Once You Are Married

One copy, called the Certified Copy of Marriage Register, is yours to keep for your records. Your Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer is required by law to keep one copy in their Marriage Book. The third copy must be filed by your Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer with the Registrar of Marriages at the General Registry, located on the first floor of the Government Administration Building.

It is your responsibility to obtain the Registered Marriage Certificate (RMC) of your marriage from the General Registry, unless you have arranged with your wedding celebrant to obtain this and forward it to you. This document is your legal Marriage Certificate and should be secured with your other important documents. The cost of the RMC is CI$15. Ensure everything on the marriage registry is correct; changes to errors on the document costs CI$40. The RMC will have the details of your marriage, a watermark of the Coat of Arms of the Cayman Islands and the raised seal of the Registrar General on the front and the words ‘secure copy’ on the reverse.

European Union citizens (except the United Kingdom and Ireland) may need to have their RMC apostilled (or authenticated). This does not apply to citizens of the United States, Canada or the Commonwealth. Persons from Asia, South and Central America should check with their Embassy or Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer, as to whether an apostille is required for their country.

You will need to produce your Registered Marriage Certificate when you return home to get a new passport and a driver’s licence in your married name, get your marital status changed on health and social security documents and for a myriad of other reasons. If you were to get divorced at a later date, then your Registered Marriage Certificate would also be required. It is an important document, so you should make sure you obtain it and keep it safe.