♦ For non-Finnish couples who wish to be married in Finland temporary residence, eg. a holiday, is sufficient.

♦ Banns must be called for 7 days.

♦ Registry offices are authorized to carry out civil marriage ceremonies.
The Lutheran and Orthodox churches are authorized to carry out church weddings, as well as a few smaller denominations such as the Catholic community.

The largest denomination in Finland is the Lutheran Church.

♦ In Finland both civil and church marriages are equally recognized.

However, I would like to point out here that it is much less complicated and involves far less "red tape" for couples wanting a church wedding to get first married in a civil ceremony and afterwards have a church blessing. Orthodox couples wanting a destination wedding in Finland can be married by a civil ceremony.

♦ The marriage ceremony may be held outside the registry office or church
(in the open air or on board a ship for instance).

♦ The marriage ceremony is usually carried out in the presence of two witnesses (Witnesses can be provided)

♦ The following papers are essential:

          - identity papers (a passport would be best)

          - a certificate of no impediment for both partners (not older than 3
             months), officially issued in their home country.
             There must be an apostille on this document.*

For non-Finnish couples who wish to be married in Finland documents may be in Finnish, German, Swedish or English. However, documents in other languages must have an officially certified translation into Finnish.

          - For church weddings confirmation of the couple's denomination is
             required as well as possibly, other documents in the case of a church
             wedding being an option

          - An entry visa for Finland for clients entering Finland from China,
             Russia or Thailand, for instance.

♦ Clients from Germany have the option of bringing a non-denominational
clergyman with them in order to have a really individual ceremony.
(Contact me for further information.)

♦ The ruling for couples of the same sex is as follows:
Registration of their partnership in Finland is only possible when at least one is a Finnish national and has his or her place of residence in Finland.
Or if both partners have lived in Finland for at least 2 consecutive years.This means that for same-sex couples from other countries such as Germany, the only possibility is to have a wonderful celebration in Finland with a very individual ceremony carried out by a non-denominational clergyman.
(I can willingly pass on links for such clergymen who offer marriage ceremonies for couples of the same sex.)

♥ Please get in touch with me for any further information.

I enjoy advising clients from all over the world and so every situation is bound to be different due to the various nationalities, religions and so on. Because of this it is, of course, difficult to mention everything that is possible or impossible on this page. For this reason this page serves only as a guideline.

Please contact me for further, more detailed information.

A wedding abroad is something very special -
just like your love!

*For countries which have not signed the Hague Convention
(meaning the issuing of an apostille is not possible) documents
must be authenticated by the Department for Foreign Affairs /
the Foreign Office / the State Department or the local Finnish Embassy.