Getting Married Abroad: The Apostille Checklist by Country
A civil registry in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, the Philippines, Italy or Colombia will marry a U.S. citizen only after it sees proof that you exist, that you are free to marry and that your previous marriages ended. Each proof comes from a different office, and each has a shelf life. Here is the document list for the six countries our clients marry in most, what an apostille does for each and how to time the file to the wedding date.
- Single status affidavit drafted and sworn here
- Birth certificate and divorce decree apostilled
- Timed to the wedding date
- Trusted since 2010
Identity, freedom to marry and the end of any previous marriage
Every civil registry wants the same three things from a foreign spouse, in different forms. Identity is your birth certificate and passport. Freedom to marry is the document that gives people the most trouble, because the United States issues no certificate of no impediment. American states do not keep a marital status register, so the substitute is a sworn statement, the single status affidavit, in which you swear before a notary that you are not currently married. Some countries accept that affidavit sworn in Massachusetts and apostilled. Others insist it be sworn at the U.S. embassy in their country. The end of a previous marriage is a certified divorce decree or a former spouse’s death certificate, apostilled.
Each document is apostilled by its own authority. A Massachusetts birth certificate and a Massachusetts affidavit go to One Ashburton Place. A New Hampshire divorce decree goes to Concord. A Rhode Island birth certificate goes to Providence. A document from another country cannot be apostilled here at all. Our out of state guide covers the routing.
Then the registry wants all of it in its language, translated after the apostilles by the kind of translator it recognizes, and, in Mexico and several others, filed a set number of days before the ceremony.
The United States does not certify that you are single. You swear it, a notary witnesses it and the Commonwealth apostilles the notary.
What each registry has asked our clients for
Local registries vary within each country and lists change. Confirm with the registry or the wedding planner, and bring their list to us.
Registro Civil
Apostilled birth certificate, passport, and for a previous marriage an apostilled divorce decree or death certificate. Some states ask for a single status affidavit. Others do not. Many registries require a blood test and medical certificate from a local clinic in the days before, and translations by a perito traductor. Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta registries handle foreign weddings daily and post their lists. Our Mexico guide covers the rest.
Oficialía del Estado Civil
Apostilled birth certificate, apostilled single status affidavit sworn before a notary, passport, and apostilled divorce decree if applicable, all translated into Spanish by a translator the registry accepts. Resort weddings run through a local lawyer who files the documents at the Oficialía. The affidavit is usually wanted within three months of the ceremony. See the Dominican Republic guide.
Family court through the adoul
Morocco is a Hague member and wants apostilles on the birth certificate, the police clearance from your state or the FBI, and the divorce decree if any. The affidavit of eligibility to marry is obtained from the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, not from a Massachusetts notary. A medical certificate from a Moroccan doctor and, for a non Muslim man marrying a Muslim woman, a conversion certificate are also required. Translation into Arabic by a sworn translator in Morocco.
Local Civil Registrar
The registrar wants a certificate of legal capacity to marry. The U.S. Embassy in Manila no longer issues one. U.S. citizens execute an affidavit in lieu of it at the embassy. Apostilled birth certificate and apostilled divorce decree or annulment for previous marriages, plus a marriage license applied for ten days before. English documents need no translation. The Philippines has accepted apostilles since 2019.
Comune and the atto notorio
Italy wants an apostilled birth certificate and, in place of a nulla osta, a sworn declaration by the U.S. citizen before the U.S. consulate in Italy, followed by an atto notorio with witnesses at the comune or an Italian consulate. Divorce decrees are apostilled and translated. Many comuni want the birth certificate issued within six months. See the Italy guide.
Notaría
Colombian weddings are performed by a notaría, which wants the apostilled birth certificate issued within three months, an apostilled single status affidavit, passport, apostilled divorce decree if any, and official Spanish translations. Colombia often asks for the translation itself to be apostilled as well. Our translation guide covers that two apostille case.
Getting the single status affidavit right
What it says
Your full legal name as on your passport, date and place of birth, passport number, current address, a statement that you are not now married and are legally free to marry, and, where a previous marriage ended, the date and place of the divorce or death. Some countries want the intended spouse named. Some want the statement that you have never been married, which is a different sentence from being free to marry now. Registries publish their wording. We draft to it.
How it is sworn
Before a Massachusetts notary, as a jurat: you sign in the notary’s presence and swear the contents are true. An acknowledgment, where the notary only confirms your signature, is refused by most registries. Sign the way your name appears on your passport. Our notarization guide shows the certificate the Commonwealth apostilles.
When a Massachusetts affidavit is not enough
Morocco, the Philippines and Italy want the freedom to marry statement made at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their country. In those cases the Massachusetts documents are the birth certificate and any divorce decree, and the affidavit is a step you take after arriving, with an appointment booked weeks ahead.
Blood tests, waiting periods and witnesses
The apostilled documents are only part of what the registry wants on the day. Mexico’s civil registries require blood tests from a local laboratory taken in the days before the ceremony, and some states add a chest x-ray. The Philippines imposes a ten day posting period after the marriage license application. Italy’s atto notorio needs two witnesses who are not relatives. Colombia’s notaría schedules the ceremony after reviewing the file, often two to three weeks later. None of these can be done from Massachusetts, so the apostilled file must be complete before you fly, leaving the local steps for the days after arrival. Wedding planners at resort destinations handle the local steps daily and will tell you how many days early to arrive.
Timing
Most registries want the affidavit dated within three to six months of the ceremony. Sign it after the date is set, apostille it immediately, and translate after the apostille. The validity guide lists the windows.
Marriage abroad checklist
- Get the registry’s document list and wording in writing.
- Order a fresh certified copy of your birth certificate. Registries want a recent one.
- Locate the certified divorce decree or death certificate for any previous marriage, and note which state issued it.
- Find out whether the affidavit is sworn here or at the embassy there.
- Count back from the ceremony date to time the affidavit and the translations.
Divorce decrees, annulments and a former spouse’s death
Divorce decrees
A Massachusetts judgment of divorce absolute is certified by the Probate and Family Court registry that issued it, then apostilled by the Commonwealth. Registries abroad want the final judgment, not the decree nisi. A divorce from another state is certified and apostilled there. A foreign divorce is used with that country’s apostille. The divorce decree service handles the registry step.
Death of a former spouse
A certified death certificate from the state where the death occurred, apostilled there. Massachusetts death records come from RVRS or the town clerk. See the death certificate guide.
Multiple previous marriages
Some registries want proof that every previous marriage ended, not only the last. Mexico and Colombia often do. Gather all decrees before the wedding date is set, since decrees from older cases take the longest to locate.
Name changes
A birth certificate in a birth name, a passport in a married name and a divorce decree restoring the birth name must be reconciled. The decree itself usually does it. Where it does not, a court name change order is apostilled and added. The registry reads every document against the passport.
Three weddings and the document that nearly stopped each
Names changed. Each is a file that reached us with a date already booked.
The affidavit was acknowledged, not sworn
A couple from Peabody had a single status affidavit notarized at a bank with an acknowledgment. The resort’s lawyer flagged that the Oficialía wanted a sworn statement. They re-signed as a jurat before our notary, we walked it into One Ashburton Place with the fresh birth certificate, and the Spanish translation was done after. The file reached the lawyer three weeks before the ceremony.
The divorce was from New Hampshire
A groom in Haverhill had a Nashua divorce decree and assumed Massachusetts would apostille it. We sent it to Concord instead, where it was apostilled the same day for $10, and his Massachusetts birth certificate went to Boston. The registry in Quintana Roo wanted both translated by a perito traductor, which the planner arranged locally, and a blood test on arrival.
The translation needed its own apostille
A bride from Lynn had everything apostilled and translated, and the notaría asked for the translation to be apostilled as well. The translator signed her certification before our notary, the Commonwealth apostilled that notarization in four business days, and the notaría accepted the file. Colombia is the country where this comes up most.
What all three share
The documents were all obtainable. The problems were the type of notarial act, the state of issue and the order of the translation, and each was fixed in under a week once someone who does this daily read the registry’s list. Get the list to us before the venue deposit.
After the wedding
Your foreign marriage certificate is a foreign document. To use it in the United States for a name change, Social Security or immigration, it needs that country’s apostille and a certified English translation. To register the marriage with a consulate for citizenship purposes, the consulate has its own list. We handle the return trip as well. The legalization guide explains the difference for non Hague countries.
What a marriage abroad package costs
The Commonwealth charges $6 per apostille. Other states $5 to $40. Our service starts at $149.95 per document and includes drafting the affidavit to the registry’s wording, notarization, the trip to One Ashburton Place, courier and tracking. Out of state routing, vital record ordering and translations are itemized separately. A typical file with a birth certificate, affidavit and one decree is quoted as a package. Every quote is in writing before you pay. Fingerprints for the FBI check are taken at our sister office, Fingerprint Boston, in the same building.
See the full pricing page and the cost guide.
Get an itemized quoteFrequently asked questions
What documents does a U.S. citizen need to marry abroad?
An apostilled birth certificate, a valid passport, proof of freedom to marry, which is a sworn single status affidavit or an embassy affidavit depending on the country, and an apostilled divorce decree or death certificate for any previous marriage. Most countries also want translations made after the apostilles.
Does the United States issue a certificate of no impediment?
No. No federal or state office keeps a marital status register. The substitute is a sworn affidavit, either notarized in Massachusetts and apostilled, or sworn at the U.S. embassy in the country of the wedding.
Which countries want the affidavit sworn at the U.S. embassy instead?
Morocco, the Philippines and Italy, among others, want the statement made at the U.S. consulate in their country. Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Colombia generally accept a Massachusetts affidavit with an apostille.
How recent must my birth certificate be?
Colombia often wants it issued within three months, Italy within six, Mexico and the Dominican Republic usually within a year. Order a fresh certified copy once the date is set.
My divorce was in another state. Who apostilles it?
The state whose court issued it. A New Hampshire decree is apostilled in Concord, a Florida decree in Tallahassee. Massachusetts apostilles only Massachusetts judgments.
Should I translate the documents before the apostille?
No. Apostille first, then translate the document and its apostille together. Colombia and a few others also want the translation itself apostilled.
How far ahead should I start?
Eight to twelve weeks before the ceremony for a file with an out of state decree or a non Hague destination. Four to six weeks for a Massachusetts only file to Mexico or the Dominican Republic. Sign the affidavit inside the registry’s validity window.
Will my foreign marriage be recognized in Massachusetts?
A marriage valid where performed is generally recognized. To use the foreign certificate here for a name change or immigration, obtain that country’s apostille on it and a certified English translation.
Related services and guides
Apostille service near you
Paperwork done before the flowers are ordered
Send us the registry’s list and the date. We draft the affidavit, apostille the records and deliver the file to you or to your planner, translated and in order.
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