LEGAL CEREMONY IN MEXICO

This type of ceremony also referred to as a Civil ceremony is only performed by a Judge and is available 7 days a week except on Mexican holidays. Although civil marriages performed in Mexico are legal in Mexico, you must legalize your marriage at your local court if you want it to be recognized as legal in your in your country of birth/residence. You do this by registering your marriage certificate at your local City Hall. Legal ceremonies can also be combined with a religious one if you choose. This service is performed in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEGAL CEREMONY IN MEXICO

VALID PASSPORT: Passports are required to enter Mexico and are also mandatory for a legal wedding to be performed. Passports must be presented to the On-Site Wedding Team at the time of the wedding consultation.

TOURIST CARD: These are provided on the airplane prior to arrival into the Cancun International Airport. Names on the tourist card and passport MUST be the same.

ADVANCED HOTEL STAY: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel three business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony date in order to complete the blood tests and process the necessary documents. Saturday and Sunday are not considered working days.

CIVIL CEREMONY FORM: A civil ceremony form must be completed (available through your Wedding Designer) indicating witnesses name, age, nationality, home address and occupation.

DIVORCED GROOM: If the groom is divorced no additional documentation is needed.

DIVORCED BRIDE: If the bride is divorced (must be at least one year in order to remarry) and her passport is in her maiden name no additional documentation is needed. If the bride is divorced and her passport is under her ex-husband's last name, then she must present her Birth Certificate and Divorce Certificate translated into Spanish by an Official Translator and with an Apostille Seal. The Apostille Seal is necessary when issuing a document from one country to another for legal purposes. For information on how to obtain the Apostille Seal, please contact the Secretary of State Office or visit: http://travel.state.gov/law/judicial/judicial_2545.html

The United States Department of State requires that all Weddings Certificates from ceremonies performed in the Caribbean, including Mexico, have the Apostille Seal. This procedure can be done by our Wedding Department for an additional fee of $250 USD. By requesting this service you receive: an extra copy of your wedding certificate, the apostille seal, translation into English and FedEx delivery to your home address, usually within 60 days after the ceremony.

DECEASED FORMER SPOUSE: If a bride or groom's former spouse is deceased then a copy of the Death Certificate is required.

HEALTH CERTIFICATE: Mexican laws require a Health Certificate for all legal wedding ceremonies. Blood tests are done to determine blood type, HIV and STD status. Tests must be taken at the resort and results are ready within 24 hours. Approximate cost is $250 USD per couple (unless stated as an inclusion in your wedding package).

WITNESSES: Legal wedding ceremonies require four witnesses. The hotel can provide witnesses at no extra cost. If the wedding couple provides their own witnesses the following is needed from each witness:

• Valid passport or driver's license
• Tourist Card
• Witnesses must arrive at the hotel three business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony date in order to complete the l legal document process and be present during the onsite meeting with the wedding team.
• Witnesses must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the ceremony

SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN MEXICO

This ceremony is typically performed by a non-denominational minister but can also be performed by a religious officiant for an additional fee. It is not recognized as legal in Mexico or your home country. Preferred by couples already married and wishing to have a wedding ceremony, those thinking of a legal ceremony at a later date or those wishing to renew vows with their loved one. Some ministers speak English and for those that do not, the service is translated into English by a member of our wedding team.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN MEXICO

ADVANCED HOTEL STAY: Wedding couple must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

CATHOLIC CEREMONY IN MEXICO

Catholic ceremonies are available alone or in conjunction with civil ceremonies and can only be held inside a Chapel or Church. An additional fee of $600 USD applies for a Catholic Priest. This ceremony is not recognized as legal in Mexico or your home country. It is performed in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A CATHOLIC CEREMONY IN MEXICO

THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MUST BE PRESENTED FOR BOTH BRIDE AND GROOM FOR A CATHOLIC CEREMONY: Birth Certificates, Baptism Certificates, Confirmation Certificates and a letter issued by the Local Priest, addressed to the Priest in Cancun, allowing them to marry in Mexico. These documents must be received by Lomas Travel three months prior to the Wedding Date.

ADVANCED HOTEL STAY: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

LEGAL CEREMONY IN JAMAICA

This type of ceremony also referred to as a Civil ceremony can be requested 7 days a week except on Jamaican holidays. Unlike in Mexico; Civil marriages in Jamaica are performed by a Non Denominational Minister and are considered Civil/Legal in Jamaica. However you must legalize your marriage at your local court if you want it to be recognized as legal in your country of birth/residence. All wedding couples hosting a Civil Wedding Ceremony will receive 2 different documents after the wedding ceremony:

1. CERTIFIED COPY OF MARRIAGE LICENSE: This document is received right after the ceremony but is not the official Marriage certificate. It can be used as such to change your social security, bank accounts, living wills, insurance policies, credit cards, driver licenses, automobile insurance, mortgages, Internal Revenue Service, passport and voter's registration, just to name a few.
2. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE: This document is mailed to the wedding couple via FedEx approximately 14 days after the wedding ceremony and should be used to register your marriage at your local courthouse.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEGAL CEREMONY IN JAMAICA

BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Certified copies of Bride & Groom's birth certificate. If father's name is not on the certificate an explanation must be included with the documents.

PASSPORTS: Certified copies of the passports are required to process the marriage license. The passports are needed to enter Jamaica and are also mandatory for a legal wedding to be performed. Passports must be presented to the On-Site Wedding Coordinator at the time of the wedding consultation.

DIVORCE DECREE: Certified copy of divorce decree if applicable. If bride is divorced and has returned to her maiden name, there must be an official document to show the change.

DEATH CERTIFICATE: Certified copy of death certificate if applicable.

CIVIL WEDDING REGISTRATION FORM: Completed Civil Wedding Registration Form which will be provided by your Wedding Designer indicating witnesses name, age, nationality, home address and occupation. Witnesses - Legal wedding ceremonies require two witnesses at least 18 years of age or older. The hotel can provide witnesses at no extra cost.

ADVANCE HOTEL STAY: Bride & Groom must arrive at their hotel 3 business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony in order to complete the document processing. Saturday and Sunday are not considered working days.

• The above documents need to be sent by DHL courier to the Wedding Designer at the hotel at least 45 days prior to arrival. Physical documents are still required at the Hotel.
• Any documents in any language other than English must be translated and the translations certified.
• Certified copy of any name change document if applicable must be provided.
• Italian nationals must notify their embassy and have a certified copy of their marriage certificate forwarded to their embassy to be legalized and translated.
• French Canadians need a notarized translated copy of all documents and a photocopy of the original French documents.
• Blood tests are not required.

SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN JAMAICA

This ceremony is not recognized as legal in Jamaica or your home country. Preferred by couples already married and wishing to have a wedding ceremony, those thinking of a legal ceremony at a later date or those wishing to renew vows with their loved one. The ceremony is performed by a Non-Denominational Minister

REQUIREMENTS FOR A SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN JAMAICA

ADVANCED HOTEL STAY: Wedding couple must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days. For vow renewal ceremonies, a copy of the marriage certificate is required. Wedding couple must arrive 2 week days prior to the ceremony.

LEGAL CEREMONY IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

This type of ceremony is only performed by a Judge. An Apostille will be required to legalize your marriage in your country of birth/residence if you want it to be recognized as legal once you return home. You do this by registering your marriage certificate at your local City Hall. Legal ceremonies can also be combined with a religious one if you choose. This service is performed in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEGAL CEREMONY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

• Valid Passport is required.
• Please bring your original birth certificate (Provided by your country's government).
• Declarations of Single Status (Provided by the Dominican Consulate Office in the country state you currently reside in).
• Translation to Spanish by an Official Translator of all documents presented, also, those should have an Apostille Seal.
• The Apostille Seal is necessary when issuing a document from one country to another for legal purposes. For information on how to obtain the Apostille Seal, please contact the Secretary of State Office or visit: http://travel.state.gov/law/judicial/judicial_2545.html
• 2 Witnesses. Must be arrive 3 business days prior to ceremony. Witnesses must be 18 years or older. If Witnesses are not available. Hotel will provide them at no extra charge. Please consider direct family members cannot be witnesses.
• Bride/Groom and Witnesses need to be present during the onsite meeting with the Wedding Coordinator.

**Please note: Couples who require a Non Shared Assets Marriage status will be required to bring their own prenuptial agreement. It should be apostilled or legalized for those countries who are not included in the Hague Convention.
*** Once ceremony takes place, onsite wedding team will ship the marriage certificate 30 days after their wedding.
**** For Canadian couples, birth certificate and Single status certificate should be legalized in their Dominican Republic Consulate.
**NATIONAL HOLIDAYS AND SUNDAYS NOT AVAILABLE FOR LEGAL WEDDINGS**

SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Advanced Hotel Stay: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A SYMBOLIC CEREMONY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ADVANCED HOTEL STAY: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

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