For couples who were both born in Ireland the process of registering a legal marriage in Ireland is very straightforward. For couples where one or both were born overseas, extra identification documents are needed to prove your identity and that you are free to marry. For couples where one or both are divorced, more identification documents are needed to prove you are divorced and free to marry.
The reason for this extra identification is to prevent scam marriages by those wishing to marry an Irish or EU citizen in order to obtain EU citizenship. So this extra identification really is necessary.
But if an Irish wedding is what you really want, please don’t despair, the extra paperwork really will be worth the effort.
5 Important Steps for A Legal Marriage in Ireland
1. First you need to decide on what kind of marriage ceremony you’d like to have and therefore what kind of ceremony officiant/marriage solemniser you would like. If you would like a unique & personalised marriage ceremony designed to your own requiremets you will need to choose your own celebrant / ceremony officiant / marriage solemniser, and individual who is registered to conduct legal marriages, and book your marriage solemniser as soon as possible to ensure you have your choice of wedding date.
2. Next you must decide where you want to get married in Ireland and book your marriage venue as soon as possible to ensure you have your choice of wedding date.
3. Next you must book and appointment with the HSE Civil Registration Office to lodge the “Notification of Intention to Marry” (NOIM) form. You can do this first if you wish, giving yourself time to complete steps 1 and 2 before you attend your NOIM appointment. Your NOIM appointment should be at least 3 months before and no more than 12 months before your wedding date. There is a €200 non-refundable fee to lodge your NOIM. If everything is in order (you have supplied the information and identification documents requested) you will be given your Marriage License (Marriage Registration Form) in your “Green Folder”. This is the paper signed during your marriage ceremony.
NOTE: If there is a reason why you need to be married less than 3 months after lodging your NOIM it will cost you €25 to get a court order. This is only recommended in special cases but is very easy to obtain if you have a valid reason.
* Congratulations! GET MARRIED on your wedding day *
4. Next step after you are married, if you have chosen your own marriage solemniser is to return your signed Marriage License to the HSE Civil Registration Office to complete the legal registration of your marriage. Your legal marriage certificate will be available a short time later.