The process for residents marrying in the Cayman Islands is fairly simple. After you have selected your wedding celebrant (a Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer), during your first consultation they will tell you the required forms that you will need to fill out and steps that you need to take.
Before your wedding ceremony is allowed to take place, your Banns of Marriage must be published by your wedding celebrant for seven clear days. This is to give anyone who might object to the marriage the opportunity to make their objection known, in writing, to your wedding celebrant.
Most of the marriage officers in the Cayman Islands are Ministers of Religion and can be contacted through their churches. Refer to the Churches & Religious Services page for a list of churches. You will also find a list of Marriage Officers on the Cayman Government website.
Civil Registrars in Grand Cayman work out of their offices where they can be contacted, and where the Banns of Marriage are published, usually on a Public Notice board, outside their office.
Documents Needed by Residents Getting Married in the Cayman Islands
- Proof of identity – a Cayman Islands Voter’s Registration Card, passport or certified/original birth certificate
- Proof of marital status (legal divorce decree or death certificate, if applicable)
Marrying a Caymanian
A person who is newly married to a Caymanian needs to apply to the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board for a Residency and Employment Rights Certificate as the Spouse of a Caymanian (RERC), which allows them to remain and work in any occupation and the certificate remains valid for as long as the marriage remains stable.
It no longer expires at the seven year mark. If they are in possession of a work permit before they are married, then the work permit remains valid for its duration. Provided an application for a RERC is made before the expiry of the work permit, the right to live and work in the Cayman Islands continues whilst the application for a RERC is pending. If the RERC is approved then after the 7th anniversary of the wedding, and as long as the marriage is still stable, the holder may apply for the Right to be Caymanian. There is a non-refundable application filing fee of CI$300 and, when approved, there is an additional government fee of CI$400.
Proposed changes to the Immigration Law were discussed in July 2018, and it was agreed that a person who has been resident in the Cayman Islands for many years, and then goes on to marry a Caymanian, may apply for Permanent Residency in their own right as long as they apply before they have been resident for 9 years. They may also apply for an Employment Rights Certificate as the Spouse of a Caymanian (RERC). The difference is, that if the marriage does not last then they will not lose their residency status.
Please note that the RERC
application process can take several months and many documents are
required to be submitted, including an affidavit to the effect that your
marriage is not one of convenience.