Apply For Marriage Certificate Bermuda : Registry General

Organization : Registry General
Type of Facility : Apply For Marriage Certificate
Country: Bermuda

Website : http://www.registrygeneral.gov.bm/
Forms: https://www.gov.bm/

Apply For Marriage Certificate :

Submission of “Notice of Intended Marriage” Form:
A “Notice of Intended Marriage – Form A” can be obtained from the Registry General. This form must be completed and returned to the Registry General.

Related : Registry General Apply For Birth Certificate Bermuda : www.statusin.org/7336.html

The parties’ full names, including their middle names, must be included on the form. In addition, the parties must ensure that their full residential address is given. If either party has been married before a copy of the final divorce decree (decree absolute) must be provided with the form. A decree nisi is not acceptable. Documents that are not written in English must be translated and notarised.

The Registrar General may, at her discretion, request that one or both of the parties to the intended marriage produce a certificate of non marriage issued by the relevant authority of their country of residence. The signature appearing on the non marriage certificate must be validated.

Persons wishing to be married should be 18 years of age at the time of the ceremony. However, persons who wish to be wed and have reached the age of 16 but are under the age of 18 can marry, ONLY with the written consent of the parent(s) or lawfully appointed guardian(s). The “Notice of Intended Marriage” form, or other form of written consent, can be signed in the presence of a staff member at the Registry General, or in the presence of a Notary Public.

No marriage may be performed, if either or both of the persons getting married are under the age of 16 years at the time of the ceremony.

Publication of Notice of Intended Marriage:
Once the completed “Notice of Intended Marriage-Form A” is submitted to the Registry General the Notice will be advertised on behalf of the parties in the Official Gazette, the Bermuda Sun.

Issuance of Registrar’s Certificate (Marriage Licence):
The Registrar’s Certificate (Marriage Licence) can only be issued on the 15th day after the Registry General is in receipt of the “Notice of Intended Marriage – Form A”, provided that the form was correctly completed and any necessary documentation was provided. The Registrar’s Certificate must be collected from our office within 3 months from the date the certificate was received by our office or it will be invalid. Once the Registrar’s Certificate is collected it is valid for a further period of 3 months from the date of issue. The Registrar’s Certificate must be given to the Marriage Officer before a marriage can take place. If you are being wed at the Registry General in a civil marriage ceremony, the Registrar’s Certificate will remain in the Registry General until the day of marriage.

Caveat:
An individual claiming to know of a just cause why the intended marriage should not take place can enter a caveat. A person desiring to enter a caveat should submit a hand-written notice to the Registrar General that states: his/her full name, his/her place of abode and the grounds on which he/she claims to forbid the marriage. The caveat must be submitted anytime before the Registrar’s Certificate, for which the caveat relates, is issued. The caveat, in turn, will be referred to a Judge of the Supreme Court by the Registrar General. The Judge will either confirm the caveat or order it to be removed.

Once a caveat to the intended marriage is received, the marriage cannot take place until the Judge has removed the caveat by order.

Marriage Ceremony:
Marriages may only be performed by a registered Marriage Officer (clergy), the Registrar General or an Assistant Registrar General. Please note that Justices of the Peace are not authorized to perform marriages.

The Registrar General and Assistant Registrar Generals officiate civil marriage ceremonies at the Registry General. Civil marriage ceremonies are conducted in the lovely setting of our purpose-built Marriage Room. Civil weddings are performed from Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Appointments are required. Couples are requested to provide 2 witnesses. Notably if the parties are unable to provide witnesses they must notify the Registry General of this beforehand.

Submission of Marriage Details for Registration:

After a marriage ceremony is performed by a Marriage Officer, the Marriage Officer will submit to the Registrar General, within 7 days, a “Particulars of Marriage – Form F” that includes the necessary details to register the marriage.

For civil marriage ceremonies the “Particulars of Marriage- Form F” is retained at the Registry General after the marriage ceremony has been performed.

Issuance of Marriage Certificates:
A certificate of marriage can be ordered in person at the Registry General.

For a new marriage that was performed by a Marriage Officer, a certificate of marriage will be processed within 10 days of receipt of the completed “Particulars of Marriage – Form F”. For new civil marriages, a certificate of marriage may be processed after the marriage ceremony has been performed.

Members of the public can search the marriage records at the Public Search Facility of the Registry General at an hourly fee.

Maritime Marriages:
Persons can be married in a civil ceremony on the high seas, onboard ships registered with the Bermuda Registry of Shipping. Booking for maritime marriages can be made via Royal Ocean Events, 5048 48 Avenue, Delta BC V4K 1V8, Canada. Tel US Toll-Free: 1-855-434-3550 UK local phone: 02033719917 Australia & New Zealand Toll-Free: 1-800-609-517 or Fax: 1-778-434-3557 or Email: info@royalwed.com OR Wedding Planners P&O Cruises, Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton United Kingdowm, S015 1ST (Tel: 0845 351 0353 or Fax: 023 8065 7018 or Email: celebrations@pocruise.com). The marriage announcements are published twice in the Bermuda Sun. After these marriages have been performed, the details are forwarded to our office and entered into the Register of Maritime Marriages.

Legislation Governing Registration of Marriages:
The registration of marriages is governed by the Marriage Act 1944, the Jewish Marriage Act 1946, the Muslim Marriage Act 1984, the Baha’i Marriage Act 1970 and the Maritime Marriage Act 1999. Copies of the legislation are available at the Department of Communications and Information, Global House, Church Street, Hamilton for a nominal fee OR from Bermuda Laws Online.