Registration
of marriage
in Georgia
with your own hands

*marriage registration without a ceremony at the Public Service Hall.

**we recommend reserving two days for marriage registration and receiving ready documents if you do not use the services of an agency.

Prepare for your trip

to Georgia.

Check the website of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see if you need a visa to enter the country.
Check the validity of the passports you will be using to cross the Georgian border. The validity of your passport must include the date of marriage registration and receipt of the completed documents.
Plan to submit your application and register your marriage on weekdays.

Step 1

Make sure you meet the legal requirements to register your marriage in Georgia.

Step 2

You must be over 18 years old, unrelated to your future spouse, and unmarried to another person.
Prepare additional documents if necessary. Documents must be properly certified (apostille or legalization). Additional documents include: divorce certificates or court decisions if you were previously married, widowhood documents, documents on common children, including paternity.
Invite two adult friends as witnesses. If you do not have witnesses, be prepared to look for them in Georgia among local residents. By law, witnesses are required for marriage registration.

Book a hotel in the city of your choice, if possible close to the Public Service Hall.

Step 3

Accommodation near the House of Justice will reduce taxi costs and save time.
Find a nearby notary office (translation bureau) in advance so that upon arrival in Georgia you can immediately submit documents for translation. To do this, prepare high-quality copies of documents in the form of a scan or photo.

Arrival in Georgia.

Be sure to check that the border crossing stamp is in your passport!
After arriving in Georgia, you must immediately purchase a phone number of a Georgian mobile phone provider (SIM card) to receive SMS information from the Public Service Hall about the status of your application.
The process of activating a SIM card is not always easy, so we recommend asking the operator to install and activate the purchased SIM card.

Step 4

Complete the preparation of documents.

Step 5

After arriving in the city, you need to go to a translator at a notary office with the original documents and make notarized copies and translations of all documents. If you did not send them in advance, you will need to wait a few hours for the translation. The cost of translations ranges from 30 to 50 GEL per page of text.
If you have witnesses, and they are not citizens or residents of Georgia, then you need to make a translation of their passports too.
If you do not have witnesses, then they can be found among the assistants near the Public Service Hall, where Georgian citizens often stand, offering various services - from translations to starting a business. There is a better chance of finding witnesses this way in Tbilisi and Batumi. In Kutaisi, there is no such practice, and you need to look for witnesses in advance. You can contact the owners or managers of your hotel, restaurant and ask for help. Paid witnesses near the Public Service Hall charge from 100 GEL per witness.

What to take to registration.

Step 6

Take the finished certified translations from the translator and go to the Public Service Hall to submit an application for marriage registration. This is only the first step to your marriage.
Take with you the original passports with which you crossed the border, witnesses and translations.
You must submit the application in person!
The Public Service Yalls are open from 9:00 to 18:00 without lunch.

Filing an application.

At the House of Justice, take a ticket at the information desk. Most of the Public Service Hall staff speak English, and communication there is not difficult. Marriage registration at the Public Service Hall is free!
Go to the sector indicated on the ticket and wait for your number in the electronic queue.
Give the documents to the operator for verification. You will need to provide your Georgian phone number to receive an SMS about the review and approval of the application. Tell the operator whether you plan to keep your previous surnames or want to change them.
After checking the documents, you will be asked to sign a special application form in Georgian.
After checking and signing the application, you will receive a receipt for the acceptance of the documents. The next step towards your wedding has been taken!

Step 7

Time for consideration of the application.

An application for marriage registration is usually processed within 2.5 - 3 hours. As a rule, in Tbilisi the application is processed faster, in Batumi longer - sometimes until the end of the working day.
What to do if a lot of time has passed and you have not received an SMS? Just go to the Public Service Hall and take the number again.
Find out from the operator what the matter is. Sometimes SMS do not arrive due to a technical failure, although the application has already been approved.
It should be noted that your application is valid for 2 months from the date of its submission. You do not have to come on the day you receive the SMS, you can choose any weekday.

Step 8

Marriage registration.

After receiving an SMS about the consideration of the application, you need to come to the Public Service Hall again. Take the witnesses with you. You and the witnesses' passports must be with you.
At the information desk, show the employee the SMS about the consideration of the application, and take a number for marriage registration.
Wait for your number on the electronic queue board. The operator will check your passports and ask you and the witnesses to sign the marriage document. Immediately tell the operator how many copies of the Marriage Certificate you will need.
After you have put the coveted signature (signed), you will be given a beautiful Marriage Certificate in Georgian. This completes the marriage registration process. You have become husband and wife.

Step 9

Translation and assurance of Marriage Certificate.

The final stage is the translation and certification of your Marriage Certificate for subsequent legalization of the marriage in your country.
You can do this immediately after registering with the operator who registered your marriage. Tell the operator how many copies of the Marriage Certificate must be translated and into what language, how they must be certified and for which country - with an apostille or for consular legalization, and within what period - 1, 2, 4 or 8 business days.
You can pay the state fee for apostille or legalization by bank card directly to the operator, or in cash at the cash desks.
On the appointed day, wait for an SMS about the readiness of the documents, take a ticket from the electronic queue at the information desk and receive the finished documents from the operator of the sector indicated in the ticket.

Step 10

Congratulations!

You were able to register your marriage in Georgia with your own hands!

If you have any questions, you can get additional paid consultation from us, or order our support services.