Iceland - Obtain a Marital / Single Status Certificate

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Procedure

• Place an order for a marital / single status certificate online and pay by credit card. You may only order a certificate for yourself, your children and individuals under your custody.
• To be able to place an online request for a certificate, you will need to log in. It may take you 5-10 minutes to obtain the key you will need to do online banking, then log in, change it and provide information about your contact number and email address.
• Certificates that will be issued to you are based on the registration information kept at the National Register.
• All certificates are sent by post. You may also request for your certificate be sent to your email address, this is possible for orders received online or upon presentation of a valid ID at the reception desk.

It is advisable to follow the guidelines that certain authorities deem necessary. Those wishing to marry overseas will need special documentation. First, couples will have to present a declaration that is processed by your local office where marriage documents are produced. This must be from the state where you live in the Iceland. On this statement will be recorded the fact that there has not be any marriage in recent years.

Due to the fact that these types of documents are sought for foreign involvement one will need the local or state registrars account or declaration to be authenticated to work abroad.

• Go to the Civil Registry office where marriages are registered.
• Present and submit required documents.
• Complete a form and declare.
• Pay the fee.

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Required Documents

• Passports
• Birth Certificates
• Certificate of Marital Status
• Witness forms
• Flight tickets
• Confirmation from the Directorate of Immigration that you are legally residing or staying in Iceland.
• Divorce papers (if divorced)
• Death certificate of previous spouse (if a widow). If so, then you must provide papers showing the estate and liabilities of the deceased spouse.

Office Locations & Contacts

Registry Office Iceland
Email: skra @ skra.is
Phone: 515 5300
Office Hours: 9:00am - 3:30pm
KT: 650376-0649
Website
Email Contact Form

Borgartn 21
105 Reykjavik
Office Hours: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Fax: 515 5310

Hafnarstrti 107
600 Akureyri
Office Hours: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Fax: 515 5420

Diplomatic Missions of Iceland

Eligibility

Certificate of marital status

Both parties getting married need to submit a certificate of marital status issued by the relevant authority in their country, state or region. The certificate must be issued within 4 weeks prior to the wedding ceremony.

Some countries do not issue a certificate of marital status. If that is the case in the country of either partner, a declaration of honour is required, issued by the bride/groom stating that she/he is not married, or that she/he is divorced/widowed, and has not remarried. It is preferred that the bride/groom make the declaration of honour before a Notary Public. If that is not possible, contact us.

If bride/groom is a foreign citizen or residing abroad, a certificate issued in their country, confirming that there are no impediments to the planned marriage, may be required.

Fees

Marital Status Certificate: 1,900 kr.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Click here to order the certificate. You need to log in with slykli or electronic identification.

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

It takes about an average of 5-8 working days for the certificate to be ready and 8-10 working days when the load is high. Your request will be processed the moment your payment is received. Allow additional processing time for the shipment of you certificate.

Related Videos

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Instructions

To get your Certificate of Marital Status, you must declare that you are free to marry before a notary public. Its important to complete this no later than 4 weeks before your wedding date. There are some countries, like the U.S. that have no Federal authority to issue a certificate of marital status. However, Iceland still requires that you bring it, even though they recognize that not all countries issue this certificate. If you are unable to provide this documentation satisfactory to Icelandic authorities, then you may be denied permission to marry in Iceland.

You should receive your witness forms from the Registry Office that must be filled out and returned by your witnesses.

If you have been divorced, its important that you send the divorce papers to the Ministry of Interior. Their job is to certify that your papers are legal.

Required Information

• Full Name
• Passport or ID number
• Place and Date of Birth
• Nationality
• Statement
• Date
• Signature of the person who declares
• Signature of the witnesses

Need for the Document

A Marital / Single Status Certificate is a certificate that indicate's an individual's current marital status. Example: unmarried, divorced, etc.

Following are procedures on how you can obtain a Marital / Single Status Certificate.

Information which might help

Registers Iceland

Registers Iceland registers a range of information on Iceland's residents and real properties, and provides related services such as assessment, allowing electronic access to the registers and issuing certificates, passports, ID cards and slykill. Registers Iceland is also responsible for the operation and development of the national portal Island.is.Sale prices and methods of payment from every sale contract are collected into the Land Registry Database and used for the calculation of economic indicators, such as the real estate price index.

Please also be aware that a standard Single Status Certificate or Certificate of No Impediment may be insufficient on its own to allow a marriage to take place in a foreign country. You may be required by the foreign authorities to comply with the following, so please ensure that you allow sufficient time for processing.

• Certificates may need to be translated.
• Certificates may need to be endorsed or exchanged for a locally acceptable version issued by your Embassy or Consulate in the country where you will marry.
• Certificates may need to be legalized i.e. stamped with an official stamp known as an Apostille.
• Certificates may require that witnesses swear an Affidavit stating that you are free to marry and that this is appended.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

In order for non-nationals to marry in a foreign country you will most likely be required to produce legal documentation from your country of citizenship verifying single status and that you are free to marry. This is known as a 'Certificate of No Impediment', 'Certificate de Coutume', 'Certificate of Nulla Osta' or a 'Certificate of Freedom to Marry'.

External Links

• Registry Office of Iceland Website:

http://www.skra.is/thjodskra/vottord/vottord-innskraning/

Registers Iceland

Government Offices of Iceland

Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland

Ministry of the Interior of Iceland

Others

Through a sworn affidavit the applicant confirms that they are who they claim to be. The Single Status Letter or Affidavit says that they are able and free to marry among other things. Bear in mind that one fact about the Single Status Affidavit is that it is not a government document; rather, it is a letter from the affiant signed in front of a notary public. An interesting fact about this type of document is that there are many names given for it. For example look at this list: "Single Status Statutory Declaration" or a "Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage" or a "Single Status Certificate" or "Free-to-marry statement".

Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage

This can be obtained from your local department of foreign affairs or your embassy in the country in which you are getting married.

Certificate of Single Status/Sworn Affidavit that you are free to marry

These are similar to a Certificate of No Impediment, but instead you have to swear you are single in front of a legal representative.