Getting Married in Georgia

While religious marriages are quite common in Georgia, Georgian and U.S. authorities recognize only civil marriages as legally valid.  Thus, while you may wish to have a religious ceremony and receive a religious marriage certificate in recognition of your marriage, you must obtain a civil marriage certificate from the Georgian government in order to immigrate a foreign-born spouse to the United States.

Steps to follow for a civil marriage in Georgia:

1. The American citizen must sign an Affidavit of Non-impediment to Marriage before the Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, declaring that he/she is free to get married.
2. The affidavit must then be presented to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for authentication. Service hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  It costs $7 and will be ready next day from 3 to 4 p.m. The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located at 6 Chitadze Street, Tbilisi. (Tel: 28-46-69)
3. In order to obtain authorization permitting marriage in Georgia, the couple must apply to the Civil Registration department at the Ministry of Justice. The Civil Registration Department of the Ministry of Justice is located at 4 Vani St., Tbilisi  (Tel: 98-68-86). The working hours are between 10 a.m. and 5p.m. The Department is closed for lunch between 1 and 2 p.m.

The following paperwork must be presented:

•  Receipt of GEL 120
• Authenticated and translated Affidavit of Non-impediment to Marriage;
• Notarized translation of American citizen’s passport data page and Georgian visa;
• Georgian passport or ID and a copy of data page of beneficiary;
• Divorce certificates or death certificates terminating prior marriages if applicable;
• Additional paperwork, as requested.  

4. The fee of GEL 120 must be paid at any Georgian Bank.

All English language documents including US passport, affidavit, divorce certificate should be translated into Georgian and notarized.

The procedure at the Ministry of Justice takes up 5 working days unless you have a sufficient reason to speed up the process (pregnancy, travel arrangements).  The fee for expedited service is GEL 50 in addition to the regular fee of GEL 120. Evidence in support of expedition should be presented. 

5. The couple must then go to a civil marriage registration center (see the below list for options) to file an application for a civil marriage ceremony. The couple is responsible for providing two witnesses the day of the civil marriage ceremony. The civil marriage certificate will be issued the same day as the ceremony. The fee for the service is GEL 9 has to be paid at the Bank of Georgia. Working hours for the Civil Registration places are between 10 am and 5 pm. Lunch time is between 1 and 2 pm.

Civil marriage registration centers: