Getting married overseas? make sure to have your Apostilled documents ready.
Apostilles for international weddings.
US citizens getting married overseas need to obtain an Apostille
Getting married overseas can present challenges especially when it comes to documents which are required by the laws of the country where the wedding will be performed. This calls for an individual who is planning for a wedding in such a country to familiarize with the laws on marriage since they are known to vary from one country to another. The first point would be a discussion with the consular officials; they will be in a position to give all the necessary details. In most of the countries one will be required to produce the following documents:
The birth certificates for both parties showing the names of the parents
The passports
If one or two you were in a previous marriage and are divorced, you will be required to produce the original divorce papers
If widowed, the death certificate of the former spouse will also be needed.
If there has been a change of name, a legal proof will be required
Given the number of documents needed and the process before they are accepted in a foreign country it is important that the process of getting an Apostille begins months before the actual wedding day. Failure to have such plans in hand will lead to disappointment when your host country denies you a chance to marry your life partner. For the above documents to be recognized and accepted overseas one must obtain an Apostille. This is basically a document legalization service. The process can take time, especially if you have already left or have not collected some of the needed documents from the respective issuing offices. It is advisable to have the documents legalized before traveling as this will ease the burden as well as reduce the time that may be required to have the whole process completed. A part from obtaining an Apostille, the country where these documents are required may be a non English speaking nation requiring translation services, this means an additional cost to have the Apostille as well as the document translated. In recognizing that the whole process of obtaining an Apostille may take time and cost a fortune, it is important to seek the services from a firm which will not only give you a subsidized cost but also ensure that it is expedited. Get a firm that can also offer translation services and at the same time be in a position to give you free Apostille translation services for free, this will reduce the cost which will be required and at the same time the time since you do not have to look for translators elsewhere.