Marriage is an act on which opinions can be very opposite; some consider it a mere legal formality, one more piece of paperwork; others see it as a sacred and unbreakable act that unites two people who love each other. Whatever your opinion on the matter, if you are here it is because you are getting married, so congratulations! We are going to tell you what are the requirements to get married.
Requirements to get married in Honduras
In Honduras they do not put great requirements or exaggerated paperwork for you to get married; but we cannot say that you have all the documents in your house either, so here is a list with all of them and where you should request some:
- Be at least 18 years of age. Previously, in Honduras it was allowed to marry. Even minors could, but with duly notarized authorization. However, the figures have become somewhat alarming as one in four children was married before the age of 18. In July 2017, the country prohibited the marriage of minors under all circumstances.
- Photocopies of your identity cards.
- Original Birth Certificate and photocopies. The data on this must fully match the identifications presented.
- Record of singleness. This is in fact the Certificate of Civil Status, which accredits the civil status of a person; you must request it in the National Registry of Persons.
- Kinship certificate issued in the National Registry of Persons. This is one of the main requirements for the process as it avoids a null marriage. In Honduras, marriage between collateral relatives up to the fourth degree, between siblings and between relatives in ascending and descending lines is prohibited.
- Medical certificate of pre-nuptial tests and HIV tests, when there are no children together. This is required in article 28 of the Family Code. As stipulated in this, it must be issued free of charge in the State health units. In this it is stated that neither you nor your partner have any contagious or incurable disease that is harmful to the other or to their children, in addition to having no physical defects that will prevent procreation.
- Proof of Criminal Record issued in the Supreme Court of Justice or in the Criminal Courts.
- Original birth certificates of the children, provided they are children of both.
- Two witnesses per spouse. In total, four witnesses must attend and each of them must present a photocopy of their identity card.
- The payment slip for marriage services.
Steps to get married in Honduras
The process is the same regardless of where it is performed and who celebrates it:
- It is not a procedure that you can do to the races. Schedule everything you have to do, the documents you need to get, how much each one will cost and what is the process to follow in each case.
- Make sure you have all the necessary documents ready and current.
- You must consign all the requirements previously. If they will make their union in the «Free Weddings» that have become customary in recent years, you must deliver all the documents one month in advance.
- The Notary or any other official who is going to celebrate the marriage will have ready the Public Deed of the act that both must sign.
- The official will read the Family Code where their duties and rights are stipulated once married.
- After this, they will read the Public Deed where all your data and those of your partner appear.
- When the Marriage Certificate has been read, you will sign it, thereby stating that you agree with everything that is stated in it and therefore that you accept and will comply with the matrimonial obligations. All four witnesses must also sign.
- Once the act is signed, your marriage will be legalized.
- The Marriage Certificate must be registered within the following 3 business days in the National Registry of the corresponding persons.
This is where we remind you that if you want to get married in the Church you must first perform the civil marriage as it is an essential requirement for ecclesiastical marriage.
Places to get married
The marriage can take place in the offices of the Corresponding Mayor’s Office or before a notary. In this case, the act can be in the place you choose.
- At the City Hall: in this case, the act will be carried out by a public official. It is before this entity where free weddings are processed, which have become customary in recent years in the months of August, December and February in the Tegucigalpa Mayor’s Office. These can be held in a public act or more intimately and quickly in the offices. In this case, the act is celebrated by the mayor, the president of the metropolitan council or their councillors.
- Before a Notary Public: In this case, more exclusive acts can be carried out but there are fees for fees.
Cost of the procedures to get married
The first thing is that the free weddings celebrated in commemoration of the month of love, the month of the family and at Christmas are not so free and we say this because of the cost of processing the documents that you must present in order to get married.
And it is that each procedure will generate you by requesting the document. These are the fixed expenses that you will have when you are processing the necessary documentation:
- The request for the Certificate of Civil Status will be 200 lempiras.
- Proof of Kinship that has a cost of 200 lempiras.
- The Criminal Record Certificate for this purpose costs 150 lempiras.
- Payment for marriage services varies: if the wedding is celebrated by a public official, the cost is 350 lempiras; if the act is carried out by a notary, it is 500 lempiras; but if it is about foreigners the cost is 3000 lempiras.
- To this you must add the costs for documents that you must process abroad or consulates in case you or your partner are not nationals.
So the only thing that comes to you for free is the big act in the square; if you want it to be public in the company of 70 more couples.
Now let’s talk about something new and it is about the Marriage Certificate. Legally speaking, it is not new, but it began to be required since September 2017. This document is issued by the National Registry of Persons and certifies the registration of the marriage.
This document passes the expenses for matrimonial services of around 500 lempiras to 5000 lempiras. Of which 3,000 will go to the notary and the rest will go to the Bar Association and the Social Security Institute. The professionals from the bar association assured that all the expenses of the marriage certificate and the notary fees are included in this price.
The price does not exceed the minimum wage, but it is not affordable for that. Statements were made in which the lawyers argued that in addition to this being the price dictated by the Law; It is justified because said Certificates should have been ordered to be made in Guatemala.
When a foreigner participates
The requirements in the event that one of you is a foreigner does not cause a variation beyond the fact that the documents must be apostilled and the identification document presented.
- Like the other spouse, you must prove your singleness. You can do it through an apostilled Single Certification or with the sworn testimony of at least two witnesses of legal age; that they must declare and give a well-founded reason for their statements.
- You must ask the consulate of your country or wherever the case may be for a Certification that according to the Law of this country, there is no obstacle to the planned marriage.
- If you are a resident of Honduras, you must present a photocopy of your card or letter of residence.
- Photocopy of passport.
- Photocopy of the yellow sheet that the Immigration office attaches to the passport when entering Honduras.
In the event that one of the witnesses is a foreigner, the situation is much simpler. You simply have to present his passport and a photocopy of it.
How could you see the requirements to get married in Honduras are not far from those of other countries. But again we recommend that you take it easy. It’s your wedding and surely you want everything to go well; take the time to plan each step and document needed.
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