In Saint Lucia there are two[2] types of marriages, a religious marriage and a civil marriage.
A religious marriage is one celebrated by a minister of religion after the publication of banns or the posting for 15 days of a notice of marriage near the door of a church in the ecclesiastical parish in which either the bride or the groom lives. The banns must be audibly published in a church in a parish where the parties live during religious worship 3 times within a period of 2 months with an interval of not least than one week between each publication.
A civil marriage does not have to be celebrated by a minister of religion but by any status officer and only requires a license from the Attorney-General. There is no waiting or residency requirement.
In Saint Lucia anyone who is 16 years or older is qualified to marry. However, if you are under 18 you will need to obtain the consent of your parents or guardians, unless you are a widow or widower.
If you have previously been married you will not be permitted to marry again in saint Lucia until you produce your decree absolute of divorce.
You do not have to be a St Lucian to get married in Saint Lucia.
Previously, you needed to have been on island at least two days before you could obtain a license to marry, but this requirement has been relaxed and it is now possible to marry on the same day that you arrive on the island. Typically, your application for a marriage license must have been presented to the Attorney-General’s chambers at least 2 days before the date of the marriage. However, if you have a good reason the Attorney General may permit you to make a later application. It is advisable, however, to submit your application at least 4 business days before your marriage.
An application for a marriage license is in the form of a petition prepared by a local attorney and lodged at the office of the Attorney General in the Francis Compton Building, Waterfront, Castries. Both you and your intended spouse should sign the petition and at least one of must make an affidavit swearing that what is in the petition is true. The Attorney General may, if there is a good excuse, make an exception and accept a petition signed by only one person.
The petition must state:
(a) the christian or other names and surnames of both of you;
(b) your respective occupations;
(c) the place in Saint Lucia where you intend to marry; and
(d) the status officer who is to perform the wedding ceremony.
I whether any of you has been previously married and if so whether there has been a divorce;
(d) that you are not aware of any impediment of kindred, alliance or other lawful cause why the two of you should not be married.
(f) that, if any of you, is under 18 and have never been married, that you have consent of that party’s parents or lawful guardians.
If you are a local you will need to produce some form of picture identification, preferably your Saint Lucian identification card. Non-locals should present their passports. Please be sure that each passport is valid for at least six months.
You will also need your birth certificates and if one of you has been divorced you will need to produce that party’s decree absolute of divorce. Widowers must produce the death certificate of their spouse and their previous marriage certificate.
If your name has been changed otherwise than by marriage you must present your deed poll of change of name.
If you or your spouse is under the age of 8 years you must obtain parental consent in the form of a duly notarized affidavit sworn before a notary public
All documents should be in English, otherwise you should obtain an authentic translation.
Copies of documents are not accepted unless they have been certified to be true copies of the original by an authorized official.
Your lawyer will charge EC $300.00 (US$1.00 = EC$2.70)
If you want to make a same day application the license will cost US$200.00. Otherwise, you pay US$125.00.
In addition you must pay a fee of US$78 or EC$208.00 to the Registrar.
To obtain your marriage certificate there is a fee of EC$11.00 or $16.00 (same-day).
If you want to plan a beach wedding it would be a good idea to contact the Registrar of Civil Status for the appropriate guidelines. The registrar can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (758) 468-3195.
To qualify for a Catholic Church wedding you will need to plan a religious marriage with the more rigorous banns or notice requirements OR you will need to have your priest contact the local Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in advance to organize for you a period of pre-marriage counseling in your home-town.
If you want to plan a beach wedding it would be a good idea to contact the Registrar of Civil Status for the appropriate guidelines. The registrar can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (758) 468-3195.
No, marriages must be performed between sunrise and sunset.
For a marriage to be lawful there must be at least two adult witnesses, in addition to the status officer performing the ceremony.
No, they are not.