Legal Requirements

Every country has different documentation, so we have grouped the information by country and all you have to do is to select your country below.

 

If you have any questions or if you find any issues in the process of getting your wedding documents, please don't hesitate to ask me as with my experience and your cooperation, we will find a solution.

 

Please remember... these requirements are from the Greek government , therefore they might change so you have to contact me 3 months before the wedding to ask me if there is any change.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS WILL REMAIN AT THE LOCAL REGISTRY OFFICE.

 

Please keep in mind the below strict rules for a perfect and hassle free wedding:

• Greek translations are accepted only if they have been done by the Greek Embassy of your area OR via our agency.
• We need copies of the wedding documents once they are legalized to make sure nothing is missing.
• The wedding documents cannot be dated older than 6 months from the day of your wedding date or 3 months for some Regions in the UK & Ireland, which have a 3 month expiry date stated on the documents.
• You must follow the instructions listed on this website and our instructions only. Do not listen to any other sources no matter what these sources are, as they are not updated daily by our local authorities. Each part of Greece has different legal requirements. The information inside our pages, are valid only for Rhodes Island.
• All documents that you will submit us, will be retained in Greece from the Greek Authorities, so please request for certified copies if you need the originals.

Legal requirements for United Kingdom citizens holding a UK passport.

 

CIVIL WEDDING IN GREECE
The following procedures and legal documents are required for a legal civil wedding in Greece.

 

LEGAL DOCUMENT CHECK LIST
Please ensure that both parties have the following documentation.

1. 1. Long version of your full Birth Certificate – issued by the Registrar of your place of birth.
2. 2. Copy of Valid ten year British Passports.
3. 3. A Certificate of No Impediment is required from each of the persons intending to marry. This document is issued by the Superintendent Registrar at your local Registry Office / Town Hall. It takes approx. 15 – 21 days for this document to be issued.
   Attention:
   The certificate of No Impediment must be issued within 3 months of your wedding date as this document has an expiry date in the eyes of the Greek authorities. You may contact your local registry office for any other information. N.B. A statutory Declaration signed by a solicitor is NOT acceptable
4. 4. If divorced – Certificate Making Absolute a Decree Nisi.
5. 5. If widowed – Previous Marriage Certificates.
6. 6. If name changed by Deed Poll – Proof stamped and signed by a solicitor.
7. 7. If adopted – Adoption Certificate.
8. 8. If under 18 years of age – Parental consent in the form of a Statutory Declaration stamped and signed by a solicitor.

** All the above original documents (except passports) are retained in Greece and will not be returned to guests.

 

IMPORTANT STEPS:
Originals of the above documents in English need to be sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for legalisation ( officially certified bearing an Apostil ) prior to departure.

 

The address is :

The Legalisation Office

Norfolk House (West)

437 Silbury Boulevard

Milton Keynes

MK9 2AH

Tel: 01908 295 111

Fax: 01909 295 122

Email:

(Mon-Fri: 1000-1200 and 1400-1500)

 

For more information you can also visit the website: www.fco.gov.uk There is a fee per document and this can take approx. 2 weeks.

 

These public documents will bear an APOSTIL, in accordance with the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. In Great Britain the APOSTIL is issued by the Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in London as stated above.

 

• When you have received all your original legalized documents back from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, all documents will need to be translated into Greek by a Solicitor in Rhodes.
• You may send copies of the original legalized documents, in good order, to , for translations to be made from English into Greek.
• The original legalized documents must then be sent by fast and registered mail to the resort for presentation of these original documents to the Registrar in Lindos. For more information, please send an email to . Please note that the documents should be delivered to the Town Hall at least 10 working days before the wedding date.

 

Prices for Translation of Documents in resort

• Birth Certificate : 65 Euros each
• Decree Absolute : 65 Euros each
• Deed Poll : 65 Euros each
• Certificates of No Impediment : 40 Euros each
• Marriage certificates (3 copies) from Greek into English : 90 Euros

The above prices are INCLUSIVE of the relevant Apostiles per document.
Any further documentation that may be required will be charged at 80 Euros per document, also including the Apostil.

The marriage certificates will be translated from Greek into English.