Living Abroad: How to register intent to marry in Ireland

Are you Irish and living abroad but planning to get married in Ireland?

To get married in Ireland, there are several steps you need to take ahead of the Big Day. The planning, the booking, the paying of deposits but also there’s this teeny-tiny-yet-very-important part that no one speaks about: registering your intent to marry.

What the eff is registering intent to marry? Learn more right here.

Let’s be real, lots of Irish people are scattered all around the world – and it’s not always feasible (or within budget) to travel home more than once a year. Not to mention the not-so-generous paid annual leave offered internationally.

How can we register intent to marry without travelling home?

If you’re living abroad and decide to register your intent to marry from abroad, you can access and complete this process via post.

You will need to contact a Registrar to get permission to register your intent via post. Once this permission is granted to continue with this process from abroad, you will be sent a form that must be completed and returned.

To find the contact details for the most local Civil Registration Service office to your original home place, click here.

Are there any other conditions?

Although the majority of registering intent can be down via post and from abroad, it is important to take into account that you will still need to meet with the Registrar five days before your intended marriage date to sign a declaration form.

Be sure to build these five days into your wedding leave or annual leave ahead of the big day.

This is a mandatory step that needs to be completed before a Registrar can issue a Marriage Registration Form, that will be needed to officially register your union, and will be needed by your celebrant.

Is there anything else we need?

There are several documents you will both need to have to hand to register your intent to marry:

• PPS Number
• Passport
• Birth certificate
• Proof of address (original and photocopy from within the last 3 months)
• Final divorce, dissolution, or nullity decrees (if applicable)
• Spouse or civil partner death certificate (if applicable)
• Immigration status evidence (should you or your partner not be an Irish citizen or citizen of another EU state)
• A completed data capture form