A wedding on the island of Santorini will make one of the most significant days in the life of lovers beautiful and special. But before it starts, each couple goes through an ongoing preparation for the ceremony, which takes a lot of time and effort. Knowing about the necessary documents and their procedure will make the pre-wedding preparations less tedious.
In this article, we will discuss the possible scenarios for weddings on Santorini and the documents required for each of them.
Documents you need for official marriage registration
The official ceremony is a full marriage registration, requiring pre-organization and collection of a package of documents.
What documents are necessary for Russians for the official registration of marriage?
- Copies of foreign passports. You will need a copy of the page with a photo and a valid Schengen visa;
- Copies of passports of your country. You will need a copy of the photo page, sections with a stamp of residence and information about marital status;
- Originals and photocopies of birth certificates. Copies will require notary reassurance and Apostille. Apostille is a special seal that assures the authenticity of a copy of a document. The Apostille stamp can be placed in the registry office or the General Directorate of the Ministry of Justice of your city.
- Certificate that the groom is not married and the bride is not married. Certificate should be taken to the registry office and reassured by the Apostille (in this case, the assurance requires the original, not a copy);
- Certificate of unmarried/single marital status. Such a certificate is issued in the notary office, filled with the words of future newlyweds. The original certificate is certified by the Apostille;
- In the case of the bride or groom previously married, a notarized photocopy of the certificate of divorce with the Apostille is required;
- In the case of the widowhood of the bride or groom, a photocopy of the death certificate of the previous spouse, certified by the notary and the Apostille, is required;
- In the event that the groom and/or the bride have changed their name, the original name change certificate with the Apostille stamp is required.
Documents must be received no more than three months before the expected wedding date (considered invalid).
Submission of documents must take place 6 (or more) weeks before the ceremony.
The registration ceremony takes place in the presence of the mayor of the city. The very next day, the newlyweds are expected at the mayor’s office with foreign passports to sign official papers (or on Monday, if the ceremony was held on Friday or the weekend). If the newlyweds cannot or do not want to interrupt their honeymoon for the sake of this formality, they can make a notarized power of attorney in our name, and we will submit the documents for them.
Documents necessary to register a marriage abroad for Europe Union
- Birth certificate with both parents names inside, with an Apostille stamp, translated into Greek.
- Marriage license/Single status letter/Capacity to marry/Letter of no impediment with both of your names written on it, with an Apostille stamp, tranlsted into Greek.
- Divorce certificated if you have been married previously.
- Death certificate, Deed pool certificate or adoption certificate if appropriate.
- Photocopies of your passports.
Documents necessary to register a marriage abroad for Americans
There are two different options available. Study both of them below and choose one that works for you:
Option I. (Documents to be taken only from USA)
- Full birth certificate with both parents names inside, with an Apostille stamp, tranlsted into Greek.
- Single status letter or Letter of no impediment one for each of you with an Apostille stamp, tranlsted into Greek. Single status letter is a document issued from your local Registrar and insures that you are free to get married.
- Marriage license with Apostille (one license covers both of you), that is valid for a wedding outside, translated into Greek.
- Affidavit of Single status (no translation and no Apostille is required). We will email for you this form for comlpetion — it must be stamped by the Registrar’s office.
- Divorce certificated if you have been married previously.
- Death certificate, Deed pool certificate or adoption certificate if appropriate.
- Photocopies of your passports.
Option II. (You will pass by in person to the USA embassy in Athens)
- From the USA embassy in Athens you will take in person an Affidavit of Marital status to cover both the bride and groom instead of Marriage license or Single status letter as mentioned in Option I above.
Documents necessary to register a marriage abroad for United Kingdom and Australia
- FULL BIRTH CERTIFICATES (with both parents names inside) with an APOSTILLE stamp, translated into Greek
- SINGLE STATUS LETTER or LETTER OF NO IMPEDIMENT (one for each of you) with an APOSTILLE stamp, translated into Greek. “Single Status” is a document issued from your local Registrar and insures that you are free to get married.
- DIVORCE CERTIFICATE (if you have been married previously)
- Death Certificate, Deed Poll Certificate or Adoption Certificate (if appropriate)
- PHOTOCOPIES of your PASSPORTS
- Please contact us for more information.
Documents you need for orthodox church wedding on Santorini
- Passports and copies (first 4 pages)
- Photocopies of Russian passports (first four pages and “family status” page)
- Copies of birth certificates certified by a notary and an Apostille. Notary-certified translation of birth certificates and Apostille into Greek
Baptism certificates certified by the Apostille and the translation of certificates and Apostille certified by the notary.If your baptism certificate is lost, ask for a copy of the church where the baptism took place.
If the church does not keep records, or the archives are not preserved, you may be given a certificate from the words and (desirable) testimony of your godparents.If it is not possible to obtain a certificate at the place of baptism, contact any church or diocesan administration with this question.
- If you are already married and want to have a church wedding ceremony, you need a copy of the marriage certificate, certified in the notary office, with the stamp of the Apostille.
It is also necessary to translate the copy and Apostille into Greek and notary translation. - Evidence that future spouses are not married in church (issued in any church, from your words). It will also be necessary to translate the certificate into Greek.
In the case of self-organization of the wedding, permission will be required for the wedding ceremony in the Greek Orthodox Church, which is issued by the Archdiocese in Athens. The request for permission is made at the Greek consulate.
When arranging a wedding through the agency JuliaVeselova this procedure is not required, and the couple gets permission directly on the island itself.
Wedding in the church is held on any day, except festive and church fasts.
For a wedding in the church you will need the official «Greek wedding set»
GREECE SET FOR WEDDING (wedding only in the Orthodox Church)
- Greek crowns for the wedding
- Flowers decorated with flowers
- Wine (Vinsanto or Nama)
- Glass and carafe for wine with tray
Also, we note that wedding rings — an important attribute of the sacrament, symbolizing the connection of two love hearts before God.
1. Future spouses must be baptized in the Orthodox faith
2. You must arrive 2-3 days before the appointed date to meet with a representative of the Greek Orthodox Church
3. At least one witness should be invited to the wedding (who may be a representative of our agency).
The wedding certificate is issued the next day after the ceremony and requires sending to the island of Syros for an Apostille statement. After this procedure, it is an official certificate ready for translation into Russian.
If you have a notarized power of attorney, agency representatives can pick up the document on your behalf and send it for Apostille. Then your document is sent to you by mail (the procedure takes 1-2 months).
Documents you need for a symbolic wedding ceremony
Symbolic wedding is as beautiful and solemn as the official wedding, but does not require a long preparation and collection of papers.
All you need from each spouse:
- Passport
- Valid Schengen visa
The symbolic ceremony is a great opportunity for couples, dreaming of a beautiful ceremony, but not wanting to complicate the procedure superfluous Formalities.
From the point of view of conduct and organization, the symbolic ceremony is identical to the official one. The only difference between a symbolic wedding and an official one is the lack of legal force. After a symbolic wedding, you do not receive an official paper, but a commemorative certificate in your country language, English and Greek.