Getting Married in Georgia: We Handle the Paperwork

Georgia is one of the simplest places in the world for two foreigners to marry. There is no residency requirement, no waiting period in the usual sense, and no need for either partner to hold Georgian citizenship, once the paperwork is in order, a ceremony can take place within a day or two. That combination is why couples come here from across Europe, the Gulf, Israel, India and the post-Soviet region, often when their own countries make marriage slow, expensive or impossible for a mixed-nationality couple. The simplicity is real, but it is not the same as having nothing to prepare. The registration happens at a Public Service Hall (the House of Justice), the documents must be translated and certified to Georgian standards, witnesses have to be present, and (the step most couples underestimate) the marriage certificate needs an apostille before any authority back home will accept it. We take care of all of it, so the only thing you have to organise is being here. On cost, two things are worth knowing before you plan. The state fee for the registration itself is modest, but a ceremony on a Saturday or Sunday carries a noticeably higher state fee than a weekday appointment, if your dates are flexible, moving the ceremony to a weekday is the simplest saving available. Translations, notarisation and the apostille are charged separately from the registration, and the apostille is worth budgeting for from the outset rather than treating as an afterthought: without it, the certificate is a souvenir rather than a document your own authorities will act on. We set out the full picture, state fees included, in the first consultation, so there is nothing left to discover once you have booked your flights.