Of course, “countries where foreigners can get married” are not necessarily “countries where you can find a wife easily.” If you want to find a foreign bride, you need to go online: there are at least 3 legit dating websites for such purposes. We’re talking about SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate—the first is for Slavic brides, the second is focused on Asian ladies, and LatiDate is for South American dating. These sites are trusted and popular, have thousands of real women, and are 100% legit.
So, let’s get back to the topic. What’s the easiest country to get married for foreigners?
Quick answer — Which country is easiest to get married for foreigners?
The easiest place for foreigners to get married abroad is Denmark. It’s not even about natural beauty, landscapes, and all that—all the countries on our list are beautiful and romantic. When it comes to Denmark, it’s all about speed and minimal bureaucracy rate—they don’t even need your original birth certificate here.
You just pick a date, contact the wedding department at the Town Hall in Copenhagen, have an interview, contact the Agency of Family Law, send them the scans of your documents, and get a certificate online. Then, you spend 15 minutes at the City Hall, and that’s all.
Top 10 countries that allow foreigners to get married
- Denmark — the fastest and easiest option, the Las Vegas for international couples
- Cuba — cheap, a short list of required documents
- The Czech Republic — another great place for marriage in Europe (and pretty affordable, too)
- Gibraltar — easiest country to get married for foreigners in Europe
- New Zealand — an amazing country with a simple marriage process for international couples
- Cyprus — no need for any special documents; foreigners need the same set of documents as the locals
- Belize — a 5-day trip will be enough, and a standard set of documents is needed
- The Bahamas — a simple and straightforward process, a marriage license can be issued on the day of marriage
- Georgia — you only need 2 days to get married in the Sighnaghi town
- The Philippines — the most popular country for international marriage, a simple procedure and minimal bureaucracy
#1. Denmark
Denmark is the most popular answer to the question “Which country is easy to get married to for foreigners,” and for a good reason. The reason is clear: getting married here is very simple and fast.
So, you’ll need the following documents: an ID card, a Declaration of Truth, and a Power of Attorney. You might need a final divorce decree or death certificate, a visa (not if you’re a US citizen), a birth certificate of your children (if you have children with your partner), or permission to marry from your officer if you’re in military service. You’ll also need to translate your documents, and you might need to legalize such documents as divorce certificates in Denmark. If you and your partner have never been married before, you only need passports/ID cards and two legal documents mentioned before (Declaration of Truth, Power of Attorney).
After providing all the documents, you’ll get the certificate of marital status, and you need to get married in Denmark ASAP because the certificate is valid for 4 months only. Of course, the marriage certificate you get will be valid and recognized in the United States.
#2. Cuba
To get married in Cuba, you must meet the basic requirements: the legal marriage age is 18 years old, all previous marriages must be terminated (the previous marriage certificate or certificate of divorce must be provided), an affidavit of your single status must be provided if you’ve never been married before, and you’ll also have to provide your passport and birth certificate. Another requirement is that you enter the country at least 3 days before the wedding.
The US recognizes marriages performed abroad, and Cuba is not an exception, so your marriage will be recognized in your country, too. The country is very affordable to visit but the notary fee is pretty high—it’s around $500.
#3. The Czech Republic
If you prefer Europe, the Czech Republic is another option. It’s an affordable country where foreigners can marry in the form of civil marriage or church weddings (both civil and religious ceremonies are available, but the former establishes the legal marriage). All civil marriages in this country are recognized as valid in the United States.
Of course, you must be eligible to marry, and your documents, such as birth certificate, passport/ID card, medical certificate, confirmation of marital status, and document attesting eligibility to marry, must be apostilled and translated into the Czech language. If none of the partners has permanent residence, the fee is CZK 3,000 ($126).
#4. Gibraltar
Gibraltar isn’t the most popular European country to find a wife. It’s not a country, actually, this city is located on the Iberian Peninsula and it’s a British Overseas Territory. But getting married here is easier than it is in the UK.
First, they don’t put couples under a microscope and don’t ask any specific questions, so it’s like having those Vegas vibes, but in Europe. Second, many wedding planners here have all the documents and know all the answers to the questions—it might cost you around $1,500, but everything will go as smoothly as possible. Third, the set of documents required in Gibraltar is pretty small: a birth certificate, a divorce/death certificate, and a passport/ID card.
Oh, and what’s even more interesting, Gibraltar is a tiny place—only 32,000 people live there. According to some people who got married there, all those lawyers and marriage planners know each other very well, so even if something goes wrong, they know how to make things smooth again.
#5. New Zealand
You arrange a license, then you enter the country and get married. Seriously, it’s that easy.
The marriage license costs $150, and you can apply online, so you don’t need to book a long trip to New Zealand—1-2 days will be enough. After that, you’ll be sent the license and 2 copies of the Copy of Particulars of Marriage, which is a form with all the details included. When you get it, you can enter the country and get married there.
The legalities of marrying in this country are very straightforward: you must not be under 18 (those under 18 need approval from the family court), you must not be closely related, and your previous marriages must be terminated.
#6. Cyprus
Cyprus is like Vegas but for Middle Easterners. Tens of thousands of Middle Easterners (mostly couples of mixed religions) are marrying in Cyprus every single year; that’s how they avoid restrictions on marriage in their countries. You can get married there, too!
The only difference from the previously mentioned countries is that in Cyprus, foreigners must be residents of the country to get married, but it’s not like a permanent residency; it’s a 3-day residency designed specifically for this purpose (you can get it online). The good news is that an American citizen doesn’t need a visa to enter the Republic of Cyprus. When it comes to the marriage procedure, they treat foreigners exactly like they treat Cyprus citizens. You’ll only need an ID card, a birth certificate, and a non-marriage license/divorce certificate to get married there.
#7. Belize
Belize is a small country (405,000) in Central America, bordered by Mexico and Guatemala. Belize allows foreigners to get married with a minimum set of documents (ID card, birth certificate, and divorce certificate). You need to enter the country 72 hours before the wedding date, and the ceremony won’t take longer than 15 minutes. After that, your marriage will be considered valid in the US (but you’ll have to wait for 1-2 months before you get a certificate).
#8. The Bahamas
The Bahamas is an incredibly beautiful place, and although it’s not that cheap to visit (the average cost for a 1-week trip is around $3,500), the fee for a marriage license is only $120 here (and $20 for the second copy of a marriage certificate). Oh, and you must prove you’ve been in the Bahamas for at least 24 hours, so plan at least a 2/3-day trip! The set of documents looks very simple: an ID card, a final decree (if needed), and a passport (if you’re a resident of a Commonwealth country). They don’t even need a blood test!
#9. Georgia
So, which countries can foreigners get married in? It’s not only about the Caribbean and Central Europe—meet the only Southwest Asian (Caucasian) country on the list, Georgia! We highly recommend going to Sighnaghi, a small town called “Town of love,” where there are lots of special wedding programs for locals and foreigners. The requirements are pretty standard: you must have a valid passport (no visa is needed), and if you’ve been previously married, you must provide a divorce decree.
The process will be pretty fast. You’ll have to wait 1-3 working days (translation of documents, apostille), so it makes sense to arrive at least 3 days before the wedding date. The good news is that when the paperwork is done, you can visit the registry office 24/7—this town is one of a few places where you can get married at any time of day or night.
#10. The Philippines
Even if the Philippines is not the easiest country to get married for foreigners in Asia, it’s still the most popular Asian country to find a wife—the number of brides from this country is larger than the number of brides from any other world country. So, if you still haven’t found a bride, the Philippines is definitely worth visiting.
But it’s also worth it if you’re going to get married abroad. It’s not as easy as in the previously mentioned countries because you’ll have to gather such documents as CENOMAR, and heaven forbid that you want a church wedding because there are just too many requirements, but if it’s about civil marriage, the Philippines are not that bad. You can also spend a honeymoon there after the wedding ceremony because the country is a popular destination (and it’s pretty affordable).
Conclusion
We didn’t talk about countries that love American men or the best country to find a wife—this top list is for those who already found a bride. However, even if you’re single, such countries as the Philippines (the best country for mail order brides), Cuba, and the Czech Republic are 100% worth visiting because local women will not disappoint you.
As for getting married abroad, it’s simple: in most countries, if you meet the legal requirements and there are no objections to a proposed marriage, you’ll have no problems with that. Some countries are better than others in this regard:
- In Denmark, you’ll only need 1 day for the entire process
- In Gibraltar, they know how to do it very fast and smoothly
- In Cyprus, the application process is simple, the requirements are basic, and the wedding venues are somewhat affordable
And, of course, Belize and the Bahamas are great for getting married in a hurry and getting back to your home country, as well as Georgia and Cuba.
Written byJohn Millerstone, Author
We decided to create this project because we’re tired of the situation in the industry. 10 years ago, there were like 40% good sites and 60% bad ones. Today, the ratio is more like 10% to 90%, and that’s not how I want it to be. I mean, it kills me that when an American man types “mail order brides” on Google, there is a 90% possibility that he won’t even find a good dating site, let alone find a bride. I want to change that.
Edited byPhilippe Berry, Contributing Editor
I'm going to tell you everything I know, mes amis. We'll spot online dating charlatans, test the dating sites together, and, of course, with me, you'll learn everything about traveling—I have had 33 trips since 2009, and I think traveling is the best part of online dating. I'll tell you how to save money, how to enjoy a trip, and how to have a good date in a foreign country. I know something about that, too!
