Wherever you choose to get married there will be certain documentation requirements that you and your partner will need to fulfil. Many bride-and-grooms-to be come to us because they are struggling to find the advice they need. Travel agents, advice sites and online forums often provide confusing, contradictory and even incorrect advice.

Different countries have different requirements and the paperwork you need will vary depending on your circumstances. We cannot provide an exhaustive list, nor do we consider ourselves to be experts, however, from our extensive experience these are things you should take into consideration when contacting the authorities of the country where you intend to marry:

Were you or your partner adopted? If so, you may be required to present an adoption certificate.

Have either of you been married before? It is likely that you will need either a divorce certificate (Decree Absolute) or a death certificate if you or your partner have been widowed.

Do you have any children? In certain countries, such as Austria, you may need to provide your children’s birth certificates but this can vary according to the locality.

Will a certified translation issued in the UK be suitable? Some countries (for example France) will officially accept translations only if they have been carried out by a translator registered in that country, or with a local court. However, even in these cases it may be worth contacting the relevant authorities as they are sometimes happy to waive this requirement. Contacting the relevant officials directly is always the best policy.

Do I need to have by documents legalised? It is highly likely that you will need your documents to be legalised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Check with the authorities which documents need to be legalised. They will need to be legalised before they are translated in most cases, so that the legalisation document (apostille) can also be translated into the relevant language.

What is legalisation? The FCO’s legalisation involves checking the signature on the document against their database of signatures of officials such as solicitors and notary publics in the UK. Once the signature has been authenticated, an apostille is attached to the back of the document stating that it is a genuine signature. The purpose of the process is to inform the reader that the document is real and has an official status in the UK

TransAction’s advice: The wrong paperwork can spell the difference between ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Commiserations’. Be sure to contact the local authorities or the Embassy or Consulate of the country where you intend to marry and check what you need in your particular case.

The contact details for Embassies and Consulates in the UK can be found on our website at http://www.certificatetranslator.co.uk/countries.asp?Country=&Category=embsinuk. If you are in any doubt, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0114 266 1103.