GETTING MARRIED: WEDDING IN TURKEY - A QUICK GUIDE

GETTING MARRIED:  WEDDING IN TURKEY - A QUICK GUIDE

Getting married in Turkey is normally a simple process, also for
foreigners

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Marriage Law in Turkey

Only Civil Ceremonies are legally recognised in Turkey.
They will normally be performed by the local Registrar
and last approximately 5 to 10 minutes. The ceremony will be
conducted in Turkish. If neither marrying parties can speak
Turkish you should arrange for an interpreter to be present
throughout the ceremony.

You may, of course, have any religious ceremony you wish in addition
to the civil one, but the religious service has no legal standing in
Turkey.
Religious ceremony of any denomination can be performed only once a
Civil Ceremony has been performed.
A Religious Ceremony alone is not legally binding.

Also, notice that Turkish officials cannot perform a marriage
that would not be approved in your own country.
If your own country's laws prohibit you from marrying,
you will not be able to obtain from authorities of your own
country the documents that are required by Turkish marriage law.

Once the ceremony has been performed you will be issued with
a Marriage Certificate and a marriage book. You need to let this
translate into your own language, legalise it by an official,
and forward it to the registrar in your country to let your
marriage be recognised and registered in your country as well.


Foreigners of the Same Nationality:
  If both of you share the same nationality and it is not Turkish,
  your marriage will be valid if conducted either by Turkish authorities
  or by embassy or consulate officials of your own country.
  For marriage before Turkish authorities, you must obtain a document
  from the proper authorities in your own country attesting to your
  fitness for marriage. This can be a marriage license or
  a statement (Evlenme Ehliyet Belgesi) from your country's
  diplomatic officers (usually a consul) resident in Turkey.

Foreigners of Different Nationalities:
  If you and your spouse-to-be are of different nationalities,
  and neither of you is a Turkish citizen, your marriage must be
  conducted by a Turkish official. The foreign national must obtain
  a document from the proper authorities in his or her own country
  attesting to fitness for marriage: a marriage license, or a
  statement (Evlenme Ehliyet Belgesi) from embassy or consular
  authorities resident in Turkey.

A Foreigner Marrying a Turkish national:
  Your marriage must be conducted by a Turkish official.
  You must obtain a document from the proper authorities in your
  own country attesting to your fitness for marriage:
  a marriage license or statement (Evlenme Ehliyet Belgesi)
  from embassy or consular authorities resident in Turkey.

American(s) Marrying in Turkey:
  Here are some tips on getting married in Turkey if you are a citizen of
the USA:

  - Two Americans, or an American and a Turk getting married in Istanbul,
    can often get all the paper work done in two business days.

  - An American and an Iranian planning to marry should allow several days
    to obtain a "Certificate of Eligibility to Marry" from the Iranian
consulate,
    which will request extensive documentation about the American
fiancé(e).

  - An American and a Russian should allow several days for the Russian
consulate
    to process a request for marriage.

  - Once you have your "Certificate of Eligibility to Marry" issued by the
US Consulate
    or Embassy, you must take it to be stamped by the Istanbul Governor's
office.

  - If you plan to marry outside of Istanbul (for example in Izmir,
Kusadasi,
    Bodrum, Antalya, etc.), you must also have it stamped by the governor
of
    the province in which you will marry (Izmir for Izmir, Mugla for
Bodrum,
    Aydin for Kusadasi, Antalya for Antalya, etc.)


A luxury hotel may help you with the paperwork if you plan
to use the hotel as your wedding venue.

Travel agencies recommended by TurkeyTravelPlanner.com do not normally
help
with legal paperwork, but may help with all travel arrangements such as
hotels,
meeting room rental, local and long-distance transportation, guides,
drivers
and translators, etc. An exception is Travel Atelier, which may be able to
help
with paperwork (for a fee) as part of a wedding plan using travel
services:
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/tourop/t_atelier/index.html


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Marriage Requirements in Turkey

Capacity to marry:
 - The minimum age for marriage is 18 years.
 - Only those persons who have sufficient mental capacity
   to make fair judgments are allowed to marry.
   Mental illness is a bar to marriage.

Absence of consanguinity:
 - Marriage between close relatives is prohibited.

Already existing marriage:
 - Any previous marriage must have been dissolved before you can
   marry in Turkey. Polygamy and polyandry are illegal.

Waiting period:
 - A divorced woman must wait 300 days following the date
   of her divorce to marry again. A Turkish divorce decree
   may also require a waiting period for a divorced man.

Sickness:
 - Certain illnesses, such as epilepsy, constitute a bar to marriage.


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Documents etc. necessary to be married in Turkey:


1. Personal identification (passport and/or identification card
   with a minimum of 6 months expiry)

2. A full birth certificate or health certificate

3. Photographs of the bride and groom (5 copies of each)
   for the official records.

4. Certificate of Capacity to Marry (Evlenme Ehliyet Belgesi):
   either a Marriage License / Certificate of Non-Impediment
   from your own country, or a statement from your country's
   consulate or embassy in Turkey

5. A divorce certificate (Decree of Absolute) or death certificate
   of previous spouse, if married before

6. Both the groom and bride will need to get a medical examination
   (health report) and do a blood test.

7. Marriage petition (Evlenme Beyannamesi)
   To be obtained from a marriage office in Turkey, fill it in,
   and than get it confirmed by an elderman.

8. You will need two witnesses to be present during the wedding ceremony,
   both of whom are not immediate family members.


You'll save money, time and trouble by obtaining a marriage license
from the appropriate authorities in your own country before coming to
Turkey.
If this is difficult (because you're already in Turkey), you can obtain
one
from your country's embassy or consulate in Turkey.


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The above info was compiled from these web sites:
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/special/wedding/index.html
http://www.weddingchaos.co.uk/wedding-abroad/turkey-wedding.asp


Please note that no consular official is responsible for any inaccuracies
in the information presented on this page. You should always confirm any
details with the proper consular authorities or Turkish officials,
as regulations may change at any time.

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See also:
http://www.turkishweddings.com
http://www.goreme.com/wedding-in-turkey.php
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com
http://www.oludenizweddings.com/
http://gototurkey.co.uk/index.php?submen=497&menu_id=497
http://www.weddingchaos.co.uk/wedding-abroad/turkey-wedding.asp
http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1057657712322
http://www.google.de/search?hl=en&q=wedding+OR+marrying+in+turkey
....