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Getting
Married
Most resort hotels that offer wedding packages
will help you to complete the paperwork for a
marriage.
Marriage requirements:
The Dominican Republic does not require you to
get a marriage license. You need only to register
to be married. The Oficialia del Estado Civil
charges RD$50 for this. This is the first step
prior to getting a marriage certificate.
Submit the following paperwork before the Oficialía
del Estado Civil for the preparation of your marriage
certificate. Note that you may send photocopies
in advance and bring the original with you:
- Passport
- Birth
certificate
- Single
status affidavit translated by an official translator
into Spanish
- Divorce
certificate translated into Spanish by an official
translator, if applicable
(Legal transcripts of the birth certificates,
single status affidavit and divorce act need to
be prepared at the Dominican consulate in the
country where the documents were issued.)
You will also need two witnesses. If they are
foreigners, they will need to have passports as
identification. If they are Dominicans, "cedulas"
are sufficient.
People who have been divorced in the DR under
the Special Divorces Law need to wait 24 hours
prior to getting married.
II. After the marriage:
You will be given a document that proves the wedding
took place. You then need to request a marriage
certificate from the "Oficial de Estado Civil"
(City Clerk) that married you.
Marriage certificate validity abroad
The document issued by "Oficial de Estado
Civil" (City Clerk) is a valid marriage certificate.
Nevertheless, in case you are considering a name
change or applying for a visa for one of the spouses,
you may consider validating the marriage certificate
at your consulate in the DR. If this is your case,
ask your hotel if they can help you handle this
part as part of the marriage package or for an
additional fee. This process needs to be carried
out by the corresponding foreign-based authorities
or in the DR as follows:
First you will need a legal transcript of the
marriage act that is issued in Spanish. This needs
to be done by an official legal translator (authorized
by the Supreme Court of Justice). Then have the
transcript legalized by the Attorney General Office
(Procurador General de la Nacion) and by the Legal
Department (Legalizaciones) of the Ministry of
Foreign Relations (in Santo Domingo). Next step
is to take it to the corresponding consulate where
they will verify the signature of the Ministry
of Foreign Relations, validating the marriage
certificate in the foreign language. This procedure
could take a month.
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DR
At A Glance
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Language:
Spanish is the official language of the island. English
is widely spoken in tourist's areas as well as German,
Italian, and French.
Government:
Representative democracy
Capital:
Santo Domingo
Size:
48,730 sq km, 1,288 km coastline
Location:
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola,
between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
east of Haiti
Climate:
Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation;
seasonal variation in rainfall. Average daily temperature
of 82°F (25°C)
Electricity:
110 volts, the same as in North America
Currency:
Dominican peso (DOP)
Driving:
Driving is on the right hand side and the speed limit
is 60 kph in the cities and 80 kph or 100 kph on the highways,
unless otherwise indicated.
Rentals: Major
car rental companies have airport and city locations,
such as Honda, National, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar,
Nelly Rent-a-Car, Dollar and many others. A valid driver's
license and major credit cards are required to rent a
car for up to 90 days.
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