Get Married on the Beach
Villa Leone has hosted two weddings in two years. The requirements, although paper intensive, are not all that bad. Our Manger Mike, can arrange all that is required to make that special day perfect.
The Requirements shown below are tailored to Canadians wishing to get married in the Dominican Republic. Of course, we can make arrangements for any nationality.
Getting Married in the DR - Legal Requirements
While legal requirements regarding marriage in the Dominican Republic are the same for travellers from all countries wishing to get married in the DR, the information below refers specifically to Canadians. The information published below has been provided by Dominican Republic Services in Toronto, Canada. (Please check with whomever you have chosen to process your documents to clarify what they require - costs, number of copies of documents required, and preparation of the Statutory Declaration of Single Status may vary, particularly if you will be attending a Dominican Consulate in person to have the forms processed.)
Please also confirm if they require your birth certificates to be legalized or if just translating is enough, and that your wedding date and details are confirmed.
YOUR WEDDING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The Dominican Republic is the ideal place to celebrate your wedding. Surrounded by palm trees, tropical flowers, live music, you will find the perfect balance between privacy and a friendly atmosphere.
You will need two witnesses holding valid passports who can be travelling with you or you can ask local hotel staff to witness your wedding.
The following documents are required to get married in the Dominican Republic. Note that legal transcripts of birth certificates, single status affidavits and divorce certificates need to be prepared in the country where the documents were issued.
Original birth certificates. Send two photocopies.
Valid and signed passports. Send two photocopies of the main page.
Notarized Statutory Declarations of Single Status done according to the sample. Bring or send one original and one photocopy. Please see attached sample of a Statutory Declaration of Single Status.
Divorce certificate or death certificate (if applicable). Send original or notarized photocopy and two simple photocopies. In both cases, a minimum waiting period of ten months applies before a woman can remarry.
The 3rd and 4th documents are translated and legalized by the Dominican Republic Consulate. The birth certificates have to be translated into Spanish as well.
If you are near Toronto and wish to drop off your documents at our office, you may do so by booking an appointment with us in advance. When it is not possible, please courier to us all above-mentioned documents and their copies. DO NOT SEND original birth certificates or passports to us, only their photocopies. Please include a prepaid courier envelope to return documents to you with your daytime phone number and mailing address. Legalization of documents takes 5 working days.
Please note that your first, middle and last name must be the SAME in your passport and statutory declaration. If name is different on your birth certificate, please indicate that in point 1 of your declaration.
Fees: $100 US each legalization, $40 US each translation
Note: Some hotels in the Dominican Republic may charge legal fees for the authentication of documents legalized by Dominican Consulates abroad by the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs.
Please note that some Canadian institutions require the Dominican Marriage Certificate to be translated and legalized by the Dominican Republic Consulate in Canada. Please contact Dominican Republic Services for further details.
A sample copy of the Statutory Declaration of Single Status is below, as provided by the Dominican Republic Services in Toronto.
STATUTORY DECLARATION OF SINGLE STATUS
(Please do not just fill in but retype the whole document)
CANADA ) IN THE MATTER OF:
Province of __________ ) the marriage between
) [full name of both parties as in passport]
)
I, [Full Name as in passport] of the City of __________, in the Province of ________ DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE THAT:
1. I am [full name as in passport], born as [name as it appears on Birth Certificate] on [date of birth] in [place of birth].
2. I am a Canadian citizen with passport No. _______ who resides at [full address].
3. I intend to marry [full name as in passport] in the [Hotel Name] in [City], Dominican Republic during the week of [week of marriage].
4. I am single and have never been married before. [If divorced, please put: I am divorced as per divorce certificate No. ________ as of {date of divorce}. During my previous marriage I was known as [name as it appears on divorce certificate]]. To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no legal impediment or other lawful cause to prevent me from getting married.
5. I am currently employed as a [occupation].
6. The names of my parents are _______________, Mother and ________________, Father.
AND, I make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath and by virtue of the Canada Evidence Act.
DECLARED before me at )
[City], Province of ________, ) _____________________
Canada, this __ of _______, 200_ ) [full name as in passport]
_______________________
As a Notary Public
Contact Information
Dominican Republic Services - Toronto
2727 Steeles Ave. W., Ste. 301
Toronto, Ontario M3J 3G9
Phone: (416) 739-1237
Toll-Free: 1-866-535-7776
Fax: (416) 663-1973
E-mail: info@dominicanrepublicservices.com
Web: www.dominicanrepublicservices.com
Dominican Republic General Consulate - Montreal
1470 Peel St. Suite 263
Montreal, P.Q. H3A 1T1
Phone: (514) 284 - 5455/6600
Fax: (514) 284 - 5511
Dominican Republic General Consulate - Toronto
347 Bay St. Suite 904
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2R7
Phone: (416) 369 - 0403/1602
Fax: (416) 369 - 1685
Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada
130 Albert Street, Suite 418
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Phone: 613-569-9893
Fax:: 613-569-8673
E-mail: info@drembassy.org
Web: www.drembassy.org
