Validation of a foreign divorce decree

In order to have a foreign divorce decree validated by the Ministry of the Interior, the original divorce decree or a certified copy of it must be submitted to the Ministry in at least two weeks time before the wedding.

A certified copy is a copy certified by the judge or the court which issued the original divorce decree, signed and stamped by the judge or that court.  A simple copy, fax or an e-mail is not acceptable.  When the validation is collected at the Ministry´s office the original divorce decree is returned.

If the divorce decree is not in English, an English translation made by a certified translator must follow the divorce decree.

• Please note that a certificate on marital status is not a divorce decree and is not acceptable as a divorce decree. 

• Please note that information on divorce on a birth certificate or a similar certificate is not a divorce decree and is not acceptable without the original judge or the court decision indicated in these certificates.