Legal requirements for a wedding in Greece
Whether your ceremony in Greece is the legal one decides most of the paperwork. Requirements vary with nationality, the kind of ceremony and the municipality, and they change. This page explains the shape of it and what to verify; it is not legal advice.
Three kinds of ceremony
Symbolic, civil,
or religious.
Whether the ceremony in Greece is the legal one decides most of the paperwork. Many couples from abroad marry legally at home and celebrate here.
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No legal effect
Symbolic
A ceremony with no legal effect, led by anyone you choose, anywhere a venue will have you. The legal marriage happens separately — usually at home, before or after the trip. This is how many couples from abroad marry in Greece, because it removes the paperwork from the trip entirely and the ceremony itself is indistinguishable to the guests.
What it needs No Greek documents. The legal marriage follows your home country's rules.
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A legal marriage
Civil
A legal marriage performed by the municipality the venue sits in. It can take place at the town hall or, in many municipalities, at a venue, and it is recognised in other countries once registered and, where needed, apostilled.
What it needs A marriage licence from the municipality, issued on the documents below, and the marriage registered afterwards.
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Legal once registered
Religious
A Greek Orthodox wedding is a legal marriage in Greece once registered, and it has its own requirements set by the church — the diocese's permission, the baptism certificates, an Orthodox spouse, and a koumbaros or koumbara. Catholic and other ceremonies are arranged through the relevant church and may or may not carry legal effect on their own.
What it needs The church's own documents and permissions, and the civil registration afterwards.
What a civil marriage usually asks for
The documents,
and what has to happen to them.
The list below is what couples from abroad are commonly asked for. The exact list is the municipality's, and it depends on where you are from.
The papers Steps 01–05
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01
Passports and birth certificates
A valid passport for each of you, and a recent birth certificate. Some municipalities ask that the certificate was issued within a set number of months. -
02
A certificate of no impediment
A document from your home country or your embassy stating that you are free to marry. It has several names — certificate of no impediment, certificate of freedom to marry, a single-status affidavit — and which one applies depends on your nationality. -
03
Proof a previous marriage ended
A divorce decree or a death certificate, where it applies, with the same legalisation and translation as everything else. -
04
Apostille or legalisation
Foreign public documents are usually accepted only with an apostille under the Hague Convention, or with consular legalisation for countries outside it. This is done in the country that issued the document, before you travel. -
05
Official translation into Greek
Documents not in Greek are translated by a translator the Greek state recognises. The translation is arranged after the apostille, since the apostille is translated too.
At the municipality Steps 06–07
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06
The marriage licence and the notice
The municipality issues a marriage licence on the documents above. A notice of the intended marriage is usually published beforehand, and the licence is valid for a set period, so the timing of the application matters. -
07
The ceremony and the registration
The civil ceremony is performed by the mayor or a deputy, in Greek, with an interpreter where needed, and two witnesses. It is then registered at the registry office within a fixed period, which is what produces the marriage certificate you will use at home.
Back home Step 08
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08
Recognition at home
Your own country decides how it recognises a marriage performed abroad. Most accept the Greek certificate with an apostille and a translation; some ask you to register it at home. Ask your consulate before the wedding, not after.
The documents take longer than they look. A certificate has to be issued, then apostilled, then translated, then submitted, and each step waits on the one before it; some certificates are only valid for a few months, so they cannot be done too early either. Couples who want the civil marriage in Greece usually start between six and three months ahead, and give themselves a margin.
- Step 1 Issued
- Step 2 Apostilled
- Step 3 Translated
- Step 4 Submitted
Where to verify
The people who can give you
a definitive answer.
We keep this page general on purpose. The answer for your case comes from one of these.
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The municipality where you will marry
Issues the marriage licence and performs the civil ceremony. Which one depends on where the venue is; the note below says. -
Your embassy or consulate in Greece
Issues or explains the certificate of no impediment for your nationality, and tells you how your marriage will be recognised at home. -
The church, for a religious ceremony
The Greek Orthodox diocese for the parish, or the relevant church for other denominations, sets its own requirements and dates. -
A Greek lawyer or a planner who handles the papers
Worth it if your documents are unusual — a previous marriage abroad, a nationality with no consulate in Greece, or a tight timeline.
For a venue in the centre the licence comes from the City of Athens; for a venue on the Riviera, from the coastal municipality it sits in. Either way the office is a short drive from the other, and both are used to couples from abroad.
Requirements can vary depending on nationality, ceremony type and municipality, and they change. Verify the current requirements with the municipality where you will marry, your embassy or consulate in Greece, or a qualified professional before you book anything that depends on them.
After the paperwork
Once the formalities are understood,
organize the rest.
The papers are one to-do among a hundred, and Aemeli puts it in the list at the right time — with the venue, the vendors, the guests and the budget around it.
Questions
Asked often.
Answered plainly.
01 Can foreigners get legally married in Greece?
Yes. A civil marriage at a Greek municipality is open to non-residents, on the documents the municipality asks for. Many couples do it; many others marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in Greece, which is simpler and looks the same on the day.
02 Do we need to be resident in Greece to marry there?
Residency is not required for a civil marriage, as far as the general rules go, but the municipality may have its own conditions about where the application is made. This is one of the first things to confirm with the office that will marry you.
03 Is a Greek marriage certificate valid in our country?
Usually, with an apostille and a translation, and sometimes after registering it at home. Your consulate can tell you the exact steps for your country before you travel.
04 Can a friend officiate our wedding in Greece?
A symbolic ceremony, yes — anyone can lead it. A legal civil marriage is performed by the municipality, and a religious one by the church.
Keep reading
More on a wedding
in Athens.
Five guides, one destination. Each one answers a question every couple asks first.
The destination
Athens
The hub: venues on the coast, the two faces of Athens, and the short answers.
Cost guide
How much does a wedding in Athens cost?
Checklist
Your Athens wedding planning checklist
When to marry
Best time of year for a wedding in Athens
Guests from abroad
Planning an Athens wedding for guests coming from abroad
Start planning
The paperwork is one
line on the list.
Create your wedding in Aemeli and the to-do list puts it in order with everything else — the venue, the vendors, the guests, the budget.
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