Getting married in Dominican Republic

Getting married in the Dominican Republic is becoming more and more popular each year, as the warm, sunny weather, the golden sand beaches, the turquoise ocean waters, and the beautiful tropical fauna, provide an ideal romantic setting for a very special and memorable day in one's life. Dominican Republic has provisions for tourists/ visitors getting married here on the island.

Most hotels and resorts offer special wedding packages for the convenience of their guests. Following are the details for getting married in the Dominican Republic.  

• A couple needs to inform the resort at least one month in advance, with a minimum of 15 days notice, in order to reserve the judge.  
• The resort wedding packages provide flowers, a cake, a seaside wedding site, champagne, the judge, and other special touches to make it a memorable day.  
• Professional services such as video recording, photography, and music are available at extra costs.  
• The resort will inform guests of all the required documents they need to present in order to legally wed in the Dominican Republic.  
• Couples should note that they are expected to have a notarized letter from an attorney, legalized by their embassy, stating that each one is single and free to marry, a divorce decree if there has been a previous marriage, and passports for the couple and for any foreign witnesses.  
• These documents must be translated into Spanish upon arrival in the Dominican Republic. 
• It is not necessary to get a marriage license in order to get your Marriage Certificate in the Dominican Republic. The first step towards getting your Marriage Certificate is that you register to be married with the Oficialia del Estado Civil (City Clerk). They will charge you a nominal fee for this registration.  
• The following is the paperwork that must be submitted in order for them to register you; Passports, Birth certificates and Single Status Affidavits that have been translated by an official Translator into Spanish at the Dominican Consulate where the document was issued.

Civil Ceremonies
Once the marriage takes place, the Justice of the Peace that performs your Civil Ceremony will need to provide documentation proving the marriage was performed to the Oficialia del Estado Civil. The Oficialia del Estado Civil will then issue you a Marriage Certificate that is legal everywhere in the world.  

Religious Ceremonies
Religious Ceremonies have more formalities than Civil Ceremonies. If you desire to marry at a church or synagogue, it may be wise to get a Wedding Planner to make the arrangements. You will have to fulfill all of the Civil Ceremony requirements, as well as some other formalities particular to the church or synagogue. A Religious marriage has the same legal implications as a Civil marriage.