Wedding in Greece: Requirements for UK Citizens

Created: Nov 26, 2020 | Updated: Dec 1, 2020

Greece remains a very popular destination for Brits for good reason. It has fabulous summer weather, a wealth of history, beautiful islands and villages, great beaches, nightlife, food and wine. All of this makes Greece a stunning destination for a wedding.

This article outlines the requirements for UK citizens looking to get married in Greece, the documents and procedures required, and guidance on how to obtain translations or legalisations if any are required.

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Getting Married in Greece

Greece is a relatively easy country to travel to or from the U.K. and organising a wedding there that will be accepted when you return home is also quite easy with only the minimum of paperwork. Like any wedding destination outside of the U.K., however, it’s important to plan the wedding and any legal requirements well before you travel and not leave it too late. 

 

Civil unions and same sex marriages in Greece

You can have a ceremony for a civil partnership in Greece which is perfectly legal in Greece as well as in the U.K.

If you were planning a same-sex marriage, note that same sex marriages cannot be performed in Greece. However, you can still have a same sex civil union ceremony at a Greek town hall because of a change in the law in Greece in December 2015 that allows this. Same sex civil unions are now legally recognised in Greece just as much as they are in the U.K.

 

What documents do I need to get married in Greece?

The two documents you will need to take to the registrar you have chosen in your Greek wedding or civil partnership destination will be:

• a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI); and
• a statutory declaration.

CNIs are issued to show that you are free to marry (e.g. you are not married to anyone else). You can get the CNI before you leave the U.K. and have it translated into Greek. 

CNIs cost 35 pounds from your local registry office. You have to wait for 28 days while the intention to marry is posted at the registry office. You will then get the certificate as long as there have been no objections. 

The statutory declaration is a legal document which affirms that the information in the CNI you hold is true. If you get your CNI in the U.K. before you go to your wedding (the preferred option), you should get a statutory declaration by making an appointment with a solicitor who will sign and stamp your declaration.  

Both the CNI and the statutory declaration should be legalised before they are valid. You can get them legalised by sending the documents to the UK Legalisation office who will confirm that the details are correct and provide an apostille, which is a separate certificate with a stamp and signature that is valid in Greece and any country that recognises the Hague Convention. The apostille should also be translated into Greek by a certified translator. The term “sworn translation” is not used in Greece as it is in other E.U. countries.

For all other documents needed to obtain the CNI and statutory declaration please check our general destination wedding document information here.

Your civil partnership will be recognized in the UK as long as:

• you follow the correct process according to the law in Greece;
• it would be allowed under UK law.

 

Additional Information

• Civil Partnership: Legal;
• Same-Sex Marriage: Illegal;
• There are no additional documents that you will need to marry in Greece, unless your wedding is a religious ceremony in a catholic church;
• It’s worth noting that your statutory declaration and Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) will both need to be legalised;
• The official translation of your documents will also need to be legalised once they have been translated;
• There is an official residency requirement of 8 days for marriage in Greece.

Your civil partnership will be recognised in the UK if:

• you follow the correct process according to the law in Greece;
• it would be allowed under UK law.

Click here for more information about getting married in Greece.