Marriage in Greece can take the form of a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony (usually, orthodox, as most Greeks are Orthodox Christians). Foreigners can also get married here.
Therefore, getting married in Greece for foreigners is possible, but there are certain basic conditions to comply with. Our lawyers in Greececan present the main regulations concerning wedding procedures. You can rely on our team to help you in the process of preparing your marriage documentation.
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What is the law on getting married in Greece?
The primary source of law with respect to marriage in Greece is the Book IV of the Code of Civil Procedure.
The Civil Code also prescribes other legal matters related to marriage (the welfare of the family, the rights and obligations of the spouses, matters concerning children) but it also regulates all the aspects occurring in the situation of a divorce.
Our Greek law firmcan represent clients interested in the procedure of getting married in Greece for foreigners, as well as the procedures concerning the dissolution of a marriage, where foreign spouses are involved.
The main rules of law on marriage in Greece are the ones mentioned in the list below:
- Presidential Decree 391/1982, referring to the celebration of civil marriage;
- Law 344/1976, referring to the registration documents of married persons;
- Law 3719/2008, referring to family and children and the reforms included in the amended law;
- Presidential Decree 411/1989, on common property;
- Law 4356/2015, referring to cohabitation agreements.
There are other regulations that can apply to marriage and our Greek lawyers can offer more details.
What are the main requirements for getting married in Greece?
Just like in other European countries, for the civil ceremony, the Greek authorities will require future spouses to provide a set of documents that attest their identity and the fact that they are free to get married, as per the applicable law in Greece.
Please mind that the marriage procedure will first be completed as a civil ceremony and after that, the couple can get married in a religious ceremony as well.
If the 2nd option is also included in the marriage plans of the future spouses, please know that all the documents required by the Town Hall (where the civil marriage will take place) will also be necessary when addressing to a local church.
Getting married in Greece can be done if the couple presents the following:
- the identity documents (if the spouses are Greek nationals) or the passports (where a spouse/both spouses are foreigners);
- the birth certificate of the applicants (where a spouse is a foreigner, additional steps must be completed);
- for those who have previously been married, the Certificate of Divorce/ Death Certificate of the previous spouse must be submitted to the file;
- a document issued in the country of origin of the applicant, which attests that the person getting married in Greece is free to marry;
- a copy of a newspaper that is issued in the Greek region where the spouses live, which announces their marriage.
For foreign spouses, please mind that all the official documents must be translated into Greek. The documents can be signed by a lawyer, by the representatives of the Greek consulate operating in that country or by the Greek Foreign Ministry (Department of Translation).
Our team of Greek lawyers can present all the conditions your paperwork must fulfill in order to avoid being rejected in the process of registering for marriage in Greece.
Getting married in Greece can be a wonderful experience considering that the country provides the best scenery in the region, and our Greek law firm will make sure that the legal aspects on your event will run smoothly, so contact us nowfor more information.