Every year hundreds of British couples visit Gibraltar to get married or renew their vows. Celebrities who have married in Gibraltar include Beatle John Lennon who married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. Marrying in Gibraltar is a simple procedure. Local marriage law does not contain any residential requirements.
MARRIAGE IN GIBRALTAR WITHOUT RESIDENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
1. Special Marriage Licence A civil marriage is possible, without residential qualifications, by Special Licence granted by the Governor of Gibraltar under section 13 of the Marriage Ordinance.
2. Gibraltar Marriages Outside The Gibraltar Marriage Registry
Parameters for the scheme
The principal purpose of this scheme is to allow visitors to Gibraltar who wish to stay at a local hotel to be able to have a civil marriage outside the Registry Office at one of the venues already approved by the Marriage Registrar for this purpose. The primary intention is therefore to allow hotels to be able to market a more comprehensive wedding package than at present. This provides added value to the Gibraltar hotel products offered by Gibraltar Weddings .co.uk and Special Offer Holidays .com. See index of Gibraltar Hotels
Marriages outside the Registry Office will be permitted routinely in accordance with the following rules:
1. Marriages outside the Registry Office can only be conducted at an approved venue. The present approved venues are:
The Dell at the Alameda Gardens
The Mount, The Eliott Hotel and the Rock Hotel
2. Marriages can be held outside the Registry on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the normal hours during which marriages are held at the Registry Office, unless any of these days falls on a Bank Holiday.
3. A couple who wish to have a marriage celebrated outside the Registry Office will need to make a booking for the marriage with the Registry Office and indicate clearly that they wish to have their marriage ceremony conducted at an approved venue. Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis. It therefore follows that, should there already be a booking taken for the first choice of date and time, the request will be turned down and the couple will be invited to suggest alternative dates.
4. The booking of a venue outside the Registry Office will need to be made by the persons wishing to marry or an agent on their behalf. The Marriage Registry will accept no responsibility for any problems, which may arise in respect of a booking for a venue outside the Registry Office.
5. Bookings for a marriage cannot be accepted by the Registry Office more than 12 months prior to the date of the proposed marriage.
6. The format of a civil marriage outside the Registry Office must comply with any conditions or restrictions imposed by the Marriage Registrar.
7. Notwithstanding that a marriage is booked to take place at an approved venue outside the Registry Office, it will be the sole responsibility of the couple who wish to be married to complete the necessary paperwork and request a marriage licence in sufficient time for the date of the proposed marriage.
8. If a couple who wish to marry outside the Registry Office have any doubts about the validity of any document which needs to be presented to the satisfaction of the Marriage Registrar, or are unsure what documents they need to present, they are advised to clear the queries in writing prior to arriving in Gibraltar.
9. A Marriage Licence cannot be obtained on the same day as the wedding ceremony: it needs to be requested in person by the couple wishing to marry at least one working day in advance.
10. In the case of a marriage, which is celebrated outside the Registry Office, marriage certificates will not be ready for collection until the following day. However, marriage certificates can be sent by post on payment of the prescribed fee.
11. These notes are for guidance only: the Marriage Registrar reserves the right to alter any of the above rules or add additional rules without prior notice.
3. General Conditions for Marriage In order to get married in Gibraltar, you need to satisfy the Registrar that you are free to marry.
[a] Unmarried Persons
In certain countries, persons who have not been married can obtain a certificate to that effect from
their Civil Authority. This certificate is sometimes required.
What is required is your birth certificate.
[b] Widows or Widowers
If you are a widow or widower, you must furnish:
[I] a certified copy of your birth certificate;
[ii] a certified copy of the death certificate of your spouse;
[iii] if the death certificate does not name you as the widow or widower of the deceased, it is also
essential that you produce a certified copy of your original marriage certificate.
[c] Divorced Persons If you have been previously married, you must submit:
[I] your birth certificate;
[ii] your previous marriage certificate;
[iii] an original copy of your final and absolute divorce decree.
Office examined or certified copies will usually be accepted, but they must bear an original seal
of the court. Divorce decrees of countries other than Great Britain may need to be legalised by
The British Consular Authority for the place where the divorce decree was granted, except in
the case of countries which have ratified the convention for abolishing the Requirement of
Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents [ The Hague, 5th October 1961 ]. If you are in doubt,
write to the Marriage Clerk and send a photocopy of your divorce decree. In some countries, a divorce must be transcribed in the appropriate civil registry before it
becomes final and absolute. In such cases, a certified copy of the relevant entry must be
produced.
[d] Persons under age 18
If you are under 18 years of age, you must produce the written consent of both your parents or
legal guardians. The consent to marry must be valid by the Law of the country where you are
domiciled.
Persons may not marry unless they are over the age of 16, unless the court of Gibraltar orders
otherwise.
[e] Change of Name
If you have changed your name by deed poll or in some other way, you should submit your
original change of name deed.
3. Commanding Officer's Consent [for members of the Armed Forces only]
Service personnel should ensure that a Commanding Officer's Consent [if required by service
regulations] is obtained in writing before submitting an application for a Marriage Licence.
4. Making an appointment for a Marriage
Marriages usually take place during the following hours, on Monday to Friday between 10 am - 12 noon.
Once you have chosen a date for your marriage, you may telephone the Marriage Registry to make a booking for the day of your choice. The booking will initially be a provisional booking, and will be held until 10.30 a.m. on the day immediately before that date. For example, if a booking is made for Thursday 3rd of May it will be held until 10.30 am on Wednesday 2nd May by which time arrangements to finalise the paperwork must have been commenced. If you have made a provisional booking by telephone or in writing, you can change this to another date if you so wish. When you make a provisional booking, you will not be allocated a time for the wedding. This will be allocated once all the paperwork has been completed and the Special Licence has been ordered. At this stage, the booking for the marriage becomes a firm booking and ceases to be a provisional booking.
5. How to obtain a Special Licence
To obtain a Special Licence, you need to:
[I] attend our offices before 10.30 a.m. on any working day.
This may be done as much as three months in advance of the marriage or as late as the day prior
to the ceremony.
[ii] prove to the Marriage Registrar that you and your spouse are free to marry, by producing the
appropriate documents as listed at paragraph 2;
[iii] bring your passports;
[iii] swear an affidavit each in the manner prescribed by the Marriage Ordinance. When you attend our offices to apply for the Special Licence, we will provide the affidavits for you to complete and these can then be sworn before a Gibraltar Commissioner for Oaths.Please note that it normally takes at least 1 day to complete the paperwork, swear the affidavits and obtain a licence:
You cannot get married on the same day that you apply for a Special Licence.
6. Fees
When you have completed the paperwork you will be asked to pay the fees due.
Governors Special Licence £67.50
Ceremony £34
Certificates £3.50 each
A further charge of between £10-£20 may be payable for the services of a Gibraltar Commissioner for Oaths.
All fees are payable in pounds sterling or Gibraltar pounds. If you order a Special Licence and later decide you do not wish to get married in Gibraltar, or its validity expires, refunds will not normally be granted.
7. The Marriage Ceremony
You will attend before the Marriage Registrar on a date that is mutually convenient. You will need.[i] Some means of identification [i.e., a passport or identity card which bears a recent photograph ] ;
[ii] Two witnesses for the marriage. Please note that under no circumstances can the Registry Office provide two witnesses. Your witnesses may be related to either of you or to each other or they may be friends or colleagues but they must be over eighteen years of age and able to speak and understand English. The ceremony is conducted in English. If you do not speak English, you must arrange and provide your own interpreter, except in the case of the Spanish language, where the Registry can provide you with a Spanish interpreter. There is a fee for the services of a Spanish/English interpreter.
The Registry Office can give you the names and addresses of persons who can act as interpreters in Gibraltar.It is helpful if you notify the Marriage Registry in advance that you will need the services of an interpreter. Photography is allowed for the second part of the ceremony, viz. the exchange of rings [ if any ] and the signing of the Registers. If you wish, you may arrange for a photographer to be present at your wedding. The Marriage Registry can supply you with the names of the different photographic studios in Gibraltar. You are also welcome to make arrangements with florists in Gibraltar for any special flower arrangement that you would like to order for the Marriage room for your wedding.
Lists of names and addresses of Gibraltar florists are available on request.
8. Gibraltar Marriages Outside The Gibraltar Marriage Registry
See the top of this page
9. Visa requirements
The Marriage Registry cannot advise you on whether you need a visa to enter Gibraltar. If you have any doubts, please enquire at a British Consulate or contact Civil Status and Registration Office, Passport Office, Joshua Hassan House, Gibraltar, telephone [ 350 ] 51728.
10. Further Enquiries
The Registrar and staff at the Registry Office are here to help you every step of the way and to ensure that your special day is worry free. If you have any further enquires, these should be addressed in English to:
Civil Status & Registration Office
Marriage Registry
Joshua Hassan House
3 Secretary's Lane
Gibraltar
Tel. [ 350 ] 72289
Fax.[ 350 ] 42706
These Practice Notes are only intended to give you general information on administrative procedures. The information is correct at the time of publication.
These Practice Notes come into effect on 1st July 1997 and supersede all previous instructions issued before this date.
SPECIAL OFFER HOLIDAYS .COM Unit 3, 29 Middleton Road, Manchester M8 5DT, United Kingdom
Telefax : +44 (0)161 795 8982 Mobile +44 (0)7771 727045 Email: md@specialofferholidays.co.uk
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