DOMINICAN WEDDING INFORMATION

This is the most complete, reliable and straight-to-the-point source of information compiled from the website of the Dominican embassy in Canada, the United States and other sources on What documents are required for a civil marriage in the Dominican Republic, How and Where to get them, and their due processing. If you continue beyond this point is because you have accept the Waiver.

 

  1. Documents REQUIRED BY CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF cANADA
  2. If never married before:
  3. i) Birth Certificate –Long Form (Original or certified copy)*
  4. ii) Affidavit of Single Marital Status*

iii)   Valid passport: A copy of the two main pages for step 2c.  Your marriage will be formalized in the name appearing on it, which must match your name on your birth certificate and other documents..

  1. iv) Tourist Card: Usually included on your vacation package, or you can purchase at the airport of entry in the DR. It is valid for 30 days.
  2. If previously married:
  3. i) Divorce Certificate or Court Ruling (Original or certified copy)* or
  4. ii) Death Certificate of Spouse (Original or certified copy)*

Note: Divorced or widowed brides can not marry in the DR until ten months after the dissolution of previous marriage.

  1. Optional Prenuptial Agreement (Optional):

Dominican legal terms and conditions (ownership of property, inheritance, parental rights and other matters) are enforceable in Canada, even among Canadian couples; so you might want to supersede that by signing a prenuptial agreement in Canada prior to the wedding. When the spouse is from the DR, the prenup must be translated into Spanish so both will sign the English and Spanish versions in front of a Notary Public in the DR prior to the wedding. (See details).

  1. OFFICIAL SPANISH Translation OF DOCUMENTS

For a foreign document in a language other than Spanish to valid in the DR, it must be:

  1. Translated into Spanish:

By an official/accredited translator and professionally typewritten (without corrections or erasures).  For the most convenient price and turnaround, deal directly with Victor, calling toll free: 1-888-847-8906 or  e-mail clicking here.  

  1. Apostilled

The Notary’s signature must be authenticated by the Provincial Official Document Services (takes 1 day and a fee of $32+), or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa (no fee, but takes up to 1+ month). This is on you in the DIY option (3a), but included with the translation in the SMAT option (3b)..

 

* Important Notes:

  1. Documents not issued in Canada, must be authenticated by the Consulate in Canada of the issuing Country or by the DR’s Consulate in the issuing country, prior to translation and legalization by the Consulate of the DR in Canada.
  2. Templates for the Affidavits of Single Marital Status Affidavit and/or name change are provided with the translation at no additional cost.

 

  1. Legalized by a Dominican Consulate

Get an appointment with the nearest Dominican Consulate to take the package of apostilled documents (see 2b) with copy of the two main pages of your passport(s) and your payment in the form of cash or money order to the Consulate of the Dominican Republic (no credit/debit cards accepted). Note: Their fee per document with its translation is US$ 100.00 (even in Canada). Return next day for pickup.

Warning: Don’t be surprised by some unscrupulous misinformation saying that, for translations to be valid in DR, they must be done only by the consulate or certain “appointed” persons/agencies or by the destination hotels/resorts/operators. These are just to charge you outrageous fees once you are there without options; besides the fact that, to be valid in the DR, the documents and their translations must be legalized in Canada by the Dominican Consulate.

  1. RED TAPE ALTERNATIVES
  2. The Do It Yourself option

Victor will provide you with translation of the documents certified by a Notary Public and you take care of steps 2a, 2b and 2c.

  1. The Save Money, Aggravation and Time option

In addition to translation of your documents (2a), Victor can take care of the whole legalization processes for you in a more cost-effective way, with a total turnaround of +/-10 days, (including translation and mailing time). Click here for quote.

  1. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR A WEDDING IN the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
  2. Bring all your original documents to the DR, even if you are bringing certified copies.
  3. You might need 2 or 4 witnesses (over 18 years) at the ceremony (the hotel may provide them if necessary, for a fee).
  4. For information religious weddings, ask the corresponding local church officials.
  5. Prenuptial agreement: The Dominican rules will govern the matrimonial contract, even among foreign couples and are enforceable in their countries (Canada, US, etc.); so you might want to supersede that with a prenuptial agreement. When the spouse is from the DR, the prenup must be drawn in English in Canada/US and translated into Spanish for both to sign the English and Spanish versions in front of a Notary Public in the DR and in Canada or the US, whichever the case may be.
  6. Official English Translation of your spanish marriage certificatE

Back from your trip, you need to register your marriage in Canada (US) by taking your Spanish Dominican marriage certificate (with the certified English translation that I provide) to the Offices of Vital Statistics, Social Insurance, Driver’s License, Passport, etc. to update your marital status and change of name (the latter is optional).  Click here for quote.

Warning: Regardless of what you might have hear, even if it is from the travel agency or the Dominican Consulate, there is no need for the Dominican Consulate to intervene in the translation nor in a needless validation (legalization, certification) of your Dominican marriage certificate, that will cost you US$100.00 on top of the translation cost.

 

 

  1. sponsoring permanent residenCE of dominican spouse in canada

Marriage to a Dominican citizen does not guarantee your spouse’s immediate access to Canada residence. You must file a sponsorship application accompanied by the following documents with their certified English translation.

  1. To sponsor a Dominican spouse, send me the following documents for their official translation:
  1. i) Dominican Marriage Certificate
  2. ii) Spouse’s Birth Certificate and

iii)  Spouse’s Certificate/Clearance of Criminal (Police) Records

  1. iv) See page 5
  2. If sponsoring any minor child(ren) of the spouse, also send me:
  3. i) The child(ren)’s Birth Certificate(s) and
  4. ii) Notarized consent of the other parent to bring the child(ren) to Canada (or the US).
  1. In Canada, send your sponsorship application to Citizen & Immigration Canada (CIC) with the translated documents.  No need for further legalizations because I am certified translator by CIC. No need to retain the services of a lawyer at this stage either.  Allow 10 months for the decision.
  2. Warning: There is a considerable chance for the application to be denied on the basis that the wedding was fraudulent, not in good faith; specially (but not exclusively) if there is a considerable age difference between the spouses. See news release.
  3. In case of a denial, you must initiate an appeal process that takes many, many months if not 1+ years. It is recommendable that you retain the services of a lawyer at this stage of the process.

To be prepared for the event of an appeal, you must be able to produce documented proof that the marriage was not in bad faith and still is in good standing; (i.e. telephone bills [not calling cards] for frequent long distance calls, airline tickets and hotel invoices for trips, correspondence with dated postal seals, proof of support by remittance of money, etc).

7.   WAIVER

The information provided here, verbally or in any other way, is in good faith and believed to be true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. It is your responsibility to confirm it with the Dominican Consulate, the local Office of the Civil Registry and/or the resort/hotel where the wedding will take place and/or the travel agency arranging your trip. There will be no responsibility/liability of any kind on my part for the results of the decisions you make based on that information, and no money will be returned for any concept. Return to the top

 

 

 

  1. Canadian certificates

a.   Birth Certificates

  • The short form is the wallet-credit card-sized format containing your name, date of birth, number, birthplace, sex, date of registration and issue. Spanish translation required.

·         The long form contains the same data as above plus data of the parents and other additional secondary information. Not accepted in the DR.

  1. How to obtain a Canadian Certificate of Birth, Marriage or Death

 

Most provinces allow you to get it over the internet, but a few won’t. Get the information on how to obtain it, click on the bottom edge of the corresponding flag. Spanish translation required

 

Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfdlnd Labrador
NW Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario PEI
  Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon  

 

  1. How to obtain a Canadian Divorce Certificate

Call the Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings in Ottawa (613)957-4519. This is a Canada-wide index of divorces begun after July 1968. Provide the names of the divorcing parties (including the wife’s maiden name if known) and get the number of the Courthouse where the divorce took place, the file number and year; then contact the Clerk of that court and ask for your divorce certificate. Spanish translation required

  1. Affidavit or Statutory Declaration of Single Marital Status

Must be drawn in English and signed by each marrying person and certified by a Notary Original (not just a Commissioner to take oaths or certify signatures). If I do your translations, I will provide you with the English format for your lawyer/notary to complete before I translate it. Spanish translation required

or

See next page if marring a Dominican national