On the territory of the Russian Federation, marriage is regulated by the Family Code of the Russian Federation, as well as legislative acts acting on its basis. These documents allow marriage if one of the spouses is a citizen of another country or has no citizenship at all, but such a process requires compliance with certain rules:
- Marriages on the territory of the Russian Federation are concluded only according to Russian laws - spouses must apply to the registry office with an application and go through the usual procedure for registering a marriage.
- When marrying a foreigner, even on the territory of Russia, the requirements of the legislation of another country must also be met, for example, the foreign spouse reaching a higher marriageable age than in the Russian Federation, prior engagement, obtaining the consent of local authorities or parents, and more. In this case, the foreigner must confirm at the registry office that, from the point of view of his country, he has met all the necessary conditions. However, this rule does not apply to those foreigners who also have Russian citizenship, in which case they are considered as Russian citizens. If a foreigner has citizenship of several countries, with the exception of Russian, he has the right to choose for himself whether to follow the rules of which country when getting married in Russia.
- In Russia, only monogamous marriages are recognized, that is, marriages of only one man with one woman. What does this mean - if a foreign groom is allowed to have polygamy in his homeland, and he is already married, in Russia he will not be able to marry a citizen of our country. Even if the marriage is concluded on the territory of his state, this marriage will not be recognized in Russia.
Fictitious marriage with a foreigner
Such a marriage is concluded if the relationship between the spouses is not built on love, but to obtain some benefit, for example, to obtain citizenship. But according to Russian law, a marriage can be declared invalid only if:
- he was imprisoned under duress;
- one of the spouses was incapacitated;
- The groom didn’t even know that he was getting married.
But we don't have as much scrutiny as other countries. For example, if the wedding with a foreign citizen will be in America, then get ready for a long procedure.
They have special workers who check whether you are vacationing together, living in the same apartment or not, and sometimes they even find out whether you sleep in the same bed with your future spouse or not.
And if it suddenly turns out that your relationship is not real, the marriage will not be registered. They can also be deported from the country and banned from entering. Therefore, it is best to withdraw the application in this situation so that there are no problems.
What to do then?
In Russia, some girls even try to make money from such fictitious marriages; agencies promise them up to 300,000 rubles. Be careful and do not agree to such a procedure , because you can easily be deceived!
According to our laws, you will not be put on trial or fined, but you can punish yourself very severely. All property that you acquire will then be divided in half, if you did not draw up a marriage contract.
Imagine if you buy an apartment or a car at this time and spend 1-2 million rubles on everything. The foreigner finds out about this and immediately files for divorce with division of property. And when the judge makes a decision, you will have to pay 50%, that is, from 500 thousand to 1 million rubles.
You can apply for marriage with a foreigner: 30 days before the wedding
Article 27 clause 2 of the law “On acts of civil status”.
It is necessary to register a marriage with a foreigner: according to the laws of the Russian Federation
Article 156 clause 1 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation.
State fee for registering a marriage with a foreigner: 350 rubles
Article 333.26 clause 1 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation
Legislative regulation
Legal regulation is carried out on the basis of the Family Code of the Russian Federation. The form and order of marriage are determined by paragraph 1 of Art. 156 RF IC.
According to paragraph 2 of Art. 156 of the RF IC, the conditions for concluding a marriage with a foreign citizen (migrant) are regulated by the legislation of his state. Example: the bride is Russian, the groom is Spanish. In relation to the latter, Spanish legislation must be observed. The rules prescribed in Art. apply to the bride. 12-15 IC of the Russian Federation.
Family relations between a citizen of the Russian Federation and a foreigner are also regulated by treaties between Russia and foreign countries on legal assistance and relations in civil, family and criminal cases.
In general, marriage with a foreigner is regulated by:
- RF IC (Chapter 3, Art. 156-159);
- Federal Law No. 143 of 1997;
- Order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation No. 412 of 2011;
- international treaties.
According to the law, the main requirements for concluding an international marriage are:
- personal presence of the bride and groom at the ceremony;
- voluntariness;
- legal capacity of the spouses;
- monogamy;
- age over 18 years;
- the bride and groom are not close relatives;
- registration is official.
The wedding is held in accordance with the requirements of the RF IC. The difference between an international marriage and a regular one is in the list of required documents.
According to the RF IC, civil registry office employees can affix a stamp on marriage and divorce in Russian passports on the designated page. No marks are made in the migrant's passport. This prerogative is assigned to the government bodies of the country whose citizen the groom is.
After registration, the spouses are given a marriage certificate, on the basis of which a note is made in the passport at the embassy or consulate of the foreigner or at his place of residence. A recording is made if required by law of a foreign country.
Remember the main thing:
- Get your passport endorsed and translated at the embassy or consulate.
- Fill out the application at home or pick up a sample at Wedding Palace No. 1.
- Pay the state fee of 350 rubles and bring the receipt along with the application.
- Come at the appointed time with your passports to register your marriage.
- Get your registration certificate and wait for your passports to be stamped.
Be sure to check out:
Sample application for marriage registration
Sample receipt for payment of state duty
Required documents
To register a relationship with a citizen of another state, you need to provide documents for marriage with a foreigner in Russia. The list includes:
- statement of desire to get married;
- passports of the spouses;
- a certificate for a foreigner confirming that he is not currently in a registered marriage;
- certificate of divorce of a previous marriage or death of a spouse;
- check for payment of state duty;
- certificate from the place of residence of the foreigner;
- a certificate stating that there are no obstacles to marriage;
- visa or residence permit document;
- marriage contract (at the request of the parties).
Some papers need to be translated and legalized. Certificates and permits can be ordered at the consulate of your home state. All documents are translated into Russian with notarization. The groom submits 2 copies of documents to the registry office: a legalized original and a translation.
Statement of intent to formalize an alliance
The procedure for marrying foreign citizens on the territory of the Russian Federation involves filling out an application according to a unified form in the registry office (download form 7).
If one of the parties cannot be personally present when filling out the document, the paper can be certified by a notary and sent separately.
Passports of both parties
When writing an application, documents are required for marriage with a foreigner in Russia, including identity cards. Most often these are the passports of the bride and groom. The foreigner must provide a legalized Russian translation of the document, certified by:
- consulate or embassy;
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- notary.
The translation is carried out on the territory of Russia.
Certificate stating that the foreigner is not in another registered marriage
The list of documents for marriage with a foreigner in Russia includes a certificate stating that the groom (bride) is not in a marital relationship. This document is issued by the embassy or consulate. The certificate is issued in Russian or a foreign language. In the latter case, a certified translation is required. The document is valid for 3 months.
Document on the termination of a previous marriage
If the spouse was previously married, a certificate of divorce or death of the previous spouse will be required. You also need a court decision to declare the marriage invalid if it was concluded with an incapacitated citizen or a close relative.
A document provided in a foreign language is translated and certified properly.
Receipt for payment of state duty
The state duty in Russia is the same for citizens and migrants. Amount – 350 rubles.
Certificate of residence of a foreign citizen
The form of a certificate of residence and a document confirming the absence of obstacles to marriage depends on the legislation of the foreigner’s home state. Receive the specified documents at the embassy or consulate.
The consul invites the newlyweds and asks provocative questions in order to convict the Russian citizen of wanting to obtain a European residence permit.
The period for issuing certificates is 2 months.
A visa confirming the right of the bride or groom to stay on the territory of the Russian Federation
Documents for the registry office for a foreign citizen in Russia require the provision of:
- visas;
- migration card;
- residence permit;
- TRP (temporary residence permit).
A document confirming the right of the spouse to be on the territory of the Russian Federation is provided by the foreigner. The exception is citizens of states with which Russia has a visa-free regime.
Sometimes a marriage concluded under Russian laws is not recognized as valid in the homeland of the second spouse due to differences in the list of documents and the procedure. In this case, after getting married in the Russian Federation, it is necessary to go to the homeland of the second spouse and get married in accordance with the canons of that legislation.
If the spouse does not speak Russian
According to the law, the bride and groom are accompanied by a professional translator at all stages of submitting documents. He must present his diploma and passport to the registry office staff. Copies of these documents are attached to the application for marriage registration.
In the absence of a certified translator, a foreigner may be misled by questions about kinship with the chosen one, the voluntariness of the decision, etc. In this case, the marriage may be declared invalid.
Marriage agreement (if desired)
To determine the individual and property rights of each spouse, a marriage contract is drawn up. The canons of documents correspond to the legislation of the state in whose territory the spouses will permanently reside. If there is no such place, then the couple either chooses a country and draws up a marriage contract in accordance with the law, or relies on the laws of the state where they most recently lived.
If spouses have different permanent residence permits, then property and individual rights and obligations on the territory of the Russian Federation comply with Russian legislation.
People without a common citizenship who are in a relationship choose the legislation on which they will rely when clarifying their rights and obligations.
The main differences between a marriage contract in the Russian Federation and foreign countries:
- Legal secret. In many countries, interested parties have the right to familiarize themselves with the text of the marriage contract. In the Russian Federation it is legally established that no one except spouses or their representatives can see the document.
- The moment of signing the marriage contract. In the Russian Federation, signing is possible before or after registration of the union. In many countries, the marriage contract is signed during the ceremony.
- Rights of spouses. In Russia, a marriage contract regulates only property relations. In many states, spouses indicate non-property nuances.
- Change or termination of the document. In the Russian Federation, an agreement is concluded or the parties participate in a trial. Abroad, the contract can be changed if you go to court.
To sign a marriage contract, you must contact the consulate or the wedding palace.
Meeting website
I chose the RussianDating website. According to statistics, the most users there are from the USA (6,734 people) and Turkey (4,313), followed by England (1,939), then Canada (924), Italy (920) and Germany (849).
After registering on the site, in less than a day I received more than 40 messages from men from different countries. A day later, the number of friend requests increased to 80 people. For convenience, I added several profiles to my favorites - men from Germany, Turkey, Italy, the USA and a Canadian resident living in Moscow.
Almost immediately I received a proposal for a meeting from a resident of Antalya named Corcovadoya.
“We should meet, unless, of course, you think I’m old. Do you have Schengen? I think we could see each other for the first time in Europe,” a 35-year-old tall, brown-eyed, brunette writes to me, judging by the description.
Having not received an answer from me within 20 minutes, he flared up: “It’s a pity that you ignored me, deciding that I was too old for you. Sorry to bother you."
The Europeans turned out to be less persistent. They were interested in my hobbies and told me about themselves. It turns out that most of them really want to start a family. At least that's what they say.
“Russian women are close to me in mentality,” 30-year-old Diego, a programmer from Italy, explains his interest. — Russians have a realistic approach to life. I was dating a girl from St. Petersburg, we met during her vacation in Florence. Almost immediately after we met, we began to live with me in Pisa. She was cheerful and economical, I felt very at ease with her. But two years later we had a crisis in our relationship and we decided to separate. I visited her in Russia and I liked the warmth and simplicity of the Russian mentality. And now I’ve been looking for a girl on dating sites for six months now.
“Russian women just want to be happy, loved and enjoy everything that marriage can give them. Italian women are more interested in work and money. And besides, Russian women are truly beautiful!”
So, during a week of constant correspondence, I received an offer to meet from an Italian from Rimini and an expat from Canada living in Moscow (he suggested that we meet somewhere in a local bar after work).
I told my friend about my successes. As it turned out, she also had experience communicating with a foreigner on a dating site.
“We met on the Internet,” Olga recalls. — A charming German, 10 years older than me. Daily correspondence and calls did their job - a year later we met in Stockholm and began to live together: either with me in Arkhangelsk, or with him in Mönchengladbach. For my sake, he then left his fiancée. But after four years of relationship, my feelings faded away, and I invited him to break up (at that moment we were separated - each in his own country). As a result, he sent me a video from the forest, where he collected all my things, burned them and buried them with the words “I wish you will find your personal hell.”
To be honest, after such a story, the desire to continue correspondence disappeared. It's time for real life dating.
Cost of an official ceremony in other countries
Registering a marriage abroad is not the cheapest pleasure.
But if you want an unforgettable holiday, it’s easy to find an alternative option. You can reduce expenses by saving on the list of invitees. You should not invite casual acquaintances, colleagues or distant relatives. Or cut the budget planned for the holiday menu. You can do without an organizer, a wedding decorator, or the services of a toastmaster. All these expenses are unimportant when you want an original and unconventional wedding in an ancient Prague castle or at the foot of an active volcano in Iceland.
But first you need to familiarize yourself with the pricing policy for wedding registration abroad. So, what is the approximate cost of a formal wedding ceremony in other countries? Price for registration and 7 days for two / for 3 days + 8 guests:
1. From 15,000 rub./45,000 rub.
- Vietnam
- Latvia
- Ukraine
- Bulgaria
- Czech
- Cuba
2. From 20,000 rub./60,000 rub.
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Cyprus
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- Spain
- Slovenia
- Portugal
- Türkiye
- Sri Lanka
- Dominican Republic
3. From 25,000 rub. / 65,000 rub.
- Greece
- Malta
- Seychelles
- USA
- Mexico
4. From 30,000 rub./70,000 rub.
- Italy
- Mauritius
- Aruba
5. From 35,000 rub. / 100,000 rub.
- Gibraltar
- South Africa
- Fiji
- Australia
- New Zealand
List of the most popular countries for a wedding ceremony
Having decided to hold a wedding ceremony abroad, you need to decide on the country where the registration will take place.
Foreign countries in which
official registration is valid for Russians: Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Hungary, Grenadines, Greece, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Cuba, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Seychelles, Slovenia USA, Fiji, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Jamaica.
You need to choose very carefully, because in each country marriage legislation dictates its own rules and can have very significant differences. Some of the most popular countries for holding an official wedding ceremony are:
Jamaica. This country has a hot temperament and beautiful, fascinating nature. Its residents are simple and hospitable, they know how to work, but also love to relax with all their hearts. If the newlyweds know how to have fun, then a Jamaican wedding is a great option to create a bright and noisy celebration for yourself and your guests.
The Czech Republic is an ancient country steeped in history, which is associated with knights and princesses. If the bride dreamed of a fairytale wedding, then getting married in Prague to the sounds of an organ against the backdrop of medieval fortresses and castles will make her dreams come true.
Italy. It is not for nothing that it is called the birthplace of spring and the place where eternal love reigns. To the attention of future spouses there are cozy bays, snow-white villas, rocky caves, shady emerald groves, kilometers of beaches. This is a country that is considered a Mecca for lovers' pilgrimages. And not without reason: Rome, Florence, Venice are some of the most romantic cities in the world. And the world famous tragic and beautiful love story of Romeo and Juliet took place in Verona. This is the ideal place for a long-awaited event.
Australia. In Australia, you can enjoy stunning nature far from civilization, but also admire the unique architecture and the results of technological progress. Having had a wedding in the center of Sydney or in a hidden bay near the ocean, the newlyweds will remember the unique atmosphere of Australia for a long time.
New Zealand is a country of extraordinary beauty. Getting there, the tourist feels a complete separation from civilization, immersion in nature, unity with it. Like nowhere else, here you get the impression of the edge of the earth, a place where time has stood still. Weddings in New Zealand are original and unforgettable, because against the backdrop of emerald nature, a wedding dress will look like something from a fairy tale.
Greece is a place famous for its hospitality. A couple in love will feel comfortable in this country, and a wedding against the backdrop of alluring landscapes and amazing architecture will become one of the most memorable days in the life of a young family.
O. Crete is the largest island of Greece, the landscapes of which are amazing: mountains, forests, clean beaches of the Aegean and Libyan Sea. Along with ancient monuments, monasteries, fortresses, chapels, more and more buildings of modern architecture are appearing on the island. A wedding in Crete is for those lovers who are attracted by a land full of romance of centuries-old history.
Iceland. A small island that is famous not only for its untouched nature, unique landscapes, but also for many amazing legends about elves and wizards. Therefore, for lovers of everything mysterious and unique, a wedding in Iceland will certainly be a suitable option.
USA. Rarely does a state present such a variety of landscapes and a wealth of natural monuments. Each of the 50 states is ready to offer something different for a couple in love planning to register the birth of a new family in this country. An unforgettable wedding celebration can be organized against the backdrop of a waterfall, desert, blue ocean or emerald green forest, climb onto the roof of a New York skyscraper, or arrange a rock-and-roll-style party in Vegas. There are no clichés or restrictions in America!
Here's what a wonderful wedding you can have in Mauritius:
Do you need a prenuptial agreement?
As practice shows, it is necessary. It regulates property relations , including in the event of divorce.
This does not apply directly to marital relationships or communication with children. To conclude a marriage contract, it is best to use the services of a lawyer - this is exactly the case when you cannot cut out what is written with a pen with an ax .
If the case comes to court, the servant of Themis will be guided not by the laws of the Russian Federation, but by the marriage contract.
The next step is visiting a translation agency. The marriage contract will be translated into the language of the country of which the foreign spouse is a national. After this, both parties sign, and then the document is certified by a notary .
You can read about the procedure for certifying a marriage contract with a notary here.
How to fill out an application
The application must be filled out in form F-7, approved by the government of the Russian Federation in 1998, and contain the following information about both parties to the future marriage:
- last name, first name and patronymic;
- age;
- date of birth;
- Place of Birth;
- citizenship;
- nationality;
- passport details;
- information about a document confirming the fact of termination of the previous marriage agreement (if there was one).
You can download the electronic application form here front side, back side
Sample of filling out the application form for conclusion - form No. 7
○ Legal advice
✔ I am registering a marriage with a citizen of Belarus. Does he need to legalize his documents or can he apply to the registry office with a Belarusian passport?
It is necessary to legalize documents that are issued in another state. In your case, this is not necessary, since the registration of relations takes place in Russia. By virtue of the Convention, signed by the CIS countries in 1993 and in force to this day, documents of the Republic of Belarus are valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. Therefore, he can present his passport.
Rights and obligations arising when registering relations
After marriage, rights and obligations arise between spouses. There are 2 main points:
- Possession of joint property. It is usually prescribed in the marriage contract or the spouses agree to a common regime. The contract stipulates the division of property in the event of divorce. In the second case, upon divorce, the spouses divide the property in equal shares.
- According to the law, a child born automatically receives citizenship of the country in which he resides. Sometimes spouses agree on the citizenship of their children: they will receive one or dual citizenship.
The marriage contract is certified by a notary. Legalization for the state of the second spouse takes place according to the specified algorithm.
Where difficulties may arise with a wedding
In which countries may difficulties arise in the process of registering a marriage, and what obstacles may a couple in love encounter?
By choosing some countries, for example, China, Thailand, Egypt, the UAE, it will be possible to organize only a symbolic ceremony. Marriage will not be legal there.
A marriage license obtained in Hawaii requires certification from the Department of Health. When deciding to get married in Bali, young people must be of the same religion. To get married in the Seychelles, you must live there for at least 11 days, in Sri Lanka - 4 days before the wedding ceremony, and in France you will have to stay 40 days before the wedding.
For a ceremony in some European countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland), you need to wait for permission from the authorities, which can take from two to six months. Therefore, if future newlyweds decide to arrange official registration outside the Russian Federation, they should pay very close attention to the peculiarities of marriage legislation in other countries.
