Getting Married in Ireland

The following information is, for the most part, taken from the official Government website; HERE

If you would like information about Getting Married in Ireland - please contact me directly via email: romy@abeautifulceremony.ie

There is a LOT of information here. PLEASE don't skip anything, or not read to the very end! Read EVERYTHING, as it might be the very last line which you need to know!

THE NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO MARRY PROCESS:

Every couple wanting to be legally married in the Republic of Ireland, must contact the Government agency; Heath Service Executive (HSE), Civil Registration Service to arrange the necessary paperwork for a legal marriage ceremony.

The HSE must be contacted to lodge the couples' "Notification of Intent to Marry" at a pre-arranged appointment.The Notification application MUST be lodged no less than 3-months prior to the intended date of marriage.

You must give notice to an HSE Registration office. This applies to all civil, religious and secular marriages.

You can book an appointment with the HSE online via their website HERE or look up individual offices around the country and call them to book directly HERE

Both parties (together) must attend the in-person meeting with the HSE representative.

**NB: If there is some reason why you cannot attend to the appointment in person (if you live overseas, or are in hospital etc) - you can request to the HSE to lodge your application "via post". Which basically means, via email.

Please see our other blog post for Destination Wedding in Ireland

When you have contacted the HSE to arrange the Notification appointment, a Registrar will send to you a list of supporting documents which you must provide to them during the appointment itself. This will include ID, proof of address, Birth Certificate etc..You will also be required to complete a "Data Capture Form" .

This document requires information such as your full names, addresses, family names, Witness names, and (in regards to the ceremony itself) if the ceremony will be Religious/Secular or Civil, the date of the ceremony, venue name & address, and the name of the person performing the ceremony.

Here is a link to the DCF (Data Capture Form download here) - if you don't complete this before the appointment - the Registrar will ask you complete it during.

Once you have gathered all the required supporting documentation, you will attend the Notification appointment at an HSE Registration office. The HSE Registrar will work through your documentation and make a decision as to your approval to be legally married.

Once approval has been made, you will be given a document which is to be taken to the person performing your ceremony. This documentation; MRF (Marriage Registration Form), is the actual document which will be signed during your ceremony.

**NB: if either party is non-EU, then an additional "Marriage of Convenience" (MOC) interview must also be completed in conjunction with the Notification process. You may be able to attend the Notification appointment and lodge your DCF - but you will not be able to complete the Notification until the MOC is completed and approved.

See the base of this blog for more information on the MOC interview.

If you have chosen to have a Civil marriage ceremony (this means that an HSE Registrar will be performing your ceremony), you will not receive the MRF document - as the Registrar will hold this for you until the day of the ceremony.

If you have chosen to have a wedding ceremony with your own chosen Solemniser (Celebrant)/Priest - then you will select the Religious or Secular options for the Capture of Data form. If you are unsure what to put - leave it blank, or ask your Celebrant!

If you have given your Notification of Intent to Marry - via Post (email) due to being outside of the Republic of Ireland - you still must ensure that all paperwork is sent to the HSE office in advance of 3-months prior to your proposed wedding ceremony. You will also still be required to have an in-person meeting in the HSE office. This meeting must be done no less than 5 working days prior to your wedding date.

For couples who are living outside of the Republic of Ireland, this must be taken into consideration when you are planning your travel to come to Ireland for the wedding.

Please see our other blog post for Destination Wedding in Ireland

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR THE NOTIFICATION APPOINTMENT

As mentioned above, there are certain documents which are required by the couple to give to the HSE Registrar when you lodge your Notification of Intent to Marry.

One of the following is required by every person giving notice;

- Passport

- Refugee / Asylum card issued by the Dept of Justice & Equality

- National Identity card from an EU country, accepting them as a travel document

Photo ID documents MUST be in date.

You will also need;

- Birth Certificate ("Long" version - not an "extract")

- Proof of address (dated within last 3 months)

- PPS number (this is an Irish ID number for Irish Nationals only. If you are not Irish, this is not needed)

-Any divorce decree/paperwork if one or both parties have been previously married

-Adoption certificate if a Birth certificate is not available.

If any documents are not in English - then an English translation must be provided.

If either party does not speak English - then you can have a Interpreter at your Notification appointment. You must ensure that you inform the HSE officer prior to the appointment.

If an Interpreter is used during the Notification appointment - then they must also be used at the marriage ceremony (if being held with an HSE Registrar - or a Solemniser who cannot translate the legal declarations to your spoken language)

There has recently been a change in some of the paperwork requirements for people who were either born outside of the Republic of Ireland, or for any person who is or was living outside of Ireland.

You might find some old information on these online - so I want to mention them here, just to ensure you are clear with what you need.... or don't need to do;

1. An "Apostille Stamp" - this is used to authenticate documents (mostly Birth Certificates) which were issued by any foreign country.

2. If your birth certificate is from any country outside of Ireland, Europe or the UK - then it MAY  have to have an Apostille stamp issued.

   
   

   Check directly with the HSE Registrar when you make your appointment, so (if it is needed) you have time to have this done prior to your appointment with them.

HAVING YOUR LEGAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY WITH ROMY

Please read all of the above information regarding contacting the HSE office to start your Notification of Intent to Marry process.

If you are having a legal marriage ceremony with ourselves, the above process MUST be completed.

It is up to yourselves to make arrangements directly with the HSE office, and make any payments for their fee's directly with them.

If you do not complete the Notification of Intent to Marry process with the HSE, I cannot perform a legal marriage ceremony - as you must get the legal paperwork from the HSE for yourselves, your witnesses & ourselves to sign during your marriage ceremony.

How to complete the Capture of Data form; when completing this form, it will ask you the following questions;

"Form of proposed Ceremony" = for a ceremony with Romy, please tick "Religious/Secular"

"Name of Solemniser/address" = please check directly with Romy for details

NON-EU CITIZEN GETTING MARRIED IN IRELAND

If either person getting married in Ireland is not an EU citizen, then there are additional requirements needed;

Supporting documentation (you will need to provide one of the following):

• original letter from the Dpt of Justice confirming your immigrations status, or refuge/asylum card issued by the Dpt of Justice

• immigration stamp in passport, visa or residency permit

• passport if you are a UK citizen

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Both parties will also need to arrange and attend a Marriage of Convenience interview in conjunction with the Notification process.

This interview is to ascertain if the proposed marriage is valid and that you both are wanting to marry each other - not, for example, for immigration/residency purposes.

When you first contact the HSE to book your Notification of Intent to Marry appointment - please tell the clerk that one or both of you are NON-EU. Request that a Marriage of Convenience (MOC) interview is booked into their system. This might be around the same time as the Notification appointment - or you may have to wait for a later date.

**Please note, the Notification of Intent process cannot be fully completed until the MOC has been done and approved.

At the time of writing this (May 2026), there is a high level of couples waiting for the MOC interview. I strongly suggest that couples try numerous offices around the country to try to secure their date.

The interview itself is only short. Usually you are asked questions, separately, to ascertain that you both know each other. Question are usually about your joint relationship, daily life, and future plans.

It is highly suggested to have some supporting information - photos, chat logs, emails, shared utility bills, joint bank account.

If you have any questions on any of the information above - please contact us directly, and we can talk you through requirements.

It is always best to check directly with the HSE Registrar to confirm with them exactly what additional documentation is required for your appointment

Marriage Registration Form Ireland