How to Get Married in Mexico

Getting married in Mexico can be very romantic and make for a memorable wedding. If you want to get married in Mexico, there are several things you must do before and after you celebrate your nuptials.

Things You'll Need

• Legal consent
• Marriage application
• Travel permits
• Passports
• Birth certificates
• Witnesses

Instructions

1. Get legal consent to get married in Mexico. If you are young and want to get married in Mexico, you must have your parents' consent. Boys age 16-18, and girls aged 14-18 must have legal consent to get married in Mexico.

2. Secure and provide documentation to get married in Mexico. You will need a marriage application from the local registry office in Mexico, passports that are valid for at least 6 months, travel permits, and birth certificates. If you are widowed you must provide death certificates. You will also need chest X-rays and blood tests (done in Mexico) if the state requires it. You will also need a divorce decree or death certificate if you have previously been married. You must have been divorced for a year to be remarried in Mexico. All documents must be translated into Spanish, notarized by a Mexican Consulate and be legalized in your home country.

3. Arrive in Mexico at least three business days before the wedding date to allow time to complete all of your paperwork.

4. Bring witnesses to your Mexico wedding. You will need four witnesses at the wedding ceremony, all of who have a valid passport and legal documentation.

5. You must have a civil ceremony. While you may be planning a religious marriage in Mexico, you'll also need a civil ceremony to make your marriage legal.

6. Secure your wedding documentation. After your civil ceremony, you need to obtain a marriage certificate. You will then need to have it "apostilled" and translated to English by your country's embassy. An apostilled document is a special document attached to your foreign document to make it legal in your country.

Tips & Warnings

• Arrive in Mexico in plenty of time to get your documents completed.

• If you have been divorced for less than a year, do not try to get married in Mexico.

Resources

• Have your American documents legalized for use abroad.
• Have your U.K. documents legalized for use abroad
• Have your Australian documents legalized for use abroad