What documents are needed to register a marriage in Georgia?
To get married you will need:
- your passports with which you crossed the border;
- notarized translations of your passports (foreign) can be done at the translation agency in the Old Town (contacts of verified translators are here);
- divorce certificates or death certificates of the spouses (if any);
- their notarized translations;
- 2 witnesses (one of them can be me);
- foreign passports of witnesses or their ID cards, if they are Georgians.
Translations of passports for witnesses are not required (but it is better to be on the safe side and get them done, especially if you are planning to register your marriage in Tbilisi).
The procedure is as follows:
- Together with all the documents and witnesses, you must come to the House of Justice, take a ticket from the window (electronic queue), then go to the operator, say that you want to get married, and hand over the documents.
- You will be asked when you would like to get married and where (I discuss the types of ceremonies at the end of this part of the guide). You can choose any date, usually the day after filing the application is chosen. You will be given a document with which you will need to come to the registration.
- Pay a fee if you want to hold a formal marriage registration at the Wedding Palace (prices are listed below).
- Leave the operator your phone number (preferably Georgian, if you don’t have one, you can leave my number). After some time (2-5 hours) you will receive an SMS with information about the status of your application for marriage registration.
- On the appointed day and at the appointed time, you and the witnesses come to the marriage registration procedure (don’t forget your passports and the document from point 2). Congratulations, you are married!
- On the same day or the next day, you will need to come to the House of Justice and leave a request for apostille of marriage certificates. Without this, your marriage will not be recognized as valid outside the territory of Georgia. The cost of this procedure varies depending on the urgency (30-150 GEL).
- If necessary, you can leave a request for translation of marriage certificates into English or Russian. This service is also paid separately and the cost varies depending on the urgency (90-330 GEL). Be sure to check that the apostille stamp is also translated into the language you need!
About witnesses
Witnesses are mandatory in Georgia. There must be 2 of them. The advantage is that anyone can be a witness (for example, me). I provide this service to my clients free of charge (when ordering the Plus Package), but you can also choose the witnesses yourself. The main thing is that the potential witness is an adult and does not have an expired passport.
Options:
- friend;
- relative;
- any contractor at the wedding (photographer/videographer/make-up artist, etc.);
- people at the House of Justice (sometimes they themselves offer you their services when you come to submit an application; their services can cost you 150-300 GEL).
The witness’s task is to sign several documents. And since the wedding ceremony is traditionally held in Georgian, he/she also has to read the text with a translation into your language.
Wedding ceremonies: what are they
In the House of Justice
A regular painting will cost you 0 GEL. But there will be no formal atmosphere — you and the witnesses will simply sign the necessary documents and receive marriage certificates. The whole process takes 10-15 minutes. It is performed only on weekdays.
Taking photographs at non-ceremonial ceremonies is not permitted in the House of Justice. Neither with a camera nor with a phone.
At the Wedding Palace
This place is also called “Dolphin” or “Shell”.
The cost of marriage registration is here:
- on weekdays — 135 GEL (except Tuesday and Wednesday);
- on weekends — 250 GEL.
The wedding ceremony is held in Georgian (usually one of the witnesses reads the text in your language) and consists of the following parts:
- ceremonial speech;
- your consents;
- exchange of rings;
- first kiss;
- first dance;
- presentation of marriage certificates (in 2 copies) and a small gift from the House of Justice;
- congratulations from guests and drinking champagne (included in the price, it is better to bring your own glasses).
Outdoor ceremony
It can be held indoors (for example, in a restaurant) or outdoors.
Popular options for venues for an off-site ceremony are:
- Botanical Garden (registering a marriage there will cost you 250-300 GEL);
- Fortress in Gonio (150-200 GEL);
- on the open sea on a yacht (price negotiable, about 400 GEL).
Often, an off-site ceremony is held in the format of a show for guests, so you can sign and receive marriage certificates at the House of Justice during a non-ceremonial registration, and then, at the site of your choice, hold an off-site ceremony together with guests and a host (optional).
Leave a request for a photo session…
…you can do it right on this website. Check if your date is available (if you have already decided) and briefly describe your wishes for the photo shoot.
I will answer you within a few hours :)