Rules and conditions for marrying a foreigner
Rules and conditions for marrying a foreigner
If one fiance or both from engaged couple are foreigners, you need to know what conditions and rules must be met if you are interested in getting married.
Before entering the marriage, both persons from engaged couple must present the necessary documents to the registry office and prove their legal capacity to enter into the marriage.
The scope of the submitted documents is regulated by Act No. 301/2000 Coll., On registries, name and surname and on the amendment of some related acts, in particular the Act on Registries.
The documents must have the requisites of public documents.
If these documents are issued by the authorities of foreign states, they must always be provided with the necessary verifications (superlegalization, Apostille),
unless an international agreement by which the Czech Republic is bound stipulates otherwise. Documents have to be officially translated into the Czech language.
What to arrange first before getting married?
- choose the place and date where the civil marriage will be concluded
- contact the registry office to whose administrative district the chosen place for marriage belongs
- find out more information and conditions, get witnesses, translator…
For a church marriage, contact a person authorized by the church or religious society.
Read more about the church marriage here.
Other documents for marriage
- you can pick up a marriage form at the appropriate registry
- the form is filled by both spouses and submitted to the registry office in the relevant place in whose administrative district the marriage is to be concluded, together with the documents necessary for the conclusion of the marriage.
Pursuant to Section 33 of the Registration Act, a fiancé who is a citizen of the Czech Republic and is registered for permanent residence in the Czech Republic is obliged to prove his / her identity to the registry office and attach:
- birth certificate
- proof of citizenship
- extract of data from the information system of population registration on the place of permanent residence
- extract from the population register on personal status
- a final judgment on the divorce of a previous marriage, or the death certificate of the deceased spouse, or a final court decision on the dissolution of the partnership, or the death certificate of the deceased partner
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 35 of the Registration Act, the fiancé, who is a foreigner, shall attach to the prescribed form:
- birth certificate
- proof of citizenship
- proof of legal capacity for marriage, which must not be older than 6 months at the date of marriage
- a certificate of personal status and residence, if issued by a foreign state
- the death certificate of the deceased spouse in the case of a widowed foreigner; this document does not need to be presented if this fact is stated in the document on legal capacity to marry
- a final divorce judgment if the foreigner who wishes to marry is divorced
- confirmation that the marriage will be recognized as valid in the foreigner’s home state if it is concluded by a proxy
- a final court decision on the dissolution of the partnership, or the death certificate of the deceased partner, if it is a foreigner who lived in the partnership
- proof of identity
We recommend that you always contact the relevant registry office in advance to find out the current information.
Fees for marriage to a foreigner
- concluding a marriage between the spouses, if both do not have a permanent residence in the Czech Republic, costs CZK 3,000
- marriage between spouses, only one of whom has a permanent residence in the Czech Republic costs CZK 2,000
- issuing a permit to marry outside the specified period or outside the officially designated room will cost CZK 1,000
- The fiancé will pay CZK 500 for the issuance of a certificate of legal capacity to marry
The above fees are always paid before the action/event in cash or by voucher.
Witness
The declaration of marriage shall be made in public in the presence of two witnesses.
The protocol on the marriage states the name (s), surname, birth number, or date of birth, place and district (state) of birth.
Witnesses prove their identity with a valid document.
Translator
If one of the spouses does not speak Czech, is deaf or mute, the presence of an interpreter is required at the time of the declaration of marriage. The participation of the interpreter is arranged by the spouses at their own expense.
A declaration of marriage cannot be made without the presence of an interpreter.
You can find more information on Marriage between Czech Nationals and Foreign Nationals in the Czech Republic at website of Ministry of the interior of the Czech Republic.
