Getting Married in Crete

If you are thinking of having a wedding in Crete you can choose between a
church wedding and a civil ceremony, although in order to get married in a
Greek Orthodox or Catholic church in Crete one or both of the partners must
have been baptised into that faith.

Marriage in A Greek Registry Office
Application should be made with all the relevant documentation (with certified
translations into Greek - see below) to the local Town Hall for a Marriage
Licence to be issued - this normally takes approximately 8 days after which a
date for the ceremony can be set.

A British national resident in Greece should apply to the British Consular
authorities in Greece for a CNI. This certificate may be issued on the 22nd day
after he/she has sworn an affidavit or signed a declaration at the nearest
British Consular Office (Heraklion) to the effect that no impediment to the
proposed marriage exists. He/she must be resident in the relevant Consular
district for at least 21 days before making such a declaration.

The cost for this service is currently the equivalent of £70 (€ 105.00).
Alternatively on production of a CNI issued in the UK the Consular Office will
issue the equivalent in Greek. The cost for this service is currently £35 (€
52.50).

In the United Kingdom a CNI may be obtained from a local Superintendent
Registrar after 15 days notice has been given.

Marriage in A Greek Orthodox Church
In the case of a church marriage advice should be obtained from the priest or
minister of the church where the marriage is to be celebrated.

If the marriage is to be celebrated in a Greek Orthodox Church a certificate
from an Ecclesiastical Authority to the effect that there is no impediment to the
marriage will be necessary. Advice on this should be obtained by your Greek
partner from the authorities of the church where you intend to marry. St. Paul’s
Anglican Church in Athens will sign a CNI for use in a Greek Church where the
interested party is of the Anglican faith.

Marriage in a Catholic Church
There are Catholic churches in Heraklion, Chania and Rethymnon. One or both
parties must be of the Catholic faith and both parties must produce baptism
certificates. Special permission may be required from your home parish
priest. Advise should be obtained from the priest of the church in which you
wish to marry.

Documentation
The documents required by the Greek authorities for both church and civil
weddings are:

a Certificate of Non Impediment (CNI)
a certified translation into Greek of the full birth certificate of a British
national who intends to marry in Greece
evidence that any previous marriage has been dissolved for example a
Decree Absolute or Death Certificate

Certified Translations
Documents emanating from a foreign country which are to be used in Greece
must be officially legalised with the Hague Convention 'Apostille' (available for
UK public documents from the Legalisation Office in London; contact tel no:
0044 20 70081111) and then officially translated at a Greek Consulate abroad
or when in Greece at the Translations Bureau of the Greek Ministry of Foreign
Affairs at: 10 Arionos Street, Psiri., 105 64 Athens, tel: +30 210 3244036.

Wedding Planners
If you need help in planning your Cretan wedding, check out the following
websites for information on accommodation and wedding co-ordination. A
wedding coordinator can take care of all the paperwork in Greece, book and
arrange all the details and leave you free to relax and really enjoy your
wedding in Crete:

www.purecrete.com

www.weddingsincrete.co.uk

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