UPDATE – We have added Spain + Gibraltar + Ireland + Malta
Yes. The not so fun stuff. In this post, we have outlined the basic requirements for getting married in Europe’s most popular destinations, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Austria and one African country, Morocco. Despite our best efforts, our FAB Guides to being legally married in various countries throughout Europe are very “matter of fact” and honestly… downright boring! We are not going to try pass them off as enjoyable posts (although we have included some lovely wedding imagery to keep you encouraged as you read through!) as they are a hard read and were quite dreadful to write. We do promise you though that the task of actually going about organising the paperwork is no more cumbersome than getting your forms together for a wedding at home. In general, these guides just address how you can get married legally, not through symbolic ceremonies. So, although it’s safe to say we much prefer drooling over real weddings, this has to be looked after and we are just going to get on with it.
First things first; We recommend clicking on the link below that corresponds to your nationality (again, we have only included those countries where the majority of our readership lies but we will certainly respond to requests) to understand the legal requirements your own country asks you to abide by when getting married abroad.
Marriage of Australian Citizens Abroad
Marriage of Canadian Citizens Abroad
Marriage of Irish Citizens Abroad
Marriage of UK Citizens Abroad
Marriage of U.S. Citizens Abroad
Will our marriage be legally recognised if we get married abroad?
For most countries, the answer is going to be “Yes”
Your marriage will be recognised but only if you can comply with local residency and legal requirements for the particular country. And these vary.
You will need to comply with both the legal guidelines for getting married in your chosen country and the laws of country in which you are resident for your marriage to be deemed valid.
Two examples of this could be;
✈ An Irish couple getting married in Scotland. In Scotland, the minimum age requirement is 16, but it is 18 in Ireland. An Irish couple where one or both of the couple is 17 years of age would be eligible to have a legal wedding in Scotland, but it wouldn’t be recognised as a legal marriage in Ireland unless the individuals had parental consent.
✈ An Irish couple, both of the same sex getting married in Portugal. Portugal recognises same sex marriages and provided that other requirements are met, an Irish same-sex couple could be married there but this marriage would not be recognised under Irish law.
Guides for Legal Weddings in Europe
To read the guides on how to organise a legal wedding in one of Europe’s most popular countries, simply click on the images below. We will add two guides every week until we have made our way around Europe - so if it looks like you are reading the same post again – you are. We have just added new information!
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Your destination not listed yet? Let us know and we can prioritise it for our next update.
Important Note; We have put a great deal of effort into gathering all the appropriate information for you to have in one place but it is very important to mention, we at Fly Away Bride are bloggers and lovers of pretty things in foreign lands. We have Googled, spoken to Embassies, real brides, planners and photographers to make sure the information provided is as accurate as possible but we are not legal people, priests or civil registrars and things can change from time to time. Take these for what they are, guides!
Image Credits; Brosnan Photographic | W. Scott Chester Photography | Sages Comme des Images | Photographer Unknown | Leo Patrone
