Certificates of Freedom - Marriage Abroad

Zamboni

Anyone know how long this takes?

Cheers

Emerald Lass

Zamboni wrote: »

Anyone know how long this takes?

Cheers

it takes 4 mths minimum to issue, but they only last 3 mths, so basically you cannot apply more than 6 mths before the required date (cos if you apply 7 mths ahead, and it takes 4 mths to be issued, then by the time of the wedding it may have expired!).

It is only €20, but you need to send in an original birth cert. (I didn't bother getting a PO or cheque - I just chanced putting the €20 in the envelope!)

about 2 weeks after I sent it off I got a letter confirming my application with a receipt and my birth cert back. Won't have the actual cert until end of April.

Make sure you state clearly when the cert is required for. If you do not have the date booked, state clearly the approximate date you want (in Turkey they wouldn't let us book the wedding more than 6 weeks before anyway, and also needed proof that I had my cert before they would allow it, so I just put 'June' on the form. Turns out its not needed now anyway cos getting married here - maybe I can flog you mine?? lol)

Mrs Fed

The docs have a validity of 3/6 months. It also depends where you are from.


NULLA OSTA - This is a document which all foreign citizens (non Italians) need to have in order to marry in Italy. Australians and Americans need to obtain their Nulla Osta at their consulate in Italy. It takes half a day to obtain the Nulla Osta, you need to go to the Consulate or Embassy with a proof of non-residency (flight tickets for example) and the rest of the paperwork prepared in your country. The Nulla Osta - non impediment certificate - gives you permission to get married in Italy.
ATTO NOTORIO - It must be done before the Italian Consulate in the US or in Australia (or before a magistrate in Italy). In order to obtain the Atto Notorio, the following documents are needed: Passport , Birth certificate, if previously divorced/widowed, your divorce or death certificate. The documents must be translated in Italian.
The Atto Notorio is a document issued after a meeting with the couple and witnesses before the Italian Consulate during which the civil status of the people that will contract matrimony is declared. At the top of the Atto Notorio it must state Repubblica Italiana andConsolato Generale d’Italia otherwise the document is not valid.
ATTO NOTORIO IN ITALY- You will definitely save up money if you prepare all the documents in your country but it is possible to do all the paperwork in Italy, we can assist you. Please note that you will need to stay in Italy a couple of extra days in that case.
E-mail us for a quotation.
APOSTILLE(USA) - An Apostille is a document attached to your original certificate by the Secretary of State Notary Public of the State in accordance with the Hague Convention, which means that the documents can be used officially in a foreign country. You don’t have to do anything in person, the whole process is done via e-mail.
www.nass.org
Your name must be written in the same way as in the following documents otherwise the wedding office will not accept the paperwork. Passport, Birth Certificate, Atto Notorio, Nulla Osta

Emerald Lass

the above only applies for Italy - the proceedure for the cert of freedom to marry in general must be obtained from the Irish authorities, and takes 4 mths. It is only valid for 3 mths. It is needed for almost all EU countries in order to marry there. The above information appears to be only relevant to American and Australian citizens - i.e non EU citizens. Irish applications are dealt with differently AFAIK.

galah

It took only two weeks to get ours.

We have to apply for a second one (stupid German authorities) (because the certs are only valid for 120 days - but in Germany we needed to 'register' the wedding to get the date we wanted 6 months before the date, and you need a valid cert for that, which then of course wouldn't be valid on the day of the wedding...*getting dizzy just trying to explain it*) , and that should not take longer than 2 weeks, either...

Zamboni

Emerald Lass wrote: »

it takes 4 mths minimum to issue, but they only last 3 mths, so basically you cannot apply more than 6 mths before the required date (cos if you apply 7 mths ahead, and it takes 4 mths to be issued, then by the time of the wedding it may have expired!).

4 months!
Lol I thought it was just like getting a birth cert or passport.

Surely they make exceptions in some circumstances where people need to get married sooner for example family illness/death etc?

Emerald Lass

for more info visit
http://www.groireland.ie

Certificates of Freedom to marry (also known as 'Civil Letters of Freedom', "Certificates de Coutume" or "Certificates of Nulla Osta") which state that a person is not married, may be needed for marriage in some foreign countries, and are not issued by the General Register Office. Irish citizens living in Ireland wishing to obtain such a Certificate should apply to the Consular Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs, 72/76 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Tel.: +353 (0) 1 4082568. Irish Citizens living abroad should contact their nearest Irish Embassy.

zamboni wrote:

Surely they make exceptions in some circumstances where people need to get married sooner for example family illness/death etc?

the advised timeframe is 4 mths - I applied on the 16th Feb and got my receipt on 20th Feb, and no cert yet. I have been told by two different people in the office that it must be applied for 4 mths in advance. If people got it in 2 weeks then there may be different proceedure for nulla ostra - which is, I believe, slightly different than cert of freedom. That is the only thing I can think of to explain it. If there was some family crisis to speed marriage then I am sure they would consider your situation, but it is not the norm.

The whole reasoning behind 4mth wait is the same as that applied to giving 3mths notice - basically due to the importance placed on the rights of the family in the Irish constitution they want to ensure that marriage is not a matter taken lightly and therefore not rushed into - that is why you cannot register a marriage less than 3 mths before the wedding and why they do not rush with issuing the freedom cert - they don't want to encourage people rushing off to marry at the drop of a hat apparently! nanny state or what??

sorry just to add - here is the explanatory note from the dept of foreign affairs:
http://www.dfa.ie/uploads/documents/Consular/explanatory%20note.pdf

please note:

6. The application should be returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs or nearest Irish diplomatic
mission at least 4 months before the date of the marriage.

also the applicatin has to be certified by a commissioner for oaths, or a solicitor, or a notary public.

bnagrrl

I'm getting married in the States this summer - anyone know do you need these certs for USA?

Sage'sMama

Zamboni wrote: »

Anyone know how long this takes?

Cheers

3-4mths is what i was told i still have to do it.

Sage'sMama

Anywhere abroad requires this cert cept italy they have a special one. You need it i think for your wedding to be legally binding???? Not sure maybe it's just another way to make more money out of us

Emerald Lass

no its actually a legal declaration, approved by your home country that you are not already legally married, and therefore are free to marry. If you get married abroad they cannot check this out in the country you marry so they need some proof from your home country. Its not actually Ireland that requires it, but the country you are marrying in, and AFAIK most countries request it.

Having said that, if you are a foreigner marrying in Ireland you DON'T need it! my partner is foreign and doesn't need to have one - he will just sign the declaration, supply the required proof of identity etc. By doing so he is declaring that there is no lawful impediment for him to get married - should that be a false declaration and he were to be found out he would be prosecuted under the law (so there better not be any secret wives lurking around or never mind the law, the next cert he'll be getting a death cert never mind a marriage one! lol)

lmimmfn

Emerald Lass wrote: »

Having said that, if you are a foreigner marrying in Ireland you DON'T need it! my partner is foreign and doesn't need to have one - he will just sign the declaration, supply the required proof of identity etc. By doing so he is declaring that there is no lawful impediment for him to get married - should that be a false declaration and he were to be found out he would be prosecuted under the law (so there better not be any secret wives lurking around or never mind the law, the next cert he'll be getting a death cert never mind a marriage one! lol)

yeah, were getting married in Greece, herself is half Greek and me irish and we dont need it.

galah

had to apply for a second one (explanation above) - and that also took only two weeks, from sending in the documents to getting it in the post.

DotOrg

bnagrrl wrote: »

I'm getting married in the States this summer - anyone know do you need these certs for USA?

I got married in the states to a US citizen and all the US authorities wanted was to see my passport and birth cert. I did have to sign a document saying there was no reason I couldn't marry but that also varies from state to state.

bnagrrl

DotOrg wrote: »

I got married in the states to a US citizen and all the US authorities wanted was to see my passport and birth cert. I did have to sign a document saying there was no reason I couldn't marry but that also varies from state to state.

Thanks!
I finally got around to phoning the Consulate's Office today and was advised I don't need a Certificate of Freedom to marry.
So that's one thing off my list... :cool:

the lawman

lmimmfn wrote: »

yeah, were getting married in Greece, herself is half Greek and me irish and we dont need it.

Hi lmimmfn, I have sent you a PM. Can you reply to it when you can?

Thanks
Thomas

prinz

galah wrote: »

It took only two weeks to get ours.

We have to apply for a second one (stupid German authorities) (because the certs are only valid for 120 days - but in Germany we needed to 'register' the wedding to get the date we wanted 6 months before the date, and you need a valid cert for that, which then of course wouldn't be valid on the day of the wedding...*getting dizzy just trying to explain it*) , and that should not take longer than 2 weeks, either...

Don't mention the Germans Bloody paperwork. Yeah got mine here about 2 weeks after applying.

S_NOG

Hi Does anyone know how the letter of freedom needs to be translated so it can be recognised in another country. I am planning to get married in China . Im Irish and my girlfriend is Chinese. Thanks