Civil and Religious Ceremonies
All towns and cities in Cyprus have their own Municipal Offices where you can acquire your Marriage License and, if you are planning a civil ceremony, get married. Civil ceremonies can take place in the Town Hall or at licensed venues additional fee applicable).
If you prefer a religious ceremony, you must first apply for your marriage license at the Municipal Office, and then make arrangements for the ceremony to take place at the religious venue of your choosing. Many hotels now have their own wedding chapels and of course there are also many churches in Cyprus who welcome couples planning to get married. Most churches cater to both Anglican and Catholic denominations.
Weddings performed in Cyprus are internationally recognized and legally binding. Your Cyprus wedding ceremony will be conducted in English. Your marriage license and all paperwork will also be issued in English.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
- You must apply in person for the wedding, in the municipality where you will be getting married.
- You must provide all required documentation, and be in Cyprus for at least three business days before your wedding day.
- You will need two witnesses for the ceremony.
TO GET MARRIED IN CYPRUS YOU WILL NEED
You’ll need the following documents to complete your marriage application:
- Valid Passports.
- Full Birth Certificates.
- Single Status Statutory Declaration (Sworn Affidavit).
- Decree Absolute (if applicable).
- Death certificate of spouse & previous marriage certificate (if applicable).
- Deed Poll (if applicable).
- Adoption certificate (if applicable).
- Evidence of parental consent (if under 18 years old).
The process
- For a civil marriage in Cyprus, you must apply in-person to the marriage officer in the municipality of your choice. The Union of Cyprus Municipalities gives a great overview of this process.
- For religious weddings, you must contact the registered officiant at the house of worship where you plan to marry.
- A Catholic ceremony is not legally binding unless you first have a civil wedding ceremony. If you have an Anglican wedding ceremony you are not required to have a civil wedding ceremony.
- Normally, you must marry within 15 days at the earliest and three months at the latest from the time you apply.
- Alternatively, you can pay a fee to get married within three business days. If you wait until after three months from your application, that application is considered void.
- After the wedding, the marriage officer will send a certified copy of the marriage certificate to your home country’s embassy in Cyprus.
What fees are involved?
For a routine marriage in Cyprus, you should expect to pay:
- €128 for the civil ceremony.
- €281 (£247) for the urgency application, which allows your ceremony to take place within three days as opposed to the normal 15 days.
You can apply for any further information or clarifications at the municipality of your choice: http://ucm.org.cy/en/municipalities/