Legal Documents

Re: Legal Documents

• CMGragain member

  

  November 2015 edited November 2015

  A Florida marriage license would only be valid in Florida.   If you want to get MARRIED in St. Lucia, and not have just a fake ceremony for your guests (Ugh!), the legal requirements are doable.
  
  DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

  (All documents must be originals or certified copies with raised seals)

  • • Passports (remaining time of validation min of 6 months)
  • • Birth Certificates
  • • Decree Absolute (if any of the parties is divorced)
  • • Death Certificate (for the former spouse, in the case of widow/widower)
  • • Previous marriage certificate (if widowed)
  • • Deed Poll Certificate (if name has been changed)
  • • Parental Consent (if under 18 years old) by way of Affidavit from a Notary Royal
  • • Adoption certificate if applicable

  Please note that all documents must be in English. If they are not, an authenticated translation must be provided along with the original.

  If you have to obtain copies of any of the documents required please ensure they are CERTIFIED COPIES that have a RAISED SEAL authenticating them. St. Lucia is very strict about this.

  PROCESSING THE LEGAL PAPERWORK

  Regular legal service

  The Attorney General's office takes two full working days to process your legal documentation.

  The legal process can be expressed so that you can have your paperwork processed in less time than stated above. There is an extra fee of US$185 if you need to use that option.

  
  There are some states in the USA that are more strict than this!  That express option looks worth it, to me, unless you are going to be there for three or four days before your wedding.  The local wedding planner should help you with this.
  
  Of course, all weddings performed in St. Lucia are recognized as legal anywhere in the USA.
  

  
  

  

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• Knottie1446571899 member

  

  November 2015

  Thank you for the info! Definitely not having a fake wedding! My fiance is convinced we have to get documentation from the state of Florida for our wedding in St. Lucia for it to be valid but it doesn't seem like we have to do anything.

  I appreciate your response!

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• CMGragain member

  

  November 2015 edited November 2015

  A marriage license is only good for a wedding that takes place in the state that issues the license.  A Florida license is not accepted for a wedding in Texas, but the marriage, if it performed in Florida, is valid anywhere in the USA and most of the rest of the world.
  

  

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• Jells2dot0 mod

  

  November 2015

  I got married in Australia. I never filed for a marriage license in the US, even though we are both US citizens. When I went to change my name, I just used my Australian marriage certificate.

   

  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

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• OliveOilsMom member

  

  November 2015

  Only problems you might have with a foreign marriage license is if the USA doesn't recognize the country that issued it (very limited number of countries).  Or if its in a foreign language.  But even if it were in a foreign language, you would just need to have it translated by a certified translator in order for the US to accept it.  For St. Lucia, you are good to go!

  

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• msuprincess04 member

  

  November 2015

  As PP stated, the US will recognize a foreign marriage certificate in most cases. I doubt you'd have an issue with a marriage cert from St. Lucia, so there are no additional steps when you get back to the US.

  "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"

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• holyguacamole79 member

  

  November 2015

  I would contact the venue you're using in St. Lucia to ask questions regarding the local policies. If they are a wedding venue, chances are that they are familiar with these questions and how to advise couples.

  
  
  
  
  

  

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