Liberia - Apply for a Mariage Certificate

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Procedure

1. Parties may contract a marriage before a registrar, in the presence of two witnesses the registrar's office.
2. The registrar then completes and the parties and witnesses then sign the certificate of the marriage in duplicate, and the registrar as in the case of a marriage by a minister, delivers one certificate to the parties and files the other in his or her office.
3. The registrar of marriages in each district is required to register all marriages in a book to be kept for that purpose, and called "The Marriage Register Book".
4. Within ten days after the last day of each month, every district registrar is required to send to the Civil Status Department a certified copy of all entries made during the preceding month in the Marriage Register Book and the Registrar General files the copy in his or her office.
5. The National Archives governs all western marriages, while the resident circuit court handles divorces for such cases.
6. The application for each must be made IN PERSON and carries a US $50 fee for marriages *Certificates are generally processed in about one week, however, there is typically an additional two to three (2-3) business days of processing after the certificates have been signed.
7. The marriage process requires signatures from two witnesses and an officiant, but DOES NOT require any secondary proof of relationship.
8. The New Domestic Law specifically states that a statutory marriage in Liberia is restricted to one man and one woman.
9. A party to a statutory marriage who would marry another, without first divorcing the current spouse commits the prosecutable offense of bigamy. Secondly, the second marriage is null and void, abinitio, and has no standing in law.
10. A person who is married under the statutory law of Liberia cannot legally marry another spouse under any law anywhere in the world, with out first obtaining a statutory divorce.

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Required Documents

• Original and copies of the Identity Cards or Passports of both parties.
• Complete Notice of Intention to Marry form
• In the event that either one or both parties are widowed, the Death Certificate of the departed *spouse and a copy must be produced.
• In the event that either one or both parties are divorced, a Divorce Decree Absolute must be produced.
• Should the documents be in any language other than English, an official English translation must be attached.

Office Locations & Contacts

The Registrar

Department of Administration

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Website: http://www.mia.gov.lr/index.php

Hon. Morris Dukuly

Minister

Hon. J. Tiah Nagbe

DMRP

Email: [email protected]

Hon. Amos Tweh

Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs

Email: [email protected]

Eligibility

Any two individuals that unites their lives legally, economically, and emotionally.

Fees

The Marriage Application carries a fee of US $50.

Validity

• Marriage certificate is valid until one is granted a divorce by the authorities
• Traditional marriages last until death or divorce

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

The Certificates are generally processed in about one week.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

• Liberian law requires at least one party in a marriage application be resident in Liberia at the time of the application.
• One of the parties to the intended marriage shall sign and give to the registrar of the district in which the marriage is intended to take place a notice in Form A in the First Schedule to this Act.
• The application for each must be made IN PERSON.
• Liberian law does not permit a person to marry under both traditional and statutory laws at the same time.

Required Information

• Adjudicators are encouraged to request secondary documentation of relationship.
• Original and copies of the Identity Cards or Passports of both parties.
• Complete Notice of Intention to Marry form
• In the event that either one or both parties are widowed, the Death Certificate of the departed spouse and a copy must be produced.
• In the event that either one or both parties are divorced, a Divorce Decree Absolute must be produced.
• Should the documents be in any language other than Arabic, an official English translation must be attached.

Need for the Document

A marriage certificate is a document issued, either by a church or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry Immediately after the celebration of a marriage by a minister, the officiating minister is required by law to complete, in duplicate, a marriage certificate.

Liberia recognizes two different types of marriage and divorce: traditional and western. In order to be legally recognized by the Government of Liberia, marriage or divorce MUST be registered (and given the accompanying certificate) in one of these two ways.

Liberia, like many West African countries, has two matrimonial laws: traditional marriage laws and statutory marriage laws. Under the traditional laws, a man may contract multiple marriages (up to three or four), according to traditions and customs. These marriages are legitimate and solemn under Liberian law; they represent the majority of marriages in the country.

Information which might help

• As recently as June 2011, local police have charged several current and former Ministry of Internal Affairs staff members with forging marriage documents.
• A traditional marriage ceremony includes the presentment of dowry to the brides family.
• In most Liberian traditional marriages, the dowry includes money, which has led many Liberians to wrongfully conclude that it is payment for the woman, and therefore that lessens the marriage. Even more significantly, traditional marriages are seriously disadvantaged because of their inequitable treatment by the courts of Liberia.
• The 1986 Constitution specifically directed the National Legislature to correct the imbalances, which it has failed to do since 1986. Traditional marriages last until death or divorce. The requirement for divorce follows prescribed traditions.

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://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country/LI.html

http://www.theperspective.org/taylor_wives.html

Others

More information which might help people.