Legal requirements for getting married in Antigua & Barbuda

Happiness is a wedding and/or honeymoon on Antigua and Barbuda, where the weather is perfect, the scenery intoxicating and the beaches pure perfection. Best of all, most island hotels offer wedding and honeymoon packages that make planning the big event both hassle-free and affordable.

With a choice of glorious venues, couples have the option of going with a formal church wedding and hotel reception. Outdoor and beachfront weddings and receptions are equally popular.

To marry on either island, a couple’s first stop will be the Ministry of Legal Affairs at the courthouse on the corner of High and Temple Streets in St. John’s. Here, couples are required to pay a registration fee  and a application fee for the special marriage license.  There is also marriage officer’s fee.  Office hours are Mon. – Thurs., 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM. To apply for the appropriate marriage documents, couples must present valid passports as proof of citizenship. If either party has been divorced, the original divorce decree must be presented. If either party has been widowed, the original marriage and death certificates are required.

Both members of the couple must be over 15. If under the age of 18, written authorization to wed from parents or guardians is required. All documents presented must be originals or certified as original by the issuing authority, and they must be in the individual’s legal name. Parties must provide affidavits if they are known by another name.

Two witnesses to the marriage are required to make the marriage both legal and binding.

To be married in a church, couples must secure the permission of the church authorities. Some churches also require that couples attend pre-nuptial counseling. A list of churches can be obtained from the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Tourism.

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