Need info. from Cyprus spouses

[sparkles_ 456]

I'm moving over to this subforum because I'm in need of info. specifically from anyone who has married in Cyprus.

My fiance is currently living in Dubai, but an Egyptian national. He is Christian and so am I, so it is amazingly hard for us to marry there. The closest option I had found involved 3 trips to marry in a Church there and I just can't do that. People are saying that residents of Dubai often head to Cyprus to avoid the insanity of trying to marry in the UAE so we're considering this.

So how do people on a visit visa get married in Cyprus? Where to go, what is needed? I have found a site but it only has basic information about cost and the time you must wait and that is about it.

Thanks in advance, guys.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

For us it was a nightmare to try to marry in Cyprus. it was an epic fail to say the least.

My fiance (not Cyprus citizen) was told in person that 7 days would be sufficient to approve the marriage application by the local authorities.
I had 2 weeks time to spend there.
I also looked at a gazillion web sites and did own my research.

We submitted the application form (can't do it ahead of time, have to be there both in person.)

We were told, no problem they will call us.
We kept waiting. No call came. We went to the office in person.

We were then told it could take anywhere from weeks to several months.

At that moment I morphed into bridezilla and said "What do you mean weeks and months, I have a plane to catch and you said

7 days previously."
I then asked where is our application form now ? The send us on a wild goose chase until we finally located it in another building

under a stack of many other applications.
They refused to take it out of the stack and said we have to wait our turn.
I went all the up to the Minister of the Interior with this and talked to him personally.
There was nothing we could do. They are all ridiculously making up rules as they go, one says this another says that.

They insisted they wanted to see my original birth certificate even though their official list said passport and copy of birth certificate.

Well I didn't bring the original and went according to their required list.
They finally said ok we accept it but that was just at the first phase filling out the application before it was send to another building.

They also wanted someone to certify his address. it was insane. We dealt with 2 different municipalities almost daily.

I flew back home. Wedding bouquet and all ! Unmarried.
I can't tell you how upset I was. We were denied after 16 months of AP. We wanted to marry and file a CR1.
Now we are back at refiling a K1. We met in 2009.

We have been through hell and back.
If your fiance will be legal there in Cyprus then you can give it a try but call them first to see what time table answer they will give you.

Plan on staying longer. I wasn't able to stay more than the 2 weeks.
You may want to consider paying "extra" to get things done. Wink.
I know one lady who married someone there on a visitor visa but her USC fiance stayed there a few months.
They were finally approved after the embassy did not accept their previous marriage certificate from her country.

It also depends if you go to the North side or Greek side. My experience was with the North side which is under Turkish occupation.
My fiance can't cross the border to the South though I could if I wanted to with my US passport. The political ####### makes it even more insane

with all the different rules that change day to day depending on who you talk to.

You can try it but don't have your hopes up too much. Plan a visit and if it works out fine and if it doesn't then you have at least

spend time together and can plan another route. Ask in person what documents you need to bring, don't rely on a list from the internet and not even on their own list. Some have suggested it may go easier with a professional wedding planner. I wish I had gone that route.

Nothing is guaranteed in this stupid process.
Others have been successful I am sure but we were not though I rattled all the cages I could rattle all the way up to the top man.

Let me know what you decide and if you need help with a venue/hotel. We always stay at a lovely resort that is inexpensive if you hussle

the price down. Cyprus is a beautiful island but its local policies in the north suck big time.

I wish you the best and hope my ordeal helped you to plan better.

You may try Istanbul though I heard they will require a medical and blood tests. It just isn't easy anywhere and one has only

so much money to go on a hunt for a country to marry in and when you think you finally got one the rules change.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Ebunoluwa

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Here is another link from years ago about a discussion on where to marry

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/161237-getting-married-in-istanbul/

[sparkles_ 456]

For us it was a nightmare to try to marry in Cyprus. it was an epic fail to say the least.

My fiance (not Cyprus citizen) was told in person that 7 days would be sufficient to approve the marriage application by the local authorities.

I had 2 weeks time to spend there.

I also looked at a gazillion web sites and did own my research.

We submitted the application form (can't do it ahead of time, have to be there both in person.)

We were told, no problem they will call us.

We kept waiting. No call came. We went to the office in person.

We were then told it could take anywhere from weeks to several months.

At that moment I morphed into bridezilla and said "What do you mean weeks and months, I have a plane to catch and you said

7 days previously."

I then asked where is our application form now ? The send us on a wild goose chase until we finally located it in another building

under a stack of many other applications.

They refused to take it out of the stack and said we have to wait our turn.

I went all the up to the Minister of the Interior with this and talked to him personally.

There was nothing we could do. They are all ridiculously making up rules as they go, one says this another says that.

They insisted they wanted to see my original birth certificate even though their official list said passport and copy of birth certificate.

Well I didn't bring the original and went according to their required list.

They finally said ok we accept it but that was just at the first phase filling out the application before it was send to another building.

They also wanted someone to certify his address. it was insane. We dealt with 2 different municipalities almost daily.

I flew back home. Wedding bouquet and all ! Unmarried.

I can't tell you how upset I was. We were denied after 16 months of AP. We wanted to marry and file a CR1.

Now we are back at refiling a K1. We met in 2009.

We have been through hell and back.

If your fiance will be legal there in Cyprus then you can give it a try but call them first to see what time table answer they will give you.

Plan on staying longer. I wasn't able to stay more than the 2 weeks.

You may want to consider paying "extra" to get things done. Wink.

I know one lady who married someone there on a visitor visa but her USC fiance stayed there a few months.

They were finally approved after the embassy did not accept their previous marriage certificate from her country.

It also depends if you go to the North side or Greek side. My experience was with the North side which is under Turkish occupation.

My fiance can't cross the border to the South though I could if I wanted to with my US passport. The political ####### makes it even more insane

with all the different rules that change day to day depending on who you talk to.

You can try it but don't have your hopes up too much. Plan a visit and if it works out fine and if it doesn't then you have at least

spend time together and can plan another route. Ask in person what documents you need to bring, don't rely on a list from the internet and not even on their own list. Some have suggested it may go easier with a professional wedding planner. I wish I had gone that route.

Nothing is guaranteed in this stupid process.

Others have been successful I am sure but we were not though I rattled all the cages I could rattle all the way up to the top man.

Let me know what you decide and if you need help with a venue/hotel. We always stay at a lovely resort that is inexpensive if you hussle

the price down. Cyprus is a beautiful island but its local policies in the north suck big time.

I wish you the best and hope my ordeal helped you to plan better.

You may try Istanbul though I heard they will require a medical and blood tests. It just isn't easy anywhere and one has only

so much money to go on a hunt for a country to marry in and when you think you finally got one the rules change.

Oh, mannnnnnn. I was assuming it would be simple like the site made it sound. I am wondering if there are any companies that do marriage services there?? I can not imagine going and coming back unmarried. I'm going to look at the other link right now. I am mostly trying to find somewhere that my fiance can go to without a visa.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

First decide if you want to enter the north or south due to the border issue.

Everything else depends on that. Then google for a wedding organizer.
I may be able to help you with that later, got to run to work now.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

http://www.riversideholidayvillage.com/specialoffers.html

http://www.riversideholidayvillage.com/index.htm Here is the other link I wanted to share with you.

You can ask them for wedding planners who handle your paperwork for a wedding. I stayed there 4 times. It is very nice and very

reasonably priced in off season. Again even with a wedding planner, rely on no one but yourself with the details of documents.

The wedding planners want their money and will help push the local authorities to follow through more than if you alone try to push them.

You can PM me anytime you need more help. There are a lot of romantic venues to have a wedding at.

Just wish it had worked for us.

[sparkles_ 456]

http://www.riversideholidayvillage.com/specialoffers.html

http://www.riversideholidayvillage.com/index.htm Here is the other link I wanted to share with you.

You can ask them for wedding planners who handle your paperwork for a wedding. I stayed there 4 times. It is very nice and very

reasonably priced in off season. Again even with a wedding planner, rely on no one but yourself with the details of documents.

The wedding planners want their money and will help push the local authorities to follow through more than if you alone try to push them.

You can PM me anytime you need more help. There are a lot of romantic venues to have a wedding at.

Just wish it had worked for us.

Thank-you so much. If we go this was instead of the K1 it will happen on the Greek side, so maybe there is more luck that way? I'll surely keep in mind to PM if I have anymore specific questions

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Thank-you so much. If we go this was instead of the K1 it will happen on the Greek side, so maybe there is more luck that way? I'll surely keep in mind to PM if I have anymore specific questions

I will ask my fiance , he knows some people who may have heard how hard it is on the other side.

[sparkles_ 456]

I will ask my fiance , he knows some people who may have heard how hard it is on the other side.

OK, tell him I appreciate it.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

OK, tell him I appreciate it.

My fiance said that he has heard that if you can enter into the south it would take less time and be easier overall.

No personal experience with the south though.