Destination Wedding :: Requirements for Getting Married in Mexico

We’re on a roll planning our wedding soiree in Cancun so today we thought we’d share with you some very important things you need to know if you’re planning to wed anywhere in Mexico.

  • Bride & Groom must arrive to the property at least three (3) business days (Monday – Friday) prior to the wedding ceremony to meet with your venue coordinator. **Civil or Legal ceremonies: Do not forget all the required documents for the day and time of the meeting with the on-site wedding coordinator.
  • Name, age, nationality, home address, occupation, passport and tourist ID of 4 witnesses. Witnesses must arrived three(3) business days (Monday –Friday) prior to ceremony. Witnesses must be 18 years or older.
  • BIRTH CERTIFICATE / translation into Spanish required – This document must be translated into Spanish and should be provided with “Apostille” stamp. In case the document does not have de “Apostille” stamp, parent’s name will not appear on the birth certificate. “Apostille” stamp should be processed at hometown, not available onsite. Nevertheless the legal wedding will be performed
  •  PASSPORT – The passport must be valid for at least six (6) months. Bride & groom’s names, should match with the birth certificate, if not the final data will be taken from the Passports.
  •  TOURIST CARD / FMT – Mexico tourist cards (also sometimes called an FMT or FMT visa) is a government form declaring that tourist have stated the purpose of their your visit to Mexico to be tourism, and which must be carried while they are visiting Mexico. Bride & groom’s names, should match with their passports.
  •  BLOOD TEST – To determine type H.I.V. AND S.T.D. Test must be taken at the resorts and results are ready within 24 hours, if test is positive, a special release must be signed by the couple in order to proceed with the ceremony.
  • SINGLE STATUS AFFIDAVIT – Also known as “Single Status Statutory Declaration”, this document is required by the Mexican government to conduct a legal wedding. The document states that you are currently single and have no impediment to get married.
  • TRANSLATIONS OF DOCUMENTS INTO SPANISH – All the paperwork which require translation into Spanish, should be done at their hometown, by the authorized/legal notary applicable, and brought by the clients. 

 If you’re thinking of a Catholic ceremony:

  •  The following documents must be presented for both Bride and Groom: Birth Certificates, Baptism Certificates, Confirmation Certificates and a letter issued by the Local Priest, addressed to the Priest in Cancun, allowing them to marry in Mexico. These documents must be received by your Mexican priest three months prior to the Wedding Date.

There you have it!  You should have most of this already but it’s also always good to have a coordinator remind you about these requirements.

Happy Wedding Wednesday lovebirds!

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