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Getting married abroad

25 replies

deltech · 16/10/2020 02:30

We are a “mixed couple”, 1 x English and 1 x Scottish lol.

If we were to marry in England or Scotland our marriage certificate would state “divorced” OR “previous marriage dissolved”.

EVERYONE knows we’re both divorced, and we have “separate” children from our previous marriages, so there is nothing to hide, but trivial as the following might seem we would consider our new marriage certificate as “special” and do not want it “soiled” by stating the fact that we have been married before.

We want it to be “clean” of any inference to the former husband and former wife, and to include such a reference seems (to us) like an invasion by the exes on our new marriage certificate.

Does anyone know of any country in which we can marry where no reference to the previous marriages will appear on the marriage certificate?

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wowfudge · 16/10/2020 04:57

A marriage certificate is legal proof of the contract the two of you have entered into by marrying each other. It's not as if it's something you'll look at or refer to every day. By saying any reference to previous marriages will somehow sully it seems odd to me as it places more significance on the previous marriages than is necessary. You have to prove you are free to marry each other, why is that such a problem? Can you not reframe how you view the previous marriages instead, especially as you have children from them?

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TheTeenageYears · 16/10/2020 05:08

We got married abroad and several years later moved abroad. The problem is now that most documentation has to be legalised and as ours isn't from the UK we have to jump through hoops to get the document legalised. Moving abroad may not be the only time you need a marriage certificate verified so it's something to consider. Along with if a wedding elsewhere is considered a legal marriage in the UK which isn't always the case.

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deltech · 20/10/2020 11:49

We won't ever be living abroad, and there is no need (or obligation) for us to register our "foreign" marriage in the UK.

Getting married is a "personal" thing for us, rather than a "practical" thing.

But we stand by the comments in the original post, that we do not want any inference to the previous marriages in OUR marriage certificate.

If anyone can offer an answer to the original post we would like to hear them.

Come on; there must be some people on here who got married abroad?

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FraughtwithGin · 20/10/2020 12:07

We lived abroad, but got married in Scotland. I have just checked the certificate and you are correct, I am down as single, but my late husband is down as divorced.
However, we both had to complete the paperwork in our country of residence (in the EU) to take to Scotland, so I suggest that your "civil status" will be recorded, wherever you marry, on the certificate.

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StuntCroissant · 20/10/2020 12:14

I got married in Austria. My marriage certificate doesn't say whether or not we were married before.

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Palavah · 20/10/2020 12:55

Both of your marriages and their dissolutions are matters of public record anyway. Why are you trying to pretend they never happened?

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ineedmoresleepnow · 20/10/2020 13:04

We got married at City Hall in New York and it does reference on our certificate that neither of us had been married before.

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TheTeenageYears · 20/10/2020 22:25

St Lucia - Full names of former wife if any & full names of former husband if any listed on marriage cert

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UserABCDE12345 · 20/10/2020 22:44

@TheTeenageYears

St Lucia - Full names of former wife if any & full names of former husband if any listed on marriage cert

Do you mean if you are divorced, you have to list the full name of the person you got divorced from on your marriage certificate if you get married in St Lucia??

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vanillandhoney · 21/10/2020 07:37

We won't ever be living abroad, and there is no need (or obligation) for us to register our "foreign" marriage in the UK.

I'm confused. What's the point in getting married at all if it's not going to have any legal basis where you live?

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TheTeenageYears · 21/10/2020 08:27

@UserABCDE12345 yes that's exactly what I mean and was the original point of this thread. The OP is trying to find a country where you DON'T have details of previous marriage stated on a marriage certificate.

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nancybotwinbloom · 21/10/2020 08:46

I just dug mine out for you op we got married in Cyprus and it's listed us as divorced.

I'd never noticed before today!

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Seeingadistance · 21/10/2020 10:02

Do your children know that you feel ‘soiled’ by being reminded of the relationships which produced them?

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florascotia2 · 21/10/2020 12:49

OP But surely you will "need" to show a (legally valid and UK recognised) marriage certificate to the authorities when - alas - one of you dies, in order to sort out any joint banking, inheritance tax, pensions, benefits (if any), insurance etc etc. And you'll also need it if you decide to divorce or legally separate.

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Mydogisagentleman · 21/10/2020 14:12

I got marked in Italy twice.
Once in a registry office and once in church.
I’m pretty certain that there is not a space for previous marriages.
I do know that it caused unnecessary complications getting long term visas in several of the countries we have lived in as they needed to be translated from Italian to whatever language we needed

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deltech · 21/10/2020 14:24

So many replies veering off the theme and giving their own opinions.

Nothing is being HID. Previous marriages (as mentioned) are public records.

It’s a personal thing TO US to have what many people might just refer to as “a piece of paper” be free from any reference to previous marriages.

We both have kids and neither of us can (or is attempting to) hide previous marriages.

But that “piece of paper” means a lot TO US, so unless you can answer the original question please don’t reply.

NOTE:~ We’ve now seen a marriage certificate of two British friends in similar circumstances (both live in UK and have no other nationality) who were married on a trip to in Canada, and there is no mention of previous marriages.

So I presume there are other countries that do the same?

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florascotia2 · 21/10/2020 15:29

OP I genuinely hope that you do find a country that will issue the sort of marriage certificate that you are looking for, and wish you well.

The point of my previous post was NOT to criticise you in any way but simply to say that if (and only if) you want to enjoy the very considerable legal and financial protection that UK marriage often brings, then you need a marriage certificate that not only meets your 'private and personal' requirements but is also acceptable to UK authorities. That means, in essence, that your marriage overseas also has to meet the marriage requirements of UK law, if that is where you will be living.

It also means that whatever marriage certificate you get will inevitably have legal and finacial as well as personal and private implications, whether you want that or not.

You don't have to believe me: raydensolicitors.co.uk/blog/are-marriages-abroad-recognised-in-the-uk/

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amusedbush · 21/10/2020 15:42

We got married in New York and the certificate doesn't have our relationship statuses on it.

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UserABCDE12345 · 21/10/2020 15:52

[quote TheTeenageYears]@UserABCDE12345 yes that's exactly what I mean and was the original point of this thread. The OP is trying to find a country where you DON'T have details of previous marriage stated on a marriage certificate.[/quote]
Yeah I'm aware of the original point of the thread thanks. St Lucia clearly doesn't fall into the OPs question then does it.

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wowfudge · 21/10/2020 15:53

You can't police how people reply or who replies OP. I'm divorced and should I remarry wouldn't give two hoots about being referred to as divorced on the marriage certificate - it's just part of who I am.

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UserABCDE12345 · 21/10/2020 15:55

Then go to Canada.

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Doodar · 21/10/2020 16:20

maybe don't be so arsey to everyone replying, Google instead.

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movingonup20 · 21/10/2020 16:26

I haven't got access to the blank book (wfh) but I'm not sure it references divorce on c of e register, certainly not on the ceremonial certificates we give for displaying on walls (no idea why people want them but they pay £5 extra!) I think the legal certificate states it but that's put in a drawer so doesn't matter. My ceremonial certificate (USA) doesn't have marital status either but the full extract does

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movingonup20 · 21/10/2020 16:28

Ps I'm probably an outlier but I'll invite my exh (dp's exw) to our wedding if we ever bother, they were huge parts of our lives and still on good terms (they may refuse to come but I mean it)

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user116439526896 · 21/10/2020 16:42

Posting on a public forum is not like instructing a solicitor. You don't get to issue commands.

It's also not a great way to encourage people to want to help you.

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