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Proof of Residency for Irish Person Getting Married Abroad

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  • 29-03-2014 8:37pm
    #1
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭


    Hey Guys,

    I will be marrying my Slovakian fiancée in Slovakia in May. There is a lot of paper work required, I have the "Certificate de Coutume." I have the long version birth certs of myself, my mother and father and obviously I have my passport. So we are on top of it, except for one thing, proof of address/residency.

    What is this and where do I get it from?

    It's not a utility bill, that's all I can say for definite. Been doing a bit of googling and all I'm getting is forms required by the social welfare etc for foreigners living in Ireland.

    I read a post somewhere saying it's something the Gardai may be able to provide and I'll call into them tomorrow to enquire but I was wondering does anyone else have any idea what this is?

    Thanks,

    Brian.


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    #2
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    Did you ask at the Slovak embassy? They will be able to advise.


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    #3
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭..Brian..


    Yea I called them first a few months ago and all they said was I neeedd the certificate de costume. It's the registry office in Slovakia that are saying I need proof of residence /address.

    I'll ring the embassy again on Monday though and see if they can shed any Ightfield on it.


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    #4
    Gatica
    Registered Users Posts: 3,299 ✭✭✭Gatica


    I'm surprised that a utility bill is not being accepted as proof of residence, as that's usually the case. How about Revenue document? e.g. your tax cert, or a P21.


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    #5
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭..Brian..


    So I've been onto the Slovak Embassy in Ireland. The Irish Embassy in Slovakia. The registry office in Slovakia. The consular services department in the Dept of Foreign Affairs and the Gardai.

    The Slovak Embassy here didn't know anything about it and advised try revenue for some sort of tax form.

    The Irish Embassy in Slovakia didn't know anything about it and advised to go back to the registry office to confirm what was needed. As far as they are concerned, all I need is the Certificate de Coutume, my birth cert and my passport.

    The Gardai couldn't believe they would not accept a utility bill or tax form or drivers licence as it has your address on it. The best they said they could do was an ML10 form which also has your address on it and "If they don't accept that," they said, "you'll have to cancel the wedding!" :p

    We went back to the registry office and told them, firstly, that everyone else we spoke to advised they were not aware of this proof of residency requirement, and secondly, a document solely for proof of residence does not exist in Ireland. We advised my drivers licence has my address on it and also the Certificate de Coutume has my address on it.

    "Oh," she said, "well that will do!"

    After 3 days of stressing, 6 weeks before the wedding! :mad:

    Anyway, all's well now, just thought I'd update in case someone comes across this thread in the future!


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    #6
    davewest78
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭davewest78


    Best of luck and hope you have a brilliant wedding day !!
    I myself am getting married in Budapest and I am having similar issues with the hungarian registrar. Can I ask did you need apolistic stamp on each of your paper work for example birth cert or just on the certificate de coutume ?


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    #7
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭..Brian..


    We fly to Budapest to get to Slovakia, it's only a 3 hour drive up the road!


    I only needed an apostille stamp on my birth cert. The the certificate de coutume did not require one. It costs about €50 all in. €40 per stamp, you need to send it by registered post which is about €6 and the postal order costs about €2.50. It took about 4 days from being posted to get back to me.

    :EDIT: sorry for the delay in coming back to you, I wasn't watching this thread!


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    #8
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,847 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Gatica wrote: »
    I'm surprised that a utility bill is not being accepted as proof of residence, as that's usually the case. How about Revenue document? e.g. your tax cert, or a P21.
    im surprised that a utility bill is accepted in the first place as it proves a connection with an address but is far from any sort of proof that you own a place let alone live there.


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    #9
    Peregrinus
    Registered Users Posts: 26,123 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    im surprised that a utility bill is accepted in the first place as it proves a connection with an address but is far from any sort of proof that you own a place let alone live there.
    What's that got to do with it? Nobody is looking for proof of ownership; there is no property ownership requirement.


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    #10
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭..Brian..


    ..Brian.. wrote: »
    We fly to Budapest to get to Slovakia, it's only a 3 hour drive up the road!


    I only needed an apostille stamp on my birth cert. The the certificate de coutume did not require one. It costs about €50 all in. €40 per stamp, you need to send it by registered post which is about €6 and the postal order costs about €2.50. It took about 4 days from being posted to get back to me.

    :EDIT: sorry for the delay in coming back to you, I wasn't watching this thread!

    It would appear the woman in the registry office in Slovakia who is telling us what is required is a retard. The Certificate de Contume is in the post on the way back to us to get an apostille stamp! After asking her about 5 times exactly what was required and specifically which documents need a stamp, she said only the birth cert. :mad:


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    #11
    davewest78
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭davewest78


    God thats crazy. A Certificate De coutume has an apolistic stamp on it on the bottom left corner. In fact the stap is hard to see as its a clear press stamp so you can only see it upon close inspection.
    I was in Budapest last week and the official translators accepted the documents then translated for us for a fee of around 200 euro to which the registrars office must accept once the translators do.
    I would question them in Slovakia regarding the apolistic stamp on the Cert de Coutume as this is a legal binding document and has to have had the stamp put on it by Department of Foreign Affairs.

    Dave


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    #12
    ..Brian..
    Registered Users Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭..Brian..


    You're joking?! The level of incompetence shown by the women we are unfortunate enough to have to deal with has been staggering so far! It's too late though as the form is in the post on the way back to us.


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