~So when I first read the post I thought WTF
gre: Do you know how many weddings these resorts have on a yearly basis????Thousandsssssssssssssssssss!!! ~And I'm talking the Girl-Guy Type~
~So your telling us that you go through all the RED TAPE paperwork and excessive COST to make sure all the documents are LEGAL and translated properly, get marriage licensed in Home Country, go to DR, take your vows in front of what you are thinking is a Legal Judge; only to find out when you get home a await the Certificates its only to find out that there are NONE and you are not legally married????
Below I have cut and pasted the Dominican Republic guidelines for paperwork for a Legalized Wedding.....or so they say:
Wedding instructions
Please follow these instructions very carefully to avoid any delay on the process of your documents.
Valid Passport*
Original Birth Certificate* *
Single Status Affidavit and Divorce Act**. (original and notarized by a Notary Public or a Commissioner of oaths when send it by mail) find a sample of the Single Status affidavit below.
A minimum of two witnesses and a maximum of 8 (2 of them must not be blood relative) aged 18 years or over. The remaining 6 witnesses could be members of your family as stipulated on the provision No. 659 of the current legal law in the Dominican Republic. Foreignness witnesses need to hold a valid passport. If you do no provide the witnesses the hotel will provide them for free.
You should be at the hotel 48 hours before the date of the wedding if no possible, please contact your wedding planner to help you in this matter. This rule has been place by the hotels in order to have your wedding well organized. It is no mandatory by the law.
Translation into Spanish of the Single Status Affidavit, Birth Certificate, Divorce Act and Death Certificate if widowed ( It may be done at the Dominican Republic General Consulate for a fee)
Legalization of the Single Status Affidavit, Birth Certificate and Divorce Act by the Dominican Republic General Consulate.
If you are able to sign your Single Status Affidavit before a Dominican Consular representative at this Dominican Republic General Consulate, you do not need to notarize them with a Canadian notary. Please book for an appointment just by calling the Consul of the Dominican Republic in Montreal Raquel Jacobo de Cabral at (514) 991-4909 or (514) 284-5455
* To legalize your documents at this Dominican Republic General Consulate, a photocopy of your passport will be adequate; you do no have to send the original one. The birth certificate does not need to have your parent's name on it since you are including the name of your parents in your single status declaration. However, you must take all your original documents to the hotel in the Dominican Republic.
** Translated into Spanish and legalized by this Dominican Official Consulate.
Legal Fees in U$ funds:
The cost to legalize a document is 100.00U$ per document
The cost to translate a document is 40U$ per document
The cost of your package is as follow:
40$x4 to translate both Birth Certificate and two single status affidavit = 160$US
100$x4 to legalize two single status affidavit and two birth certificates= 400.00$US.
If both of you are single never married U$560.00. If one of you is divorced an additional U$140 is added to make a total of U$700.00 and if both of you are divorced you have to add U$280 to make a total of U$840.00.
NOTICE:
It is important for you to know that once your documents are legalized by us, they will be valid for three (3) consecutive months from the legalization date. A divorce bride cannot say “I do” until 10 months have passed after her official divorce, except her intended husband is the same person she has divorced. If this situation applies to you, please let us know as there may be new legal
changes on this matter.
It could take five to seven business days for the documents to be completed if send them by mail.
Please contact Mrs. Yadira Henriquez de Cabral and Mrs. Pilar Asencio from our wedding and business Department. They are willing to help you organize and smooth the progress of your wedding preparations. Contact them at the phone number: (514) 991-4909 (514) 284-5455 or email: weddinginfo@consuldrmtl.com
Send your documents to: The General Consulate of the Dominican Republic in Montreal
1470 Peel Street Suite 366 Montreal, Quebec H3A 1T1
Attention to Yadira Henriquez de Cabral
Please include a pre-paid envelope to return your documents by mail.
Payment must be done by a certified cheque or money order in US funds payable to the Dominican Republic General Consulate, if you are coming in person you may want to pay cash in U$ funds.
Dominican Republic General Consulate in Montreal
1470 Peel St. Suite 263, Montreal, Quebec
H3A 1T1
STATUTORY DECLARATION OF SINGLE STATUS
(Retype the whole document with your own information; this is just a sample)
CANADA Province of _________
IN THE MATTER OF: the marriage between [full name of both parties*]
I, [Full Name as in passport] of the City of __________in the Province of ________ DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE THAT:
1. I am [full name*], born as [name as it appears in Birth Certificate] on [date of birth] in [place of birth].
2. I am a Canadian citizen with passport No. _______ who resides at [full address].
3. I intend to marry [full name*] in the [Hotel Name] in [City], Dominican Republic during the week of [approximately date of marriage].
4. I am single and have never been married before [If divorced, please put: I am divorced as per divorce certificate No. _______ as of [date of divorce]. During my previous matrimony I was known as [name as appears on divorce certificate]. To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no legal impediment or other lawful cause to prevent me from getting married.
5. I am currently employed as a [occupation].
6. The names of my parents are _______________, Mother and ________________, Father.
AND, I make this Solemn Declaration faithfully believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath and by virtue of the Canada Evidence Act and the Dominican Republics laws
DECLARED before me at [City] ____________, province of______________this ___day of the month of_____________, year________
Signature________________
Full name
Name and signature of the Notary Public if the documents will be sent by mail.
If the document will be signed in person at this General Consulate you have to put the name of the Consul Raquel Jacobo de Cabral
~So all this work, and COST!! Yeah that's per PAGE of translation and per PAGE for Copies!!!!!
So if this is in fact the case, here is what I would propose to anyone traveling to the DR to get what they are calling is Legal Marriage~ DONT.....quitely get married by a Justice of Peace before you travel...no one has to know and when you get there JUST renew your vows....
Well that is if you want to ACTUALLY be legally married~:lick: If not the go to DR and just Go through the motions....
