The short answer
- Notice: at least 3 months before the wedding, to a Registrar at any Civil Registration Service. €200.
- In person: you both meet the Registrar and sign a declaration that you’re free to marry. With a non-EU partner, you’re both interviewed.
- Visa: a partner who needs one comes on a short stay C marriage visa (€60), at most 90 days.
- Afterwards: marriage doesn’t give a permission to stay by itself. Your spouse applies on the right family route.
Plan your wedding
Wedding planner
When to give notice, what to bring, the visa and what happens to your spouse’s permission.
What to bring
From Citizens Information and ISD. The Registrar and ISD decide each case. Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Step by step
- Contact a Civil Registration Service for the notification form, and book a notification appointment. It doesn’t have to be where you live or marry.
- Give notice at least 3 months before the wedding, and pay €200. A partner living abroad can ask permission to do this by post.
- Meet the Registrar together, with your original documents, at least 5 days before the wedding. You sign a declaration that you’re free to marry.
- Get the Marriage Registration Form (MRF). It works like a licence, and it’s valid for 6 months after the wedding date on it.
- Marry. After a civil ceremony, the Registrar registers it. After a religious or secular one, give the signed MRF to a Registrar within 1 month.
What to bring
- your passports, with colour copies;
- your birth certificates. One issued outside the EU may need an apostille or legalisation;
- final divorce decrees, or a death certificate if you’re widowed;
- proof of immigration status, if you’re not an Irish or EU citizen;
- the Data Capture Form, proof of address, and your 2 witnesses’ names and dates of birth;
- a PPS number, if you have or will have an address here.
If anyone has limited English, you bring an interpreter from an independent translation company, to the notice appointment and the wedding.
The marriage of convenience check
A marriage of convenience is one where at least one of you is a foreign national and you marry only for an immigration advantage. If either of you isn’t an EU citizen, you’re both interviewed. If the Registrar has doubts, a Superintendent Registrar investigates. If they decide it is a marriage of convenience, you don’t get an MRF, the Department of Justice is told, and you can appeal to the Circuit Family Court.
Coming to Ireland to marry
If your partner’s nationality needs a visa, they apply for a short stay (C) marriage visa:
- after you get the Registrar’s acknowledgement of your notice, and up to 3 months before travel;
- €60, with evidence of your relationship, the acknowledgement, their passports, bank statements and where they’ll stay;
- about 8 weeks for a decision, as for any Irish visa.
After the wedding
| You are | Your non-EU spouse |
|---|---|
| An Irish citizen, spouse needed a visa | Leaves, then applies for a Join Family (D) visa, with no visa fee, and registers on arrival |
| An Irish citizen, spouse didn’t need a visa | Can register as the spouse of an Irish citizen, if they entered legally within the last 90 days |
| An EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living here | Applies for an EU family residence card under EU Treaty Rights |
| Non-EU, living here | Depends on your own permission and its rules for bringing family |
Common mix-ups
Common questions
How much notice do you need to get married in Ireland?
At least 3 months, given to a Registrar at a Civil Registration Service. It applies to civil, religious and secular marriages. Only a court exemption order, in special circumstances, avoids it.
How much does it cost to give notice of marriage?
€200, non-refundable. It's €50 for same-sex couples already in a civil partnership registered in Ireland.
My partner lives abroad. Do we both have to attend in person?
Your partner can ask the Registrar's permission to give notice by post. You must both still meet the Registrar in person at least 5 days before the wedding to sign the declaration.
What is a marriage of convenience?
A marriage where at least one of you is a foreign national and you marry only to get an immigration advantage. The Registrar can investigate. If the Superintendent Registrar decides it is one, no Marriage Registration Form is issued and the Department of Justice is told. You can appeal to the Circuit Family Court.
Which visa does my partner need to come and get married?
A short stay (C) marriage visa, if their nationality needs a visa. Apply after you get the Registrar's acknowledgement of your notice, up to 3 months before travel. It costs €60 and takes about 8 weeks.
Can my spouse stay in Ireland after we marry?
Not on the marriage visa, which allows 90 days at most. The spouse of an Irish citizen who needed a visa leaves and applies for a Join Family (D) visa. One who didn't need a visa and entered legally within the last 90 days can register as the spouse of an Irish citizen.
My divorce was outside the EU. Can I still marry here?
Yes, if Irish law recognises the divorce. You fill in a questionnaire, and the General Register Office must consent before the wedding, so allow extra time.
Sources
All sources checked on 5 Oct 2026.
- Notification requirements for marriageCitizens Information
- Legal requirements for marriageCitizens Information
- Bringing my non-EEA partner to Ireland to get marriedCitizens Information
- Policy document on non-EEA family reunificationImmigration Service Delivery