If you are marrying in your fiance’s country, have your fiance first go to his or her marriage registry in the foreign country and report she is marrying an American. Ask what documents are required to marry. Is there anything you do not understand? Let us know to figure it out.

Certificate of Singleness

Nearly all countries have a central vital statistics registry for births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. The U.S. Federal government has no such registry because such matters are handled by States.

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In this situation, nearly all foreign governments are willing to accept an Affidavit of Singleness obtained from a U.S. consulate in the country where the marriage will take place.

You should go online and locate the U.S. consulate nearest where your fiancé is located and make an appointment at the American Interests section of the U.S. consulate. The consulate will issue you an affidavit with the U.S. Federal seal and this should be acceptable for marriage abroad.

Authentication (Apostille Certification)

Nearly always, a marriage to a foreigner requires that foreign documents must be authenticated (have an apostille certificate).

For example, if you have a Texas divorce decree from a prior marriage, the place where you marry cannot verify whether or not your Texas divorce is authentic.

1. Full Authentication

Countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention require full authentication.

1. Your State document must be certified by the Secretary of State, Office of Authentication, in the State in which the document was issued.
2. The State Seal must be certified by the Department of State.
3. The Department of State seal must be authenticated by the foreign consulate in the U.S. for the country in which the marriage will take place. For example, a marriage in Cambodia requires that the Cambodian consulate in Washington D.C. authenticate the DOS seal.

Non-Hague Countries That Require Full Authentication

Algeria; Afghanistan; Angola; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Benin; Bolivia; Brazil; Burkina; Faso; Burma; Burundi; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Chad; Chile; China; Congo Republic; Congo Democratic; Costa Rica; Cote d’Ivoire; Cuba; Denmark; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Ghana; Guatemala; Guinea; Haiti; Indonesia; Iraq; Jamaica; Jordan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Lebanon; Libya; Macedonia; Madagascar; Malaysia; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Palestine; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Rwanda; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Syria; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; Tunisia; Turkmenistan; UAE; Uganda; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vietnam; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe.

2. Simple Authentication

Members of the Hague Apostille Convention only require certification by the Secretary of State, Office of Authentication, in the State in which the document was issued.

Hague Countries

Albania; Andorra; Antigua & Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Bulgaria; China (Hong Kong); China (Macao); Colombia; Cook Island; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Fiji; Finland; France; FYR of Macedonia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Grenada; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; India; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea; Republic of Latvia; Lesotho; Liberia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malawi; Malta; Marshall Islands; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Namibia; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nieu; Norway; Panama; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Saint Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; San Marino; Sao Tome & Principe; Serbia; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain; Suriname; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Tonga; Trinidad & Tobago; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; USA; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela.

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Call for Assistance — Once married, we can help to obtain a marriage visa to the U.S.