These are the general paperwork requirements for foreigners to be civilly married in Croatia.
The very first step is to choose the church you would like to get
married at. We must then check availability for the date and
time you would like to celebrate your marriage.
If the church is free it is best to immediately book it so that you
can rest assure the ceremony can take place.
Contact us to start with this first step.
You need to contact your local parish priest and inform him you wish
to get married in Croatia. Some priests will ask you to follow a premarital
course, others not. Your priest will explain to you how he
will like to proceed.
He will issue a document called "Nihil Obstat", this is the key document
to get married here. This document needs to be sent by your Bishop
to the Bishop of Dubrovnik.
Make sure you have completed a pre marital course (if your priest
wants you to do this) the latest 5 months before your wedding date.
All religious documents should be issued between 6 and 3 months
before the wedding. Ideally, you would want your parish priest
to send them to Dubrovnik's Bishop around 5 months before the wedding
date.
If they are sent much later the parish could consider accepting other
bookings.
You will need to arrange the following paperwork
" Formal letter from your parish priest granting permission for the
wedding to be performed in the church of (name of church) on date....
" Baptismal certificate with notations (noting that you have never
previously been married); includes info about your Holy Communion
and Confirmation
" Pre-Cana certificate: this shows that you have attended pre-marital
classes
" Pre-nuptial investigation form: this is a signed questionnaire with
church seals/signatures. This document must be stamped by the local
Bishop's office (NOT just your priest)
Please let us know when the documents are posted. We will then contact the parish in Dubrovnik to see if all had been received and approved.
Churches in Dubrovnik old town
What to do if you are not both Roman Catholic yet you still would like to get married in the church. Do not despair, there is a solution.
Such cases are called a MIXED MARRIAGE. In order to still be able to marry in the church you need all the above mentioned documents plus the following one:
Permission / Dispensation Form for "Permission for Mixed Religion": if one of you are not Catholic you will be required to obtain another document such as "Permission of mixed religions" to testify that the wedding celebration can be performed by the Croatian Church.
GOOD TO KNOW
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