Bermuda | Legal Requirements

Time Needed:

4 weeks to be safe because they publish your intent to marry 2 times within 2 weeks of your marriage. You must send your Notice of Intended Marriage along with your fees early enough that they receive it a little more than 2 weeks before the wedding so they can publish it. You will be issued a license on the 15th day provided that there were no objections to the marriage. Either you or your wedding coordinator will have to pick it up and deliver it to your wedding officiate. After the wedding, the signed license will be returned to the Registry Office where they prepare it with a raised seal. You will receive it in the mail approximately 4-6 weeks after the wedding.

Where to apply:

Registry General's Office, 30 Parliament Street, Hamilton HM 12 Bermuda 441.297.7709 or at the Bermuda Department of Tourism office near you (NY, Boston, Atlanta, London or Toronto

ID Requirement:

Passport, or your original birth certificate, voter registration card, driver's license with a photo ID are required with a return ticket.

Residency Requirement

None.

Previous Marriages:

You must submit a photocopy of your final divorce decree or certificate of death with your Notice and filing fees.

Waiting Period:

"Notice of Intended Marriage" form from the must be completed and then published in the newspaper several weeks in advance of your wedding.

License is valid for:

3 months

Fees:

US $220 can be paid with a cashier's check, international money order or bank draft payable to the Accountant General, Bermuda.

Blood Tests:

None.

Witnesses:

Yes, 2 over the age of 18.

Translation:

The documents must be in English.

Immigration/Visas:

Canadians don't need a passport, just a birth certificate or a certificate of citizenship along with a photo ID. US citizens are encouraged to bring a passport. In order to return to the US you must have onward or return tickets and proof of identity (Original or certified copy of your Birth Certificate with raised seal, a US Naturalization Certificate, a US Alien Registration Card, or a US Reentry Permit)

Citizens of the UK and other countries must have a valid passport

Civil Ceremonies:

A civil ceremony is not required if you are planning a religious ceremony. There are no Justices of the Peace in Bermuda so if you want a civil ceremony it will be done by the Registrar or the Assistant Registrar in the Registry room at the above address in Hamilton. Be sure to reserve the date early.

Religious Ceremonies:

You truly will not believe how many churches inhabit this tiny island nation! Most of them are Christian, however there is a Jewish Community 291.1785 and a Muslim Community 292.5986. Although there is a Jewish Community, there is currently no resident Rabbi on the island. You may, however, bring your own Rabbi or any other religious officiate as long as you obtain permission from the Department of Immigration 441.297.7940 and from the Registrar General who's number is listed above. For a complete list of religions go to www.bermuda.com. There are also several non-denominational churches listed on the site. If you are wishing for a Catholic ceremony go to www.dobcc.bm for all of the dioceses requirements and to view all of the Catholic churches on the island. Be forewarned that a Catholic priest cannot marry divorced individuals and they may not marry out of the church. The fee for a Catholic ceremony is $530 more to pay for the church and the priest's service. Two of the prettiest sites for small weddings are Christ Church(Church of Scotland/Presbyterian) in Warwick Parish and St. Paul's (Anglican) in Paget Parish.

Non-traditional Couples:

No.

Nautical Weddings:

Through Bermuda law, captains aboard the Princess Cruise lines can perform weddings at sea. All cruise ships do allow weddings while in port provided one leave the ship, swear before a local judge that everything is correct in the previous prepared paperwork, then return to the ship for the ceremony. Vows can then be renewed at sea.

Japanese ships allow captains to perform weddings at sea, but only in the couple has a valid Japanese passport.

In order to a captain to perform a marriage at sea he must be a judge, a justice of the peace, a minister or an officially recognized officiant, such as a Notary Public.

Design Ideas:

Whether walking down an aisle with hibiscus and oleander or stealing a kiss under one of the traditional stone arches, called Moongates, before riding off in a horse drawn carriage, weddings are always beautiful in Bermuda. Moongates are stone arches found throughout gardens in Bermuda: a walk through one promises a life of everlasting happiness. Two cakes are usually served at Bermuda receptions: the groom's cake is a plain pound cake wrapped in gold leaf, symbolizing wealth, and the bride's cake is a fruitcake, wrapped in silver, symbolizing purity A cedar seedling adorns one of the cakes, and is later planted to mirror the strength and growth of their love.

Specialties include Bermuda lobster, shark and fish chowder laced with sherry, peppers and rum. Local music is a mixture of calypso and Latin American.