what a minefield... can anyone give a snapshot idea of the document procedure prior to getting married out there? we're finding costs involved are ranging anywhere between ?600 and ?1,500 in total for various things involving statements, translations etc etc. Can anyone in the know advise or suggest the cheapest least-hassle route we could take with all this??
- Thread starter iangillis
- Start date
help please!! getting married...
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I just got married July 31
I can only tell you American Prices but I just got married in the DR on July 31 so I recently just went through this. First thing you need to have is a single status letter certified and translated. Depending upon who is going to marry you will determine the level of translation you need. My judge in Sosua only wanted it certified through the Dominican Consulate in the US or actually done in the DR. However some judges are fine with your letter certified by a person who is competent in Spanish and certify that they are competent enough to translate.
For me the cost was $125 to have my birth certificate, single status letter translated and certified through the DR consulate. So my total packet that I sent to the judge was my BC, Single Status letter, all pages of my passport. My husband is dominican so all he needed was his cedula, birth certificate and the cedulas of the witnesses. If your witnesses are non dominican then they need passport copies. The cost for the judge to come to our place and since I was not dominican was $8000 pesos which translates to about $230 dollars US. If you have more questions PM me and I will help anyway I can.
I can only tell you American Prices but I just got married in the DR on July 31 so I recently just went through this. First thing you need to have is a single status letter certified and translated. Depending upon who is going to marry you will determine the level of translation you need. My judge in Sosua only wanted it certified through the Dominican Consulate in the US or actually done in the DR. However some judges are fine with your letter certified by a person who is competent in Spanish and certify that they are competent enough to translate.
For me the cost was $125 to have my birth certificate, single status letter translated and certified through the DR consulate. So my total packet that I sent to the judge was my BC, Single Status letter, all pages of my passport. My husband is dominican so all he needed was his cedula, birth certificate and the cedulas of the witnesses. If your witnesses are non dominican then they need passport copies. The cost for the judge to come to our place and since I was not dominican was $8000 pesos which translates to about $230 dollars US. If you have more questions PM me and I will help anyway I can.
My husband is french, we got married 2 years ago, the only thing the judge asked him was birth certificate and "declaracion de solteria" (a paper which said he was not married in his country) made by a dominican lawyer that costed me 500 pesos, from my part my cedula.
To got married I think we also paid 8,000 pesos, because he was not dominican.
I think the best you can do is to send someone directly to the office of the judge, even if there are rules for get married, every jugde could tell you "exactly what you need".
Anyway check this out: JCE > REG. CIVIL > Matrimonios
Good luck.
To got married I think we also paid 8,000 pesos, because he was not dominican.
I think the best you can do is to send someone directly to the office of the judge, even if there are rules for get married, every jugde could tell you "exactly what you need".
Anyway check this out: JCE > REG. CIVIL > Matrimonios
Good luck.
Getting Married
Hiya Ian,
You've not said what country you are coming from to get married in the Dominican Republic but I'm assuming the UK because you are quoting pounds! Click on the Dominican Embassy link and select the documents which apply to you:-
Dominican Republic Embassy United Kingdom
When we married in 2004 we both needed translating & certifying:-
a) Our birth certificates
b) Statutory declarations <one each> (Basically you sit before a notory in the UK and swear that you are single and there are no reasons why you can not be married, you and he/she sign it and it then becomes a legal document). Not sure of the cost on this one - see your local solicitor.
c) IN OUR CASE BECAUSE WE HAD BOTH BEEN MARRIED BEFORE our decree absolutes
If this is the first time for you both then this you will only need a) + b). This will will cost you ?580:00 + ?17:30 handling fee (there will also be the Notary's fee back in the UK as well). You can pay for it online and then send the documents to the Embassy recorded delivery. Once they come back...... voila!! You have all you need to bring and get married in Paradise.
Hope this is of help & congratulations in advance!!
Tropical Regards
Reidy
Hiya Ian,
You've not said what country you are coming from to get married in the Dominican Republic but I'm assuming the UK because you are quoting pounds! Click on the Dominican Embassy link and select the documents which apply to you:-
Dominican Republic Embassy United Kingdom
When we married in 2004 we both needed translating & certifying:-
a) Our birth certificates
b) Statutory declarations <one each> (Basically you sit before a notory in the UK and swear that you are single and there are no reasons why you can not be married, you and he/she sign it and it then becomes a legal document). Not sure of the cost on this one - see your local solicitor.
c) IN OUR CASE BECAUSE WE HAD BOTH BEEN MARRIED BEFORE our decree absolutes
If this is the first time for you both then this you will only need a) + b). This will will cost you ?580:00 + ?17:30 handling fee (there will also be the Notary's fee back in the UK as well). You can pay for it online and then send the documents to the Embassy recorded delivery. Once they come back...... voila!! You have all you need to bring and get married in Paradise.
Hope this is of help & congratulations in advance!!
Tropical Regards
Reidy
Sorry - Nearly forgot
You have to have your birth certificates (and divorce papers if applicable) legalised by the Foreign & Commonwealth office before you send them. This is their website:-
Local document search
Once again if you haven't been married before then it's only the birth certificates and that costs ?256:00 (?128:00 x 2) + ?10:00 handling fee.
Once your docs come back from the F&CO you can then get ready to send them to the Dominican Embassy.
You have to have your birth certificates (and divorce papers if applicable) legalised by the Foreign & Commonwealth office before you send them. This is their website:-
Local document search
Once again if you haven't been married before then it's only the birth certificates and that costs ?256:00 (?128:00 x 2) + ?10:00 handling fee.
Once your docs come back from the F&CO you can then get ready to send them to the Dominican Embassy.
The judge & licence here costs RD15,000 if you're both non-residents without a cedula. The translations & legalisations can all be done here more cheaply than in the (Y)UK. Our translations were about RD1,000 & legalisations RD300 each if I remember correctly. Having said that I think our birth certificates were translated & legalised in the (Y)UK before we moved here. As for the rest ....... I'm married now so know nothing except the wife is in charge lol
thanks for the replies... going to split this in two as our options once out there are pretty simple and straightforward... and I will take the liberty of giving Linda from Mel Tours a mention for her extraordinary efforts so far via her new Wedding service.
basically what's really ****ing me off is the costs involved in preparing documents to take out there. I honestly hoped getting married abroad would minimise the impact of the inflated costs that always attach themselves to occasions like this. So the roughly ?800 or so cost of getting documents translated and 'legalised' here in the UK is a real ****er. Any suggestions on bringing that cost down? i.e. translated independently?
basically what's really ****ing me off is the costs involved in preparing documents to take out there. I honestly hoped getting married abroad would minimise the impact of the inflated costs that always attach themselves to occasions like this. So the roughly ?800 or so cost of getting documents translated and 'legalised' here in the UK is a real ****er. Any suggestions on bringing that cost down? i.e. translated independently?
If you're coming to Playa Dorada/Puerto Plata there's a translator in town, very efficient. After the documents are translated you pay RD300/$5US per document for legalisation at the Palace of Justice in town.
Hope that helps & PM me if you need details of who to contact etc.
Hope that helps & PM me if you need details of who to contact etc.
thanks for that. the UK Dominican Embassy site says all documents "must be legalised by both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the UK prior to departure.".... and the total cost to do so is just shy of ?600 (RD35,700) that's for two birth certificates and two statutory declarations.
I assume then, and this is where things are really confusing us, that you don't strictly have to do so from within the UK? Is it entirely possible to send the original documents to a friend in DR (Sosua, where we'll be getting married) who'd be happy to recieve them and take them to wherever neccesary on our behalf?
I assume then, and this is where things are really confusing us, that you don't strictly have to do so from within the UK? Is it entirely possible to send the original documents to a friend in DR (Sosua, where we'll be getting married) who'd be happy to recieve them and take them to wherever neccesary on our behalf?
We got married 2 years ago (I am American and my wife Dominican) in Santo Domingo. My lawyer here drew the statement of "soltero" for 2Mil pesos. The municipal fees were also negligible. I even did it with just my passport, but I recommend your original BC.
You are aware of the laws of reciprocity in the UK? I.e., the U.S. recognizes the marriage union from most countries if you are a US citizen. Please make sure you understand your situation, rights etc. HERE and THERE.
Congratulations and Suerte!
You are aware of the laws of reciprocity in the UK? I.e., the U.S. recognizes the marriage union from most countries if you are a US citizen. Please make sure you understand your situation, rights etc. HERE and THERE.
Congratulations and Suerte!
bump...anyone able to help? We are looking at May so need to get things moving, and there'll be a place at the reception for the most helpful ones!
everyone has told you to have it done here... not sure what else you might want to know
whether sending documents completely to the DR and doing nothing through the Embassy here in London is an actual legal option and if so, any recomedations as to where our friends in Sosua can take our documents?
Anyone wanna buy a bridge?
Anyone wanna buy a bridge at half price? Daaaaaaahhhh
Did the judges, translators, etc. still respect you in the morning?
Anyone wanna buy a bridge at half price? Daaaaaaahhhh
Did the judges, translators, etc. still respect you in the morning?
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