If you plan to get married abroad, your wedding plans should include researching and making a list of documents you need to have apostilled. Since every country has specific unique laws on entering into a marriage, a new bride and groom need to learn about all the document requirements to avoid any unpleasant surprises at this special event in their lives.

The first step for a couple planning to get married abroad is to check with the local US Consulate on the specific documents’ requirements. The majority of countries require the following documents to be submitted for marriage:

• Passports
• Birth certificate for both parties that displays the parents’ names
• If either a bride or a groom was previously married and divorced, the original divorce decree will need to be provided
• For a widowed person, a death certificate of the former spouse 
• Legal proof if there has been a change of name

Since marriage abroad requires a lot of paperwork that needs to be approved by the country where one intends to get married, we recommend that you give yourself plenty of time to gather and apostille all the necessary documents. Do not procrastinate and then try getting all the required documents apostilled right before your wedding ceremony, as you risk ruining an important event in your life, lose money yourself, and make your family and friends incur unplanned expenses.

We recommend using a professional apostille service company familiar with the laws of the destination country for apostilling your marriage documents. This will ensure your special day is not marred by issues with your documents. Mail your documents to Multichoice Apostille and we take care of all the needed apostilles, while you can focus on other wedding arrangements!