Wedding in St. Maarten/St. Martin

There are different rules governing how weddings in St. Martin can take place according to the side of the island that you are on. Weddings in St. Martin (French) are notoriously more difficult to arrange, though not impossible, than weddings in St. Martin (Dutch). To hold weddings in St. Martin, either the bride or the groom have to have resided in St. Martin for over one month. St. Maarten also has a residency requirement, but it is more symbolic - foreign visitors who wish to hold their weddings in St. Martin (Dutch) may request permission from the Lieutenant Governor (do so at least several months in advance). Between 10 to 14 days before their weddings in St. Martin, couples must present themselves at the Office of Civil Registry in Philipsburg to register, which costs US$152. All necessary documents not already in Dutch or English must be translated into Dutch by a notary prior to registering for weddings in St. Martin.

In other cases, the birth certificate should have an authenticating stamp from the country of the person's birth. Persons who have never been married should present a non-marriage certificate, which for some non-Antilleans should also contain an apostille stamp from the country of their birth. If you are non-Antillean, contact the Civil Registrar to see whether and which documents should be legalized. Foreign nationals are also required to present a valid passport. If either person getting married is a widow/widower, they should present a death certificate of their late spouse.

If divorced, a divorce certificate or a notarized copy of the final judgment decree should be presented. Divorced and widowed persons should also present the same documents as those listed under the heading 'Documents.' The bride- and groom-to-be should also present the names and profession of their parents if alive; the maiden name of their mothers and the date and place of birth of both parents on or before the date of the official ceremony. The profession and address of the bride and groom should also be known prior to the date of the ceremony, an official at the Civil Registry said.

If visiting The Friendly Island, the Civil Registrar should be informed of the duration of your stay on the island.
Witnesses Now if you plan to get married in the Marriage Hall of the Civil Registry, the law states that you should have a minimum of at least two witnesses (maximum four) present. If the marriage will take place outside the Marriage Hall, you will need at least six witnesses.

All non-Antillean witnesses must present copies of their picture identification such as a valid passport, identification card or driver's license.

Regulations In an effort to reduce the number of "bogus marriages" taking place on the Island a new law went into effect on January 15, 2001, stipulating that non-Dutch persons getting married to someone of Dutch nationality have to fill out a form obtainable at the Philipsburg Police Station.

Once approved by the Office of the Chief of Immigration, the couples are then required to submit their documentation to the Office of the Civil Registry before the marriage can take place.

Fees Getting married costs money. If the marriage will be performed in the Marriage Hall during working hours, during the regular work week, the standard fee for persons who are registered on St. Maarten is NAf. 505 or US $285.60, This includes the wedding ceremony, marriage books, stamps and a marriage certificate, The marriage certificate is in Dutch and will have to be translated.

If one party is not registered on St. Maarten, that person is required to pay an additional NAf. 200 for the declaration of marriage (marriage banns); if both parties are not registered an additional fee of NAf. 470 will have to be paid. A marriage inside the Wedding Hall takes roughly 30 minutes, the Civil Registrar estimated. A total of four extraordinary civil registrars and five internal civil registrars are available to perform marriages on The Friendly Island of St. Maarten. Marriages will only be performed after all documents are found to be correct by the Civil Registrar.

Registrars Office The registrar's office should be contacted for specific rules regarding planning your destination or beach wedding in St Martin. They will also provide information regarding marriage licenses and marriage certificates.

Chief Registrar Office of Civil Registry and Census Office
Soualiga Road
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Tel: 599 542 2457
Fax: 599 542 4267

Lt Governor Franklyn Richards Government Administration Building
Clem Labega's Square
PO Box 943
Philipsburg,
St Maarten
Fax: 599 542 4884

Medical Services

All medical, services including two well equipped hospitals are available on both sites of the island as well as numerous doctor’s specialist’s dentists and paramedical services. The hospital on the Dutch side is located in Cay Hill, between the former Food Center and RAM´s Food World. On the French side, it is located in Concordia. Both hospitals are equipped to handle typical emergencies. Extremely serious cases will be flown out immediately by air ambulance.

There are many doctors on the island. Police can be reached at Tel. 22222/22299; Ambulance at Tel. 22111; and the Hospital at Tel. 31111. Pharmacies here are not the small department stores they have become in the United States, but do carry prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies.