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The process for foreign nationals to legally marry in Cyprus is comparatively simple. The marriage ceremony in Cyprus is called a civil marriage covered by the Marriage Law 104 (I) of 2003. All the application for marriage must be applied for jointly in person at the Marriage Officer of the Municipality of the area in which the couple to marry and complete a Notice of Marriage which confirms a mutual desire to marry each other. Any person found making illegal or false statements in their application might be imprisoned. However, marriage between same sexes in not allowed in Cyprus. |
Documents required
The following documents needs to be presented and criteria to be satisfied for the Notice of Marriage to be properly completed:
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Each person must submit a proof of identity, age and nationality, i.e., valid passport or birth certificate. If an applicant is under 18 years of age, he/she must provide an approval letter from their parent or legal guardian for his/her marriage.
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Each person must take an oath that he/she “know of no impediment or other lawful hindrance to their marriage”.
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Each person must prove that he/she is single at the time of the marriage by presenting proof of never being married before and his or her earlier marriage is over. The proof for never being married must constitute an official document certifying that he/she has never been married. If a certificate cannot be presented or if the Marriage Officer has doubts, the applicant may be asked to make a sworn declaration at the Registrar of a District Court that he/she is unmarried. Widow/widower must submit the Death Certificate of their deceased partner. He/she may be required to declare on oath that they have not been married since. Divorcees must present their Decree Absolute affirming that a previous marriage is legally over.
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Once the Notice of Marriage is accomplished, the marriage ceremony must take place not earlier than fifteen days and not later than three months of the date of the notice of marriage. If the marriage does not take place within the specified period of three months, the marriage notice no longer remains valid. To marry in the island, a new application must be processed once again following similar procedure. |
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The Marriage Officer performs the marriage in the mayor's office on the agreed date. The couple is handed over the Certificate of Marriage, which is recognized in most countries. The certified copies can be bought through the Marriage Officer or the Ministry of Interior. The Marriage Officer will forward a certified copy of the Certificate of Marriage to the embassy of the couple’s home country.
Once the criteria of the Marriage Notice have been met, the couple can have a religious ceremony in a church performed by a registered minister of religion in church. However, a church wedding has to be planned separately and all the arrangements have to done for it beforehand.
By: Shuchita Bist
GOWEALTHY.COM © 2006
For comments: editor@gowealthy.com
Source: www.cyprus.angloinfo.com
