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Getting
Married
Documents required for foreigners to wed:
Original birth certificate (or copy with raised seal);
certificate of good conduct (including certification of
"single status"); residency card (one of the
couple must have resided on the island for at least one
month prior to the ceremony); medical certificate (including
blood test) issued within 3 months of marriage; French
translation of English language documents. A Bulletin
de Mariage and Livret de Famille are delivered at the
ceremony. No fee is involved. There are wedding packages
that requires a boat ride to nearby Anguilla, where a
marriage license can be obtained at the magistrate's office.
The ceremony and celebration can take place back in St.
Martin.
Requirements for marriage in St. Maarten differ from here
as well.
Couples must request permission from the Lt. Governor
of St. Maarten and need to register at the office of Civil
Registry at least 10 days before the marriage. In order
to register you need to have a copy of the approval letter
from the Lt. Governor (temporary tourist permit), birth
certificates of both parties and copy of civil status
(in case of divorce a divorce certificate is needed).
For the contracting of marriages on the Island Territory
of St. Maarten, the following procedures are applicable
and required (in accordance with the Civil Code at the
Netherlands Antilles 1869 and as amended).
1. Birth Certificates of both parties are required (article
120). Persons of foreign nationalities should be 21 years
and over in order to contract a marriage without consent
of their parents, Guardians (such also in accordance to
the laws of their respective countries of origin). Persons
of the Netherlands nationality should be 23 years and
over (article 91).
2. Divorced persons may remarry in Sint-Maarten, but should
provide a recent extract of divorce of this current year.
Divorced women, can only remarry after 306 days upon inscription
into the registry of divorce at the office of Civil State
(article 83).
3. A period of 10 (ten) days is required by law in accordance
to article 124 of the Civil Code of the Netherlands Antilles
to register at the Office of Civil Registry. Persons dearing
to get married must first declare before the office of
Civil State of their intentions of contracting a marriage.
Office hours are Mondays through Fridays from 8.30 am
to12.00 noon and from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm (article 99,
100 101) Publication of marriage banns. Starts from the
Saturday thereafter (article 124).
4. On Tuesdays through Thursdays Marriages can be contracted
for the price of Nafls. 90(approx, $51); on Fridays for
Nafls. 120 (approx. $67); and on Saturdays for the price
of Nafls 270 (approx. $152). Price includes the marriage
book. (These prices are in effect as of October 1, 1994,
in accordance with ‘AB 1194 No. 11 Stamps ordinance 1994)
5. To contract a marriage on the Island, one of the parties
concerned must be an inscribed Residence at the Census
Office. Two witnesses are also required to be present
at the marriage ceremony and must also be inscribed residents
at one of the Census Office of the Netherlands Antilles
(articles 125 and 126). To become a resident of the Netherlands
Antilles one must first have a valid residence permit
and/or a permit granted by the Government Authorities,
of which must be handled by the Immigration Department
in question (P.B. 1986 No. 96).
6. Foreign persons wishing to get married in St. Maarten
and who are not inscribed as a resident can request permission
from the Lt. Governor of the Island Territory of St. Maarten.
If permission is granted a temporary tourist permit will
be issued in order to contract a marriage. A written request
must be submitted to the attention of the Lt. Governor;
this can be send to:
Lt. Governor Franklyn RICHARDS
Government Administration Building Clem Labega’s Square
P.O. Box 943 Philipsbourg, St. Maarten.
Netherlands Antilles
You may also fax the Lt. Governor at 011-59954-24884.
Please allow at least 2 months for a Reply, please note
that you need to be on the Island at least two days before
the wedding date.
7. Registration at the office of Civil Registry needs
to take place at least ten days before the marriage. This
can be done by faxing their office at 011-59954- 21267.
Please send the Fax to the attention of Mr. Alberto Mathew,
Chief Registrar. The following documents are needed in
order to register: - Copy of approval letter from Lt.
Governor (temporary tourist permit) - Birth certificates
of both parties - Copy of Civil Status (In case of Divorce
Certificates is needed).
The office of Civil Registry is located at:
Sualiouga Rd. #6 Philipsbourg,
St. Maarten Phone: 011-59954-22457 Fax: 011-59954-24567
Please note that all documents must be translated into
the Dutch language by an official sworn translator and/
or by a Notary Public with their signature, stamps and
seal.
The following person can do translation on Island:
Ms. Cheryl LaBega- Language translator -
Government Administration Building
Clern LaBega’s Square
Philipsbourg, St. Maarten.
Please note that one to weeks is needed to translate the
documents.
8. The Office of the Civil State performs the marriages
after all documents are found to be correct, after which
if requested by parties, a clergyman can perform the wedding
ceremony at the "Wedding Hall" situated at Sualiouga
Rd. # 4, Pondfill, Philipsbourg. 9. Other required documents
are:- A valid return ticket, or to travel elsewhere outside
the Netherlands Antilles- Required documents for returning
to the country of origin, or for further travel elsewhere-
Sufficient means to be able to support your stay in St.Maarten.
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St.
Martin At A Glance
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Language:
Officially, French is the language of St. Martin and Dutch
in St. Maarten, but almost everyone speaks English, and
many speak Spanish as well. French Creole and Papiamento,
a Creole language of the Netherlands Antilles, is spoken
here locally, especially in the southern parts of the
island.
Government:
Sub-prefecture of Guadeloupe (an overseas départment
of France)
Capital:
Marigot
Climate:
St Martin is warm and humid, but tradewinds help temper
the humidity, especially from January to April. Temperatures
in the first half of the year usually hang around a balmy
28°C (83°F). It is driest between February and
April, with most rain falling between August and November.
The hurricane season for the region is June to November,
with most activity occuring in August and September.
Time Zone:
GMT/UTC -4
Electricity:
Electrical appliances run at 220 volts (50 Hz), following
the European standard, in St. Martin, and at 110 volts
(60 Hz), after the American standard, in St. Maarten.
Visitors to the island should bring the appropriate converters,
depending on where they plan on staying.
Currency:
Official currencies are the French Franc and Euro on the
french side. Prices are commonly posted in US Dollars
which ave accepted everywhere, as are most major credit
cards Most banks are equipped with ATM machines.
Driving:
Traffic is on the right, international signs. The island's
roads are not designed for speed.
Rentals:
Rental agencies are located at both airports and at the
major hotels. Motorcycles and mopeds are also available
for hire.
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