marriage in dom rep

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

Okay, I gooled what WEDO is. Now the question is how much do they charge for their services, I didn't find that info on the website.

It cost $125. You have plenty of time before your wedding, so I'm positive you can take care of it all yourself for much less. I paid it out of convenience. The nearest Embassy is more than 2 hours away from where I live. Also, I decided to get married at the very last minute...about a month before my trip, so I didn't have much time to play games. Plus it was around the holidays when a lot of places were closed for long periods of time, so I figured it was better to let someone else handle it as far as timing was concerned. You have a lot of good info here, so you should have no problems.

Definitely contact the Embassy and you might also want to have your fiance speak with the JCE. I'm not sure why, but I was never told by the Embassy that I needed to obtain anything from the Marriage License Bureau. And my husband was never told by the JCE that my single status letter had to come from any particular place. I wrote my own letter and had absolutely no problems. I used the letter I saw on the WEDO site as an example to create my own. Also, neither the Embassy or the JCE said my husband needed a single status letter. All he needed was his cedula. I would imagine they can check to see if he's single/married, but can't do the same for a USC.

[StephanieM 60]

It cost $125. You have plenty of time before your wedding, so I'm positive you can take care of it all yourself for much less. I paid it out of convenience. The nearest Embassy is more than 2 hours away from where I live. Also, I decided to get married at the very last minute...about a month before my trip, so I didn't have much time to play games. Plus it was around the holidays when a lot of places were closed for long periods of time, so I figured it was better to let someone else handle it as far as timing was concerned. You have a lot of good info here, so you should have no problems.

Definitely contact the Embassy and you might also want to have your fiance speak with the JCE. I'm not sure why, but I was never told by the Embassy that I needed to obtain anything from the Marriage License Bureau. And my husband was never told by the JCE that my single status letter had to come from any particular place. I wrote my own letter and had absolutely no problems. I used the letter I saw on the WEDO site as an example to create my own. Also, neither the Embassy or the JCE said my husband needed a single status letter. All he needed was his cedula. I would imagine they can check to see if he's single/married, but can't do the same for a USC.

I'll call the embassy and ask about the single status letter, because if that's the case my mother can notarize it for me, and then I would just have to get it legalized at the embassy. I will post the info for future members seeking responses.

Edited May 28, 2011 by francis y steph

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

Good luck in your wedding plans! My husband and I really wanted to get married in the DR but the translations and paperwork deterred us since we had less than three months to plan everything. Also, most resorts we looked at said we would not get our marriage certificate for 3-4 months after the wedding, and naturally we needed it immediately to apply for his visa. We got married in Jamaica instead

Maybe it's just getting married at a resort that delays the marriage certificate, but make sure whomever you are working with will get it to you in a timely manner. Don't want to add 3-4 months onto your visa timeline waiting for it!

The translations are what deterred my mother as well, and she also chose Jamaica instead.

My husband and I requested our marriage certificate about a week later at the JCE. We were able to pick it up the next day. We then went to Santo Domingo to have it legalized and apostilled.

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

I'll call the embassy and ask about the single status letter, because if that's the case my mother can notarize it for me, and then I would just have to get it legalized at the embassy. I will post the info for future members seeking responses.

I printed it out myself, took it to a lawyer to get notarized, and it was legalized by the embassy with no issues. If you're told that it's acceptable to write your own, I can send you a copy of mine if you want.

[Ribs & Beans 19]

I used WEDO and came prepared with everything (translated BC, single status letter). The judge didn't look at ANY of it. He didn't even look at my real passport, just a photocopy. He even had his own single status letter with him that he just had me sign that day. That being said, I am glad I went prepared, because you never know. Unfortunately, that judge is probably not convenient for you--he's in Imbert (between Santiago and Puerto Plata). His name is Luis Lopez.

Go to the website of the records office of the city you were born--you can usually request more certified copies of your birth certificate. You might as well get a few extras now, I'm sure you'll need them eventually in this process!

Good luck!

[StephanieM 60]

Okay so I just called the Dominican embassy here in Boston. The man I spoke to told me that it would be $155 to get my 1. BC translated and legalized 2. my single status letter: written, translated, legalized, notarized. I think that's a rip off!!

So then I get in contact with the judge in the town in DR where I plan to get married and he tells me that he can take care of the single status letter, and all I have to do is take my translated, apostilled and legalized BC. In addition to a copy of my passport etc. He had told my fiance's mom he would do it all for 10,000 pesos (the marriage itself you gotta pay 7,000 pesos.) but when i asked him how much was it he didn't really answer (probably since i'm american he's already plotting to charge me more :no: ) So basicalllyyy he told me the same things most of you have been saying about the paperwork requirements. Who would think that in a country like in DR you need all this paperwork just to get married!!

There are actually tons of people over on our forum who did not have to have half of this stuff. It really depends on who is marrying you. For example, I'm getting married down there in two weeks and I just need my passport, and birth cert. the lawyer who is doing the marriage doesn't even require an apostille. I am bringing translations and an apostille anyway just in case but for SURE you don't have to have the SSL done at the embassy. they are telling you that because they make tons of money on those. Any good attorney in the DR can do that for you for less than half the price. Of course if you call the official agencies down there like the Junta Central they are going to tell you otherwise because they want to make MONEY.

Tim, I bet your totally right that a lot of people don't require a lot of these things, but the more I ask around, the more i get the same answer, so I guess I'm just gonna spend the money and get all the dumb paperwork to be sure I get married. Your getting married in Santiago if I recall correctly, and that's a little too far for me, plus better safe than sorry.

[anr1207 0]

Well I got married in August and I needed my long format of my birth certificate. I also brought with me the single status letter from the California Dominican Consulate and it wasn't used. My husband and I had to re-do it again because they wouldn't take it. So double check with the person that is going to marry you if he/she will take it. I was really upset paying twice for the same document.

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

There are actually tons of people over on our forum who did not have to have half of this stuff. It really depends on who is marrying you. For example, I'm getting married down there in two weeks and I just need my passport, and birth cert. the lawyer who is doing the marriage doesn't even require an apostille. I am bringing translations and an apostille anyway just in case but for SURE you don't have to have the SSL done at the embassy. they are telling you that because they make tons of money on those. Any good attorney in the DR can do that for you for less than half the price. Of course if you call the official agencies down there like the Junta Central they are going to tell you otherwise because they want to make MONEY.

I'm unclear as to how the Junta is making money off of requirements fulfilled in the US. The Junta had the same exact requirements as the embassy, but they never offered to help me with those requirements for any additional cost. They told us what I needed to bring with me for them to marry us, and I was on my own to get it all together with no guidance from them. The BC, apostille, translations, etc were all paid for PRIOR to my arrival in DR. The only money the Junta got from my husband was the 7000 pesos it cost for the wedding.

[StephanieM 60]

I'm unclear as to how the Junta is making money off of requirements fulfilled in the US. The Junta had the same exact requirements as the embassy, but they never offered to help me with those requirements for any additional cost. They told us what I needed to bring with me for them to marry us, and I was on my own to get it all together with no guidance from them. The BC, apostille, translations, etc were all paid for PRIOR to my arrival in DR. The only money the Junta got from my husband was the 7000 pesos it cost for the wedding.

Well I guess he means for those that choose to get things done in DR. Like me, I am going to do my single status letter over there, and the judge that is marrying us is the one that is gonna do it for us, so I have to pay him for that besides the 7,000 pesos.

[BocaChicaBabe 6]

francis y steph are you being married in the office or someplace else like the beach or someone's house? It costs 7000 pesos for a USC and a DR resident to be married in the office, but costs more if you want a different location. They had all of the different prices listed on the wall in the office depending on whether one or both are residents, and depending on the location of the wedding. I was concerned about them hiking up the price because I'm American, but nothing we paid was different than what my husband was told before and what I saw listed for everyone to see once I was there.

[Love2O11 1]

I did my paperwork myself and I had it notarize by a Notary Public. Than I took it to (El consulado Dominicano en Boston) because I need it to have it Apostillado, notarizado and with their signature on the back Obligao and this is something MANDATORY and all that so basically I paid $135.00 which I believe was a waste of money. & it took about 4 days for me to go again and pick it up.

LLEVE A EL CONSULADO DOMINICANO EN BOSTON

1) MI CERTIFICADO DE NACIMIENTO.

2) PASSPORT

3) LETRA DE SOLTERA

CREO QUE SE ME OLVIDA ALGO PERO HASTA AHORA ESTO ES LO K SE ME VINO EN MENTE. SUERTE A TODOS!

Edited June 7, 2011 by Love2O11

[StephanieM 60]

Thanks everyone for info. I got all my paperwork ready for marriage in DR yesterday. They charged me $155 for the BC (the translation, apostille, legalized etc) AND the single status affidavit, which they wrote themselves. They were able to prepare the single status letter the same day I went (monday). And the BC was ready by thursday. Everyone at the consulate (Boston) was very nice and pleasant. But they killed my pocket!

BC (apostille, translated, legalized) $100

single status letter (wrote in spanish, legalized) $55

Hope this thread is helpful to others starting out.