Marriage in the DR

She might be needing access to your bank account and any other things you have of value.

Marriage contract.

Correct on all counts. Get her to make the appointment at the Civil Registry. It is more expensive to have the judge come to you than to do the marriage at the Registry Office. It doesn't have to be very long in advance unless in a tourist area such as POP or Punta Cana. You can do the single status affadavit here in the DR, any notary public can do it directly into Spanish and your birth cert needs to be translated into Spanish. You will not get your documents back from the civil registry.

The fees depend upon the nationalities of those being married and where the wedding takes place.
If the wedding takes place in the local Civil Registry Office (Oficialia Civil)
Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic – RD $20,000.00 (US$416)
One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic – RD $10,000.00 (US$208)
Both the bride and groom are Dominican or foreigners but residents of the Dominican Republic – RD $3,000.00 (US$62)

If the wedding takes place elsewhere, such as in a resort or on a beach
Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic – RD $20,000.00 (US$416)
One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic – RD $15,000.00 (US$312)
Both the bride and groom are Dominican or foreigners but residents of the Dominican Republic – RD $10,000.00 (US$208)

• While there is no official waiting period in the Dominican Republic, you should ensure you allow some time to deposit your documents with the civil registry, usually around 3-4 days in advance.
• You will need two witnesses and their identity documents (passport or cedula) and they cannot be family members of bride or groom.
• The marriage certificate will be ready a few days after the ceremony. There are two types. An Extracto de Acta and a long version called Inextensa. For all legal purposes, passports, changing names on bank accounts etc, you will need the long version. It is worth getting several copies and get them apostilled if needed for things in the US
• If you decide to make a Prenuptial Agreement, this must be advised to the Civil Registry and deposited with them before the marriage takes place.

Civil Registry Requirements (In Spanish): http://jce.gob.do/Registro-Civil/Pr...s-son-los-requisitos-para-un-matrimonio-civil

Matilda

Thats strange. My father was the witness of my wife.

Zero said:

Thanks. She doesn't need an affidavit either right? Just me?

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Just you. But check with the judge to be sure. They don't take long to do.

Matilda

malko said:

Thats strange. My father was the witness of my wife.

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In the link I posted it says:

Dos (2) testigos por lo menos. De los testigos, dos (2) por lo menos no pueden ser familia o parientes directa o colateralmente hasta el tercer grado inclusive de los contrayentes.

So if you had more than 2 and at least 2 not related then you are OK.

Matilda

Matilda said:

In the link I posted it says:

Dos (2) testigos por lo menos. De los testigos, dos (2) por lo menos no pueden ser familia o parientes directa o colateralmente hasta el tercer grado inclusive de los contrayentes.

So if you had more than 2 and at least 2 not related then you are OK.

Matilda

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Mmmh i dont know. On the registy, my father is her testigo and a lady friend of ours is mine. So only 2 testigos.......

Oh no !! My marriage is invalid , drat !!?

malko said:

Mmmh i dont know. On the registy, my father is her testigo and a lady friend of ours is mine. So only 2 testigos.......

Oh no !! My marriage is invalid , drat !!?

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Make sure you are not getting confused Malko. Maybe your father was the padrino and the lady friend your madrina and you had 2 other witnesses. When I got married my best female friend was the madrina (for Mr Mat) and my padrino was Jose Tomas Perez, currently Dominican ambassador in Washington. Then we had 2 other non related witnesses who were the ones who signed the marriage register.

Matilda

Matilda

They were padrino and madrina, but they are also on the wedding certificate in-extensa thingy along with passport# for my father, and cedula# for our friend, so my father appears twice, once in " my" part ( malko, son of dadada and dadada ), and another time at the bottom, under testigos....... probably a yearly-change-in-the-law thingy.

A good thing ( i think, lol ) that my wife also declared the wedding to the swiss authorities........ since i didnt bother to do it with the british

malko said:

They were padrino and madrina, but they are also on the wedding certificate in-extensa thingy along with passport# for my father, and cedula# for our friend, so my father appears twice, once in " my" part ( malko, son of dadada and dadada ), and another time at the bottom, under testigos....... probably a yearly-change-in-the-law thingy.

A good thing ( i think, lol ) that my wife also declared the wedding to the swiss authorities........ since i didnt bother to do it with the british

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...I posted this on another thread.. any way...you are from the USA, and you are married in the DR...to be legal in the rest of the world, you need to register your wedding paperwork in your home town, in your home country, USA...I couldnt get it done, was impossible and I worked at it for weeks...so I am only married in the DR..maybe thats a good thing?...........Doc..............

USA DOC said:

...I posted this on another thread.. any way...you are from the USA, and you are married in the DR...to be legal in the rest of the world, you need to register your wedding paperwork in your home town, in your home country, USA...I couldnt get it done, was impossible and I worked at it for weeks...so I am only married in the DR..maybe thats a good thing?...........Doc..............

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Tough.
My wife just went to the swiss embassy in SD, handed over wedding certificate, and poof--- that was that.
I didnt do my side of the deal, as no1 had told me that the brits wanted the certificate translated and stamped 11 times ,whereas the swiss were ok with the original in spanish. But i was told the dr wedding was recognised worldwide ( and i am covered anyhow as it was registered with switzerland ).

USA DOC said:

...I posted this on another thread.. any way...you are from the USA, and you are married in the DR...to be legal in the rest of the world, you need to register your wedding paperwork in your home town, in your home country, USA...I couldnt get it done, was impossible and I worked at it for weeks...so I am only married in the DR..maybe thats a good thing?...........Doc..............

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A legally performed marriage in the DR is valid in the US as long as it does not violate local, state or federal law......i.e., bigamy, age, etc.........and does not need to be registered in any US jurisdiction that I am aware of.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

And no need to do so in the UK either "There is no provision to do so under UK legislation. In 2013, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office discontinued its service of depositing foreign marriage and civil partnership certificates with the General Register Office in the UK. It was a service to safeguard foreign marriage documents and to allow people to obtain certified copies should they need to in the future. Depositing the documents did not “recognise” or “validate” the foreign marriage under UK law. It simply protected the documents.

There is no legal requirement to register or deposit your foreign marriage or civil partnership certificate or other documents with the General Register Office, or to have your marriage/civil partnership recorded here in the UK.

The validity in UK law of a marriage or civil partnership contracted in a foreign country is in no way affected by it having been, or not having been, recorded in the UK. An overseas marriage or civil partnership is automatically valid here provided it is recognised in the country where it takes place."

https://www.nevesllp.co.uk/our-news/registering-an-overseas-marriagedivorce

After visiting an aquaintance of my future wife in a big office building he wrote a letter to present at the Oficialia Civil and I needed no documents at all except for a copy of my passport. No acta de solteria, no birth certificate, nothing.

not buying that for one bit.
i needed original birth cert, and a cy of my previous divorce.

Incomplete paperwork in official files can later come back to haunt you. Just ask Windy (it was not his fault).

Those who opt to circumvent the official processes do so at their own peril and with the understanding that at anytime the results may be deemed illegitimate. Obviously if the process calls for the submission of a birth certificate and you are not asked to supply one, then the documentation process will remain incomplete until you do. The onus is on the applicant to ensure that they comply with all the requirements, that any file is complete and that you keep a copy of all documents submitted and received. It will be up to you to prove you are in compliance and acted in good faith should questions arise later on.

jd, for example, you decide to apply for a visa to bring your wife to your home country. You can bet that the visa people will be verifying the legitimacy of your marriage. If the DR reports it invalid or the visa people are not satisfied that the marriage is valid due to incomplete filings, you may be stymied and have to start all over again.

it's up to you, but fudging an important process would be an ongoing risk.

playacaribe2 said:

A legally performed marriage in the DR is valid in the US as long as it does not violate local, state or federal law......i.e., bigamy, age, etc.........and does not need to be registered in any US jurisdiction that I am aware of.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

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..That figures...the info. on registering the marriage came from the DR...even called the embassy in Chicago USA, they said you have to register it in USA, and promised to call me back....its only been a few years ..and I an still waiting........Doc...........

jd_mine said:

After visiting an aquaintance of my future wife in a big office building he wrote a letter to present at the Oficialia Civil and I needed no documents at all except for a copy of my passport. No acta de solteria, no birth certificate, nothing.

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100% certain you turn up with just a passport there will not be a wedding, or at least not a legal one. Probably won't even be a proper judge just someone to take your money.