Marriage & Civil Partnership Abroad
Please note we have now moved to online payments for applications for a Certificate of Freedom to Marry*. Please have your debit/credit card details and the required supporting documents ready before you begin your application. Further information can be found under the Supporting Documents section below.
You should expect to receive your Certificate of Freedom for your marriage abroad within 8 weeks of the date of marriage if submitted within the correct timeframe.
*At present, applications to the following Missions are excluded from the new online payment system. You should contact that office directly or visit their website for details on how payments can be made for your application. List of Embassy contacts.
- Embassy Abuja
- Embassy Addis Ababa
- Embassy Dar Es Salaam
- Embassy Freetown
- Embassy Nairobi
- Embassy Maputo
- Embassy Malawi
- Honorary Consulate Auckland
Online questionnaire
To apply for a Certificate of Freedom to Marry, you must complete an online questionnaire about yourself and your upcoming marriage.
Statutory Declaration
Based on this questionnaire, you’ll be presented with one or more Statutory Declarations to complete and a checklist of supporting documentation you'll need to submit with your application.
You need to:
- Print and sign your questionnaire
- Print out a copy of each Statutory Declaration
- Print out your checklist
- Make the online payment
- Complete the Declarations and have them witnessed
- Post them to us with your supporting documentation and signed questionnaire.
Remember...
Print off or save each form right after your online questionnaire, as you won't be able to retrieve them later.
When to apply
Submit your application at least four months before the date of your marriage. Your witnessed statutory declaration(s) cannot be dated more than six months before the date we receive your application.
Remember...
Your application is not complete until we get hard copies of your questionnaire, statutory declaration(s), and all supporting documentation.
Your checklist will tell you exactly what supporting documentation you'll need for your application, which may include:
- Your original long-form birth certificate
- A court order, if you are under 18 years
- Death certificate of your previous spouse, if widowed
- Petition and final decree of your divorce, if divorced
- A photocopy of your current Irish passport
- Your original naturalisation certification, if naturalised
Translating your documents
You'll need to submit certified translations of any of these documents, if the originals are in a language other than English or Irish.
Getting replacement documents
We need original documents (except for the photocopy of your passport) to process your application.
If you don't have the original certificates, you must get replacements from the General Register Office which issued your certificate.
General Register Office (GRO) Ireland
Please note it is quite common for authorities in Belgium to request original certificates that were issued in the last three months. These are not available from the Embassy.
Getting your documents back
We will return all your original documents to you after we inspect them.
Apostilles
If the country in which you are getting married requires a Certificate de Coutume with an Apostille attached, we will provide this service. This may take up to 3 weeks. You will be charged the standard consular fee (currently €40) for each document that needs to be Apostilled (including the Certificate de Coutume, birth certificate, etc).
If you are an Irish citizen who was not born in Ireland, and you require an Apostille on your birth certificate, it must be Apostilled by the government which issued your birth certificate.
Remember...
If you haven't included all the necessary documents, your application will be returned to you.
Who can be a witness?
- A notary public
- A diplomat in one of the Irish Honorary Consulates or the Embassy
Your witness must:
- Know you personally
- Know a third party personally who can identify you
- Be able to verify your identity through your official documents (e.g. a passport)
- Provide a business contact number, address, and stamp
Your witness needs to:
- Witness you completing and signing your Statutory Declaration(s)
- Complete and sign the relevant part of your Statutory Declaration(s)
Remember...
It's against the law to make a Statutory Declaration that you know is false or misleading in any way.
Certificate of Freedom to Marry (Certificate de Coutume/Nulla Osta)
Per Irish applicant: €60
Non- refundable postage fee: €6
Total per Irish applicant: €66
Late fee
If you submit your application 28 days or less before the date of your intended marriage you’ll have to pay an additional fee of €60 per Irish applicant.
Payment methods
Payment is made online as part of the application process.
Applications should be lodged online and you should print the form once your application is complete. Once your physical application is appropriately witnessed it should be lodged at the Consulate General of Ireland in Sydney by post or in person.