Start the necessary bureaucratic procedures for your wedding early; proper planning can maximise your chances for a stress-free wedding.
If you’re methodical and take the right steps you will be able to organize the wedding of your dreams!
RELIGIOUS WEDDING
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ecclesiastical-religious weddings take place in churches or monasteries under the auspices of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus and require certain procedures. In order to be granted a marriage license the couple must first visit the priest of the church that will perform their wedding ceremony and then they need to visit the Archdiocese or Diocese of their community.
Two Orthodox Christians are required to have the following documents to be issued a wedding licence:
• Identity Cards
• Birth Certificates
• Thalassemia Certificates, which are issued by the State Hospitals, preceded by the relevant blood test.
• Freedom Certificates issued by place of birth of the person concerned. In cases where the individual originates from a refugee family, the certificate is issued by the Diocese and then is certified by the competent Cathedral.
• If the priest does not know the couple or they were abroad for a period of over six months, an affidavit certifying that they are not married is required before the priest issues the Freedom Certificate.
• In cases where the wedding ceremony will not take place at the bride’s parish, proof of payment that the rights have been transferred is also required.
If all these legalities and the whole process of planning your wedding , seems like a bit much and complicated, do not be anxious. Follow our suggestions in our detailed wedding calendar to organize step by step the most beautiful day of your life. If you are currently looking at reception venues, photographers, event planners or any other service, in our directory you can easily find the best wedding professionals in Cyprus!
WHEN ARE WEDDINGS NOT PERMITTED
According to the Orthodox Church, wedding ceremonies are not performed on the following days:
• Wednesdays and Fridays, except on the days meat-eating is allowed.
• Holy Spirit week
• Easter week
• During the first week of the Triodion (the week after Green Monday)
• A week before Green Monday and the Carnival
• From the Friday before Green Monday until Easter Sunday including both dates
• On the 5th and 6th of January (Epiphany Eve and Day)
• From 1st until 14th August inclusive of both dates
• On the 29th August (the celebration of St. John the Baptist)
• On 14th September, the World Exaltation of the Holy Cross
• From 15th November until 25th December inclusive of both dates.
For more information about the required certificates, fees, procedures and/or divorces visit the website of the Archdiocese, the Church of Cyprus and the Metropolises.
CIVIL WEDDING
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you have decided to have a civil wedding instead, then you should take a look at the following to know what you need to do to plan a civil wedding!
A civil wedding in Cyprus doesn’t necessarily have to take place at the Town Hall of the municipalicy of your choice, although that is definitely possible. It can also be situated at a hotel, on the beach or in any other venue of your choice, in agreement with the wedding officiant of the competent municipality.
Get ideas for your wedding from our in-depth feature of a civil, shabby chic wedding that took place at the Aes Ampelis Winery!
Overall, the legal procedure is relatively simple.
First of all you must submit the following documents:
• Birth Certificates
• Certificate from the community in your area that you are free to get married (meaning you are not already married).
• A joint application, called the Notification Wedding, which expresses your desire to get married.
By presenting the above mentioned documents to a Marriage Officer at any Town Hall you will be granted a marriage license and a date the ceremony will take place. The date should not be less than 15 days or more than 3 months and the royalties paid to the Town Hall amount to 128.15 Euros. If the couple wishes to celebrate their wedding earlier, this can be arranged, however, the cost amounts to 281.90 Euros. A civil wedding is celebrated in the presence of two witnesses who need to present their identity cards. If one of the two spouses is a foreigner, he/she is required to submit a consular authority certificate issued by the embassy of the country he/she originates from, which certifies the identity of the person and that there are no issues regarding the specific individual’s identity. Several documents are also needed from the Immigration Department. For more information contact any Municipal Authority which you will find at the website of the Union of Municipalities.