Marriage for Australian citizens
- Dear citizens of Australia, here you can find the information in case you would like to get married in the Czech Republic.
- The application for a marriage licence, as well as specific details about the procedure may be obtained from www.inter-wedding.com. The application is then to be submitted to this City Hall which is authorized to keep vital statistics records, or to a local church, some time before the planned marriage (approximately 14 days before).
The applicant is required to present the following documents to the local Czech authorities:
- Birth Certificate identifying the applicant's birth date and place of birth, their name and surname, as well as documentation concerning their parents (e.g. an abstract of the register of births).
- A document (e.g. passport) certifying the citizenship of the applicant.
- If widowed, the Death Certificate of the spouse.
- If divorced, the Decree Absolute granted by the court.
- Legal document certifying the applicant's ability to marry and certifying that no legal impediment exist, (i.e. that s/he is free to marry). These documents are required in order to guarantee that the marriage entered into in the Czech Republic will also be recognized by law in the applicant's native country. In Australia this document is called "No Impediment to Marriage Certificate" (CNI) and is issued by the appropriate Department of Foreign Affairs or "Single Status Certificate" which is issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. In New Zealand the document is "Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage" that is issued by "Births, Deaths and Marriages". It is also very helpful to obtain from the same office a "Certificate of Search" that confirms the marital status (single, divorced, widowed). CNI can also be issued by the Australian Consulate in Prague. To obtain the CNI you will need to:
- complete and sign the Application for Certificate of No Impediment . This can be signed in your Embassy/Consulate in the presence of the Consular Officer or in the presence of a notary public
- produce your current Australian passport
- if you are divorced or widowed you will need to produce the relevant decree nisi or death certificate of your late spouse
- pay the fee (equivalent of AUD90.00 for CNI and AUD20.00 for witnessing of signature on the Application - paid in local currency)
- if you choose to arrange all formalities by mail you will need to send us a certified copy of your current passport and arrange for the money to be mailed to us.
Please note that CNI is valid for three months from the date of issue.
- Document certifying that the applicant stays legally on the territory of the Czech Republic. This document is issued by the appropriate immigration authorities (Cizinecka policie).
All the documents must be certified by the Department of Foreign Affairs (Australia) with the Apostille and translated into the Czech language. All the translations can be done by the official interpreters which cooperate with our company.
Each of the City Halls in the Czech Republic may have specific requirements for foreign citizens wishing to enter into marriage in the Czech Republic. The Consulate of the Czech Republic in Sydney therefore strongly recommends the couple to contact the local City Hall to ascertain if anything else is required.
Apostille in Australia
Australia lodged its Instrument of Accession to The Hague Convention abolishing the requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents on 9 August 1994. Accession came into force for Australia on 16 March 1995. The apostille is placed either on the back of the document by a rubber stamp or computer generated image or, where there are several pages, these are bound and the apostille is placed on a covering sheet.
Documents include Birth, death and marriage certificates, decrees nisi and educational documents. The fee is 60 AUD.
There is also a company which can help you save your time and obtain Apostilles on your documents: http://www.apostille.com.au
Useful links and addresses:
Australian Consulate in Prague, Czech Republic
6th Floor, Solitaire Bldg
Klimentska ul. 10
Prague 110 00 - 1, Czech Republic
Telephone +420 2 2172 9260
Fax +420 2 9657 8352
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Head office http://www.dfat.gov.au/
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Consular Branch, R G Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-2-62611111, Fax: +61-2-62612820
New South Wales Regional Office
www.dfat.gov.au/sydney
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 10, Angel Place
123 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-2-93566222, Fax: +61-2-93564238
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), MasterCard, Visa
Northern Territory Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
5th Floor, Northern Territory House
22 Mitchell Street
Darwin NT 0800, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-89824199, Fax: +61-8-89824155
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), MasterCard, Visa
Queensland Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
4th Floor, Commonwealth Government Centre
295 Ann Street
Brisbane QLD 4000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-7-34054799, Fax: +61-7-34054782
South Australian Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
5th Floor, Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-84034899, Fax: +61-8-84034873
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only),Visa, MasterCard
Tasmanian Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
4th Floor, 25 Argyle Street
Hobart TAS 7000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-3-62384099, Fax: +61-3-62384022
Victorian Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 14, Casselden Place
2 Lonsdale Street
Melbourne VIC 3000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-3-92215555, Fax: +61-3-92215455
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), Visa, MasterCard
Western Australian Regional Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Level 17, Exchange Plaza
Sherwood Court
Perth WA 6000, AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61-8-92314499
Accepts payment by Bankcard (Australia only), Visa, MasterCard
