Alabama - Obtain a Marriage Certificate Happened Outside Country

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Procedure

• U.S. embassy and consulate personnel cannot perform marriages in foreign countries. Depending on the law of the foreign country, local civil or religious officials generally perform marriages. Marriages performed overseas are considered valid in the country where they take place if they are entered into in accordance with local law. Recognition of the validity of marriages performed abroad depends on the laws of the place in which the marriage is to be recognized.

Apply In Person

1. To Obtain a Marriage Certificate Happened Outside Country, the applicant has to approach the Foreign Embassies & Consulates link U.S. embassy and consulate link

   NOTE: Enter the country or area and click the “Locate” button.

2. If the applicant has got married in outside the country, the applicant has to contact the state embassy or consulate.
3. The officer will check the details of marriage documents.
4. The applicant has to write a notarized type or written letter for marriage certificate.
5. Also attach all the necessary documents which is mentioned in the “Required Documents” section of this page.
6. Fee details for this procedure is mentioned in the “Fees” section of this procedure.
7. Submit all the required documents along with the completed form to the office mail address.
8. The mailing address is mentioned in the “Office Locations & Contacts” section of this page.
9. Once the verification process gets completed, the applicant gets the marriage certificate from the officer in charge.
10. The processing time for this procedure is up to 3 to 4 months.

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Required Documents

• Letter
• Passport size photographs
• Proof of identity
• Fee receipt
• Passport

Office Locations & Contacts

U.S. Embassy and consulate
Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
Tel. (202) 485-8300
United States Embassies link

NOTE: Enter the country or area and click the “Locate” button.

Foreign Embassies & Consulates link

Eligibility

Some of the requirements the applicant might encounter are:

• Parties must be resident in that country for a specified period of time before a marriage may be performed there.
• Blood tests.
• Minimum age for the parties who are being married.
• Parental consent.
• Documents certifying the end of any previous relationship (such as death or divorce certificates), translated into the local language, and authenticated.

Fees

• The fee for this certificate is $50.00.
• Additional copies for each are $50.00.

NOTE:

• Amount needs to send by money order or cheque.
• Make payable to "U.S. Department of State"
• Include a complete mailing address on the check.
• Checks and money orders must be payable in U.S. dollars through a U.S. bank.
• The Department is not responsible for cash lost in the mail.

Validity

• The marriage certificate is valid forever, until the spouse gets separated mutually.

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 processing time for this procedure is up to 3 to 4 months.

NOTE:

• Some documents may take longer than 16 weeks due to nationwide shipping delays.
• If the applicant, select the option for first class delivery or 1 to 2 days (add on amount - $18.32)

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

• Applicants must provide genuine information while applying for this procedure.
• Only the legal relative person can apply for this procedure.

Required Information

• Name of both individuals
• Date of marriage
• Signature
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Email address

Need for the Document

• Marriage Happened Outside Country, the certificate is issued by the local (foreign) authority, registration of proof documents according to the law.

Information which might help

• Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry: Some countries require an affidavit by the parties as proof of legal capacity to enter into a marriage contract. No such government-issued document exists in the United States. You may execute such an affidavit at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. embassy or consulate cannot attest to your marital status. However, most countries will accept a statement from you regarding your ability to marry if your signature on the affidavit has been notarized by a U.S. consular officer.

For more information link

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

• Marriage certificate is used as a proof of Identity.

External Links

Link

Others

Who may request a copy of a Certificate of Witness to Marriage Abroad:

• The individual whose marriage is recorded on the document.
• A legal guardian of the individual whose marriage is recorded on the document.
• A person who obtains written authorization from the individual whose marriage is recorded on the document.