Getting married in Istanbul...

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Thought maybe there might be someone out there that can give me advice on the procedure for getting married in a civil ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey.

Have any of you gotten married in Turkey? How did things work out? How long did the paperwork take?

Our Info.:

I'm the citizen, he's Iranian, but we live in the UAE. Due to the religious regulations in Dubai we can't get married here. I wanted to get married in Thailand anyway. However, it would be easier for his family to attend the ceremony if we do it in Istanbul. So sometime in the next 6-8 months we plan on marrying/honeymooning in Istanbul. We'll stay 2 weeks. Is that enough time to marry and get all the paperwork done, notarized, translated, etc? I'm sure our f

[miamiwife 0]

Interesting! I got married in Turkey, but my husband was Turkish so the paperwork will obviously be more than you will encounter. We had to get tested for sickle cell anemia, have a doctor verify we were healthy, pay various people, get a certificate from the U.S. embassy that I was eligible to marry, pay for a translator, pay for an officiant, etc. Since neither of you are Turkish it is a different ball game. All marriages in Turkey are civil ceremonies--so that is no problem. I would checked on the Internet for "getting married in Turkey" and you should be able to find some good information. Notaries are expensive in Turkey (in comparison to the U.S.) and you do have to get everything translated since the Turkish marriage certificate is in Turkish and French (not sure why) and that is not a language in either of your countries. I am sure there are package deals where someone will do all the work for you--check the Internet.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Thanks for the reply.

Strange they test for sickle cell anemia. To get a work/residency permit in the UAE they test you for TB and HIV.

Exactly how much does the notary cost?

The civil ceremony is why we want to get married in Turkey. Do people usually wear a formal wedding gown just to go before a justice of the peace? Just curious. I'm just going to buy a very simple and affordable dress here in Dubai to wear for the ceremony. I'll be buying the rings here too since it's so much cheaper than in the states.

Edited November 11, 2008 by Hoomsfuturewife

[awaterlily 0]

Here's some marriage info per the Turkish Embassy website (Wash DC)

marriage

Congrats & GL!

Thought maybe there might be someone out there that can give me advice on the procedure for getting married in a civil ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey.

Have any of you gotten married in Turkey? How did things work out? How long did the paperwork take?

Our Info.:

I'm the citizen, he's Iranian, but we live in the UAE. Due to the religious regulations in Dubai we can't get married here. I wanted to get married in Thailand anyway. However, it would be easier for his family to attend the ceremony if we do it in Istanbul. So sometime in the next 6-8 months we plan on marrying/honeymooning in Istanbul. We'll stay 2 weeks. Is that enough time to marry and get all the paperwork done, notarized, translated, etc? I'm sure our f

[beejay 123]

My husband and I had similar issues with a civil ceremony while living in Dubai

I don't know about Turkey but I know when I was doing my search of "where can we have a civil ceremony with relative ease and speed" Cyprus was one of the choices I narrowed it down to. We ended up filing a k1 and getting married in the U.S. but Cyprus had some pretty good deals, especially from Dubai. They even had wedding packages with hotel, marriage cert. and all the "fixin's". I looked into the greek side but maybe the turkish side would have similar requirements. It looked like a beautiful place to have a wedding.

congrats and good luck!

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Thanks all.

Beejay, is Cyprus more expensive than Istanbul or about the same? I will have to look for pictures to see if it's just as scenic and exciting as Istanbul. Also I have to find out how easy it is for Iranians to get a visa for Cyprus, if necessary. Maybe they wouldn't need one for the Turkish side? The wedding package deal sounds like exactly what we need.

[beejay 123]

I'm afraid that was the extent of my knowledge But from what I can remember of people that have visited the greek side it can be expensive. It appears that the northern side uses the turkish lira so to me that suggests that pricing is similar to Turkey. We eventually scrapped the idea because of visa issues trying to get into the greek side but I think the turkish side has different requirements perhaps more similar to Turkey's. It looks like they have a representative office (for the northern side only) in Abu Dhabi that you could call and ask:

Abu-Dhabi Representative Office

Khalifa Bin Zayet Street

The Blue Tower Suite 704-A

P.O. Box: 45061 Abu-Dhabi, U.A.E

Tel.: +971 2 627 2977

Fax: +971 2 627 0844

I know that Magrudy's has the lonely planet travel guide for Cyprus, that you could give you a better idea of general expenses. I think you might have to google "weddings Northern Cyprus" to find specific packages and prices as I can't remember if they talk about that in the lonely planet.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help but I hope you find a beautiful (and affordable ) place to have your ceremony.

Good luck!!

[miamiwife 0]

She is right--the Turkish side also had wedding packages in Cyprus and when I went there on vacation with my husband we stayed at a resort and a British couple were getting married there on the beach. Just something simple with their two children. Usually for the civil ceremony in Turkey people just wear nice clothes. I wore a wedding gown there because we had the reception right after. They charge different prices based on the day of the week. I think notaries range from $40-$60 per item notarized, but I am sure that fee depends on where you go--you can bargain too. I would check into the packages though--it seems so much easier, plus someone else will do all the paperwork for you. Cyprus is just an hour and half flight from Istanbul and is fairly laid-back. There is a lot of Turkish military present, but the resorts are nice and you can see lots of castles!

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

You can have a civil ceremony on the beach? That would be so romantic. I'll definitely look up packages to Turkish Cyprus. I'll just wear a nice dress rather than a wedding gown that can only be worn once. We won't be having a reception. So which days are the cheapest to marry on? I'm so excited now, the package deal sounds so much easier. Visiting castles and the beach sounds great too! Thanks guys.

[miamiwife 0]

Weekdays are of course the most affordable days to get married, but hey, let us know what you find!

[ferno 0]

i just wanted to say.. everything in cyprus little expensive than turkey.. probably greek side more expensive than turkish part turkish part of cyprus expensive than turkey.. but yea.. cyprus is nice place and maybe could be little slow for information.. but same time would be more easier for istanbul.. just wanted to say that .. good luck..

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Thanks Ferno, I guess we'll just marry in Istanbul then if it's cheaper.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

where else in Turkey would be cheaper to marry than Istanbul? Preferably a scenic city with both an American and Iranian consulate.

[miamiwife 0]

I don't know about Iran, but American consulates are in Istanbul and Izmir or the embassy in Ankara. As far as scenic, Ankara is not that nor is it very affordable and it is pretty darn cold if you are getting married in the Winter. Have you checked on the Internet yet for packages? Go with the packages, do yourself a favor with all the planning!

[kennyandhandan 2]

There's an Iranian consulate in Trabzon I'm pretty sure. That would be an awesome place to visit I think. Unfortunately, I've not been there nor any place in that vicinity. The closest I can come to a personal recommendation is Alanya or Antalya for scenery and cost. There's not an Iranian consulate, but there's an American one and you'll probably be travelling through one of the other major cities to get to and from there anyhow. We had our wedding party in my wife's hometown near Alanya and it was awesome, but it was a family affair. A huge family affair, but a family affair nonetheless.

Edit to add: I got married on a K1 visa in USA so I don't have any information on the paperwork aspect. Sorry. My wife had her birth certificate and police records translated in Alanya in a very short period of time for about 80 lira.

I don't know about Iran, but American consulates are in Istanbul and Izmir or the embassy in Ankara. As far as scenic, Ankara is not that nor is it very affordable and it is pretty darn cold if you are getting married in the Winter. Have you checked on the Internet yet for packages? Go with the packages, do yourself a favor with all the planning!

Edited December 5, 2008 by kennyandhandan