Wedding Abroad RulesNot legal advice. Marriage rules change and local offices interpret them differently. Confirm every requirement with the civil registry or embassy before you book or pay. Disclaimer
Legal for visitors?Yes (opposite-sex only)
Wait / residencyNo residency; banns published first
Government feeRD$20,000
Same-sexNot available
8 of 10 facts read on an official page; 1 not confirmed. Badges show the source level of each fact.
Where couples get confused
The DR charges non-resident couples roughly 7x the resident fee, and the US Embassy stopped issuing the single-status affidavit couples still ask for.
The rules
- Legal ceremony for visitorsOfficial ✓
- yes (opposite-sex only)Civil (notary/civil registry officer) or Catholic canonical marriage; both legal.
- Residency or waiting timeOfficial ✓
- No residency, but non-residents pay a higher fee and must show tourist card; notice of intended marriage must be published first.
- Required documentsOfficial ✓
- Passport + copy, copies of last entry stamps, sworn single-status declaration before a Dominican notary legalized at the Procuraduria General (or US notary + Dominican consulate), birth certificate, divorce certificate if applicable.
- Apostille / translationOfficial ✓
- Birth/divorce certificates apostilled with legal Spanish translation
- Blood or medical testNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassyOur unconfirmed note: not listed by US Embassy
- WitnessesOfficial ✓
- 2 (not family)
- Who officiatesOfficial ✓
- Civil registry officer (Oficial del Estado Civil) or Catholic priest
- Same-sex couplesOfficial ✓
- Not legally recognised (FCDO); law prohibits same-sex marriage (US Embassy).
- Recognized in the US, Canada, UKSnippet / semi-official
- US: generally valid if valid where performed; confirm with your state Attorney General (State Dept). Canada: usually valid if legal where performed, no need to register (travel.gc.ca). UK: no general statement found on gov.uk - unverified.
- Government feeOfficial ✓
- RD$20,000 when both are non-resident foreigners (in or outside the civil registry office), per US Embassy citing JCE fee table.
⚠ Pitfalls and scams to watch
US Embassy no longer does single-status affidavits - you need a Dominican notary + PGR legalization; banns must be published.
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Sources
Quotes copied from official pages on 2026-10-21. Items marked as a snippet were seen in search results because the page blocked our checker.
- feehttps://do.usembassy.gov/services/marriage/
Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic – RD $20,000.00
- documentshttps://do.usembassy.gov/services/marriage/
Sworn declaration before a notary public, of being single and eligible to marry; the sworn declaration then needs to be legalized at the Offices of Procuraduría General de La República.
- witnesseshttps://do.usembassy.gov/services/marriage/
2 witnesses (not family).
- samesexhttps://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/dominican-republic
Although same-sex sexual relations are legal in the Dominican Republic, same-sex marriages are not legally recognised.
All sources consulted
- https://do.usembassy.gov/services/marriage/
- https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/dominican-republic
- https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/living-abroad/marriage.html
- https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/marriage-overseas
Last checked 2026-10-21. Spot something out of date? Email hello@weddingabroadrules.com.
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