Ireland
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Getting Married in Ireland
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Why Ireland?
Marriage License Requirements
At least one of you must reside in Ireland for 15 days prior to the marriage and the other partner must reside in Ireland at least 7 days prior to the marriage before it is legal for you to marry there. You can then be married 8 days after that.
You will have to visit Ireland at least once prior to your marriage because the present laws state that three months prior to your wedding date, you must give written notice to the registrar of the district in which you wish to be married of your intent to marry. However, once November 2007 rolls around then you will be required to give notice in person at the registrar's office, again three months ahead of time. After that then you can go about satisfying the residency requirements. Another new requirement that will be applicable from November 2007 going forward will be that you and your intended must sign a declaration stating that there is no impediment to either of you getting married. That means if you have a divorce that has not been finalized for example then you could not get married in Ireland. Also at this time you will need to get a Marriage Registration Form from the registrar's office before you get married, and it will not be provided unless you have satisfied to the registrar's satisfaction that you are both free to marry.
Presently in Ireland you can only be married in a registry office or a church, and then only in certain churches. Neither humanist (secular) nor pagan weddings are legal in Ireland. However, you can have a civil ceremony in a registry office to make it legal and then have your humanist or pagan ceremony afterwards.
When you go to the registrar's office to state your intent to marry make sure you take original or certified copies of your birth certificates with you. Also where applicable take the original or certified copies of your divorce papers or the death certificate of your former spouse.
Civil Ceremonies
From November 2007 on it will be possible to have a civil ceremony in other locations other than the registry office. However, the location has to be inspected and approved prior to the wedding ceremony, and an official has to be available at the date and time you are having your wedding ceremony.
Religious Ceremonies
The only churches from which Ireland will recognize a marriage ceremony as being legal are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian/Methodist, Jewish, and Quaker. With regards to a Roman Catholic ceremony, you and your future spouse will need to both be Catholic, and have "letters of freedom" from all parishes you have lived in. If either of you has been divorced from a marriage which was a Catholic marriage also, then unless you have an anullment from the Catholic church and you have also had a civil divorce you cannot be married in the Catholic church as the Catholic church does not recognize divorce. For Quakers you must be a member of their church and of legal age to marry before having a ceremony in a Quaker church. To get married in the Church of Ireland, one of you has to be Anglican or Episcopalian. If you want to be married in a Jewish synogogue then you both must be Jewish and have a letter of introduction from your Rabi. For a ceremony in a Presbyterian/Methodist church it is at the discretion of the minister as to whether he will marry you if you are not of that faith.
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