Gabon - Obtain a Marriage Certificate

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Procedure

1. The first step to obtaining a marriage certificate in Gabon is filling a Notice of Marriage with the office of the registrar general and waiting for up to 21 days.
2. Upon the expiry of the 21-day waiting period, the couple completes an affidavit as per section 11 of the marriage Act. The affidavit is commissioned by the Registrar who then completes the Marriage Certificate.
3. The couple proceeds to pay for the marriage certificate and identify a date to officially get married and this must be within three months after obtaining the 21-day notice.
4. One of the parties books a marriage date (either on Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday or Saturday or Sunday) and if no objection is raised they proceed to get married.
5. They then proceed to the registrars office where they pick the marriage certificate in front of two witnesses.
6. If the parties have a valid reason that prevents them from waiting for 21 days, they inform the registrar of marriage who then decides if the period can be waived with an extra charged.
7. The parties will be required to pay a fee if the marriage is to take place at the registrars office and if the it does not take place in the registrars office then a church fees is paid.

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Required Documents

• Valid Identity Cards or passports
• Death Certificate if Widowed
• Divorce Decree if divorced

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Social Affairs, Family & Solidarity

Bote Postale 5684,

Libreville

Telephone  :+241 (1) 761-700

Eligibility

Persons intending to obtain a marriage certificate in Gabon must be 18 years and above and they should not be in another marriage though this is not so strict in principle.

Fees

For the notice of intention marriage form is paid CAF of 1,000

For the special License procedure it requires CAF of 2,000

Validity

A marriage certificate is valid until one of the spouses death or in the unfortunate event of an absolute divorce.

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

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Processing Time

30 working days

Related Videos

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Instructions

• A marriage certificate is obtained if you and your spouse have agreed to marry and there is no objection to the marriage.
• Both parties must be at least 18 years of age and must get in touch with the registrar of marriages to register and legalize their union.
• Parties must complete the notice of intention which runs for 21 days but can apply for a special license which waves the 21 day period but attracts extra fees. The registrar of marriages has the right to give or deny the special license.
• If the marriage is to take place in church then the notice is given both in the registrars office and the church awards the certificate on behalf of the registrar of marriages.

Required Information

• Full Names of both parties
• Dates of birth
• Valid identity proof
• Citizenship
• Address
• Proof of death of spouse if widowed
• Proof of divorce if divorced

Need for the Document

Marriage is a socially recognized and accepted union between two individuals. In legal terms, it is a contract that allows couples, rights on each other's finances and property.

Marriage makes a couple responsible and liable for each other's activities. Every country enforces legal policies for registering marriages, as this certification is a documented proof of a marriage. This is important as many people opt for traditional marriages as opposed to civic ceremonies. This increases the need for authorizing the marriage in a court of law or by authorized legal practitioners.

Obtaining a marriage certificate is important for legalizing a marriage in Gabon. The laws regarding marriage registration in the country are captured in the Marriage Act.

Families in Gabon tend to be large. Women have an average of five children. Because the government wants the population to grow, it is illegal for most Gabonese women to buy birth-control devices.

Polygamythe taking of more than one wifeis legal in Gabon. However, couples are required to enter legal marriage contracts and register as either "polygamous" (with more than one spouse) or "monogamous" (with only one spouse).

Women's property rights are difficult to protect without a legal marriage certificate, but there are many couples who don't have this. Interestingly, the French word for "woman" is also used to signify "wife." Ma femme is how many women in couples are identified. This may or may not imply legal marriage, but her betrothal to a man is understoodshe will often already have his children and will consider his family her in-laws.

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Costa-Rica-to-Georgia/Gabonese.html

http://libreville.usembassy.gov/birth_abroad.html

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0200312144

Others

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