Marriage requirements - ceremony abroad

I'd email back and question that last line. How can you have your birth certificate issued next year?!?And I have never heard of a certificate of no impediment.

Thanks Zippy, I knew I wasn't going mad.

I realise it's probably lost in translation somewhere...but still questionable.

We had to get a certificate of non-impediment. You give notice at the Registry Office where you live and they display a notice for a length of time (about 15 days from memory) and so long as there is no objections, you can collect the Certificate of Non Impediment from the Registry office. I think it was about £30 each. I know this certificate can be issued no more than 6 months before the wedding - I think it is just a bit misleading about the birth certificate - I'd give them a call.

Thanks BDP, that's good to know.

I asked for reconfirmation and this was the reply;

In accordance with the portuguese law all documents have to be issued with less than six months, let me give you an example, a birth certificate is not valid to present in the civil registry if it was issued with more than six months.

I Know that your birth certificates are the original and that they are valid to present to your authorities, although to present the portugueses authorities, and your case to the civil registry, you will need to request certified copies of your birth certificates, and i think that is better because all documents will be archived in the civil registry.

I think I'm still confused...bloomin eck!

So do you have to pay someone to certify that your birth certifcate certifying that you were born is certified? Oh gawd....have confused myself......

I guess someone has to certify your BC's within 6 months of September. A minister, lawyer, doctor should be able to do this right - just like the back of a photo for a passport?

It sounds like you will need to order a new birth certificate but it doesn't sound too difficult. I found this page for you.

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/order_certificates/certificare_fees/birth--marriage--and--death--certificates.asp

Any solicitor will do a cert of no impediment - we had to get one done for our overseas wedding but didn't register it with our local registery office so couldn't go thru' that route .... so went down to see our solicitor.

We had to send copies of our passport, copies of our birth certs, Certificate of Domicile, No Impediment as signed by a public notary and a written statement from me and Mr SP to confirm we're both single.

The cert of no imped is fairly simple -

I xxxxx

born xxxx

Residing at xxxx

Do hereby solemnly and sincerely declare that I am unmarried and that i have never previously been married.

This declaration is made at xxxx on date before me

SOLICITORS NAME ADDRESS/ SIGNATURE

DEPONENT (Mrs SP)

We got our certificate of non-impediment from our local registry. We had to book an appointment within the time that they specify to be valid, and they give you a mini interview to make sure that you actually know each other and that you arent getting married for circumstances such as visas etc from what I remember. It was actually quite funny, they take one partner into a room to ask questions (it was my H) and then the other one goes in and confirms some answers (which was me!).

We ordered new birth certificates online which were certified, cant remember the website but there are loads of them, and they arrived within a week and were inexpensive. You also need to have any other documents certified to prove that they are real documents. There is a place where you can go, I dont remember the name of the offices but my H took ours to London and got them stamped the same day rather than wait for weeks in the post. Your planner should tell you where you can go for this.

The process sounds much worse than it is... it seemed daunting at first but it's pretty straightforward. Good luck!

You get a certificate of no impediment from your register office after giving 'notice' in virtually exactly the same way as anyone getting married in England or Wales. A solicitor does not provide a certificate of no impediment they complete with you a Statutory Declaration.

Certified copies of your birth registration can be obtained from the register office where you were born, will be dated as at the day of production and at the same time you can ask them for the address where you can get the apostile (official stamps confirming authenticity of documents, no longer London I believe)

HTH

Bear in mind if you live in England or Wales procedures can be quite different to Scotland

We need to order new birth cerfificates that are "full" birth certificates 6 months prior. You can do it online now though, just type in your reference off your birth certificate. From memory its £7 -10

Brilliant thanks every one, I completely agree pip...

I'll print off this post for future reference which means any of you may get a stalky email at some point ?