U.S. Marriage Ceremony on International Bridge

[emmaface 12]

39 minutes ago, ironpatriot1 said:

I live in Phoenix,AZ and my fiancee lives an hour south of Nogales,Sonora.  We are interested in doing this just to skip the financee visa process.  Can this only be done in Juarez?  Or can it be done along the Arizona border with Sonora too?  Please PM me with any information. 

 

I sent you a PM with the details of doing it in El Paso (has nothing at all to do with Juarez, this is entirely a USA process). You should check with the local county authorities on the AZ border where international bridges are to see how it works there. Marriage procedures are very state-specific. 

[Jose Lujan 1]

I noticed this post is back from 2012, soon to be wife and i are about to start the process of getting our marriage licence here in El Paso, we already know the mobile notary and judge who can help on the things we need, i have looked for info on the affidavit for absent applicant but cant find it anywhere, webpage says it can only be requested in person, do any of you know if this is still possible now(2017)? i dont have any legal document to allow me into the US, that is why we are thinking of the affidavit, thanks in advance, any info will be much appreciated

[Jesspe09 1]

1 hour ago, Jose Lujan said:

I noticed this post is back from 2012, soon to be wife and i are about to start the process of getting our marriage licence here in El Paso, we already know the mobile notary and judge who can help on the things we need, i have looked for info on the affidavit for absent applicant but cant find it anywhere, webpage says it can only be requested in person, do any of you know if this is still possible now(2017)? i dont have any legal document to allow me into the US, that is why we are thinking of the affidavit, thanks in advance, any info will be much appreciated

Hi Jose! I am glad to be back and able to answer your questions as I back in 2014 was starting the same process mentiones here. I am fotunate to say that since then, my husband and I have succesfully obtained his US RESIDENCY and we've been living in tbe US together. 

So the first step is to get married if you want to go about it as described in the original post. So you or your fiance (whoever is the US citizen) has to go to the court, it's located in downtown on San Antonio St. In El paso and go to the marriage liscence and death certificates office. There, you have to ask for an "AFFIDAVIT OF ABSENT APPLICANT FOR MARRIAGE". In order to get this form you have to take both of your IDs.(credential de elector is a good ID for the mexican citizen). After getting that form, the Mexican citizen has to fill it out then yiu have to have it Notarized. After that, take it back to the court and turn it in. Then if it was done correctly, they will accept it and give you an incomplete marriage liscence. Take the marriage lisecne and have a judge or ordained minister marry you at the bridge and then he has to sign it. Then take it back to the court and they will finalize it and you will be oficially married through the state of Texas. 

[JazmineTosca 0]

On 4/6/2017 at 5:08 PM, Jose Lujan said:

I noticed this post is back from 2012, soon to be wife and i are about to start the process of getting our marriage licence here in El Paso, we already know the mobile notary and judge who can help on the things we need, i have looked for info on the affidavit for absent applicant but cant find it anywhere, webpage says it can only be requested in person, do any of you know if this is still possible now(2017)? i dont have any legal document to allow me into the US, that is why we are thinking of the affidavit, thanks in advance, any info will be much appreciated

What notary and minister did you use and how much did they chaege you?

[Babu Frik 1,162]

I know this is old, but I wanted to give helpful info for anyone else thinking about getting married on the international bridge.

 

I'll give a comparison of the 2.

 

Getting Married in Mexico

US Citizen needs to gather the following documents.

Vault copy (long form) Birth Certificate with Letter of Exemplification

Certificate of Non-Impediment

Divorce Decree if applicable

 

Each of these documents will need to be

• Certified by the county clerk
• Apostiled
• Translated into Spanish by a certified translator.
  This is not like the CR1 process where you can do it yourself, it needs to be an actual certified person, much easier and cheaper to get done in Mexico

 

General prenuptials are included in Mexican marriages, although I don't know how that plays out later on getting divorced in the states, that's another story.

 

After the civil ceremony

• Apostile the marriage certificate
  process may differ from that in the US, I would also suggest multiple copies in the case you need them for the future
• Translate into english

 

Getting Married on the International Bridge

• Find a minister and notary to work with (can be the same person)
• Go to the county clerks office and get an Affidavit of Absent applicant
  This requires identification from your fiance.
  El Paso requires that you get this in person unlike other counties where you can get it online
  El Paso has 2 annex locations which are probably less busy but further away from the bridge
• Go to the bridge with your fiance and notary and sign the document.
• Return to the country clerks office and apply for the marriage certificate
• Wait 3 days
• Return to the bridge with your fiance and minister to get married
• Return to the clerks office and file your document
• Marriage certificate may not be available the same day as others have noted in this forum.

 

 

 

 

 

[Penguin_ie 5,995]

*****  New thread with a useful overview of the International Bridge process merged with pinned thread. *****

[Rita_90 0]

I live on CO and my fiancee lives in Mexico, can i still get married on the border? Would I just go to an office in El Paso and get the marriage license or because I live on colorado does it work different? Does anyone the price? And is it possovlr3to be married on Weekends?

[Ben & Katy 168]

On 1/21/2020 at 1:01 PM, Rita_90 said:

I live on CO and my fiancee lives in Mexico, can i still get married on the border? Would I just go to an office in El Paso and get the marriage license or because I live on colorado does it work different? Does anyone the price? And is it possovlr3to be married on Weekends?

I think it is easier just to go down to your significant other's hometown down in Mexico and marry down there.  I did that in 2017 with my spouse in Sonora.  Mexican marriages are recognized worldwide. 

[Rita_90 0]

14 minutes ago, Ben & Katy said:

I think it is easier just to go down to your significant other's hometown down in Mexico and marry down there.  I did that in 2017 with my spouse in Sonora.  Mexican marriages are recognized worldwide. 

Thanks for the reply but ive already done the process 

[top_secret 2,458]

This is a fascinating idea.  Now here is a slightly different situation.  Does anyone see why this would not be possible for marrying a fiancé of ANY nationality who is able to enter Mexico but not yet able to get a visa to enter the US?

 

I have a Filipina fiancé and we seek to marry immediately in a third country since COVID travel restrictions have me banned from entering the Philippines and she cannot get a visa to visit me in the US.  Although we failed spectacularly trying to get her into Mexico a couple of months ago for just a visit, I am reasonably confident if I accompanied her, she can get into Mexico as a tourist using a multiple entry Japan Visa she already has and that is accepted as a valid substitute visa for Mexico.

 

Does anyone see any why this wouldn't work for marrying a fiancé of ANY nationality?  Would this seem to go against any Mexican laws as a permissible activity for a foreign national admitted to Mexico as a tourist?

 

It would seem that this could also conceivably be of interest to Americans with fiancés in some South American countries that enjoy visa free access to Mexico but not to the US. 

[AdileneR 7]

I did this process about 7 months ago. I am currently stuck in Juarez Mexico and my Husband lives in Denver, CO. Everything went smoothly until my lawyer in Denver did not want to send my I-130 application because my marriage is from Texas. She said they might think I crossed over illegally to get married and wants me to re marry in Mexico through the Civil registry. At this point I have a funny feeling about getting re married again and using That marriage license from Mexico. I don’t know wether to look for another lawyer in Mexico or near El Paso. I think maybe some lawyers aren’t aware about international bridge Marriages? I tried explaining the process that My husband and I did and it’s legal, but at this point I feel stuck.

Edited May 11, 2022 by AdileneR

[TBoneTX 45,598]

If you're married, you're married -- period.

A marriage certificate is a marriage certificate -- period.

Your abogado is woefully uninformed.

 

Find another abogado; or, better, file the I-130 yourself if your case is straightforward.  If there are complicating issues, go to "VJ Partners" and seek Platinum Immigration Services* -- they have a stellar reputation.

 

*I have no conflict of interest in making this recommendation.

 

Edited to add:  Link to Platinum:

Platinum Immigration Services - VisaJourney Partners - VisaJourney

Edited May 11, 2022 by TBoneTX

[AdileneR 7]

1 hour ago, TBoneTX said:

If you're married, you're married -- period.

A marriage certificate is a marriage certificate -- period.

Your abogado is woefully uninformed.

 

Find another abogado; or, better, file the I-130 yourself if your case is straightforward.  If there are complicating issues, go to "VJ Partners" and seek Platinum Immigration Services* -- they have a stellar reputation.

 

*I have no conflict of interest in making this recommendation.

 

Edited to add:  Link to Platinum:

Platinum Immigration Services - VisaJourney Partners - VisaJourney

I just went to a lawyer for a second opinion. He stated that my lawyer must not be well informed about international bridge weddings and if I get married at the Civil registry in Mexico I can get into problems the day of my appointment at the consulate. First marriage will be valid as for the second will not be. Basically bigamy even if it’s the same person I’m marrying which is not allowed. 

[TBoneTX 45,598]

That keeps things simpler.  I don't buy the "bigamy" conclusion, but having two weddings is unnecessary and could only cause problems.  Either ask your abogada to comply with the correct advice, or find different legal help.

[AdileneR 7]

Does anybody know how to get a copy of the Affidavit form. I called the county clerk and the state of Texas and no luck.