil marriages in the Dominican Republic. All this due to the Agreement called the "Concordato" signed by the Dominican Republic and the Vatican in 1954 in which the Dominican Republic acquired the Roman Catholic Religion as the country's official religion. This same provision applies now to other religions included in a bill that was signed into law recently ( the dual marriage that is).

Algs
 
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DKano

New member
Sep 4, 2004
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Thanks Algs!

I didn't know about this agreement with the Vatican! We were just hoping to have a small wedding there so that her family could be present, since they can't come to the US and be with us when we get married here. Well, we'll see what we can work out. If it didn't take that much longer to bring her to the US as my wife instead of as my fianc?, we would just get married in DR and go for the K-3 Visa, but waiting up to 2 1/2 years is just too much!
 
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