These days, couples often find themselves gazing lovingly at each other via a computer or mobile device.
While the COVID era made online interactions a necessity, spouses-to-be may find themselves separated by national borders for various reasons. Thanks to the freely available video calling technologies now available, couples can be together, even if they’re apart.
But, can you make video conferencing technology work for you even more? Is it possible to marry your distant beloved online, even if you’re on opposite sides of the globe? Absolutely!
Below, we’ll take a closer look at:
- The steps that go into getting married online
- What you need to have an international online wedding
- The legalities of online weddings when the bride or groom is abroad
- How an online wedding planner can help make your dream day a stress-free reality
Can You Get Married Online to Someone in Another Country?
5 Key Steps for Making Your Global Online Wedding a Reality
If you want to marry someone who lives, studies, or works abroad, you can make it happen. But, you need to follow critical procedures that legalize and legitimize your marriage.
These steps correspond to the same steps necessary for an in-person wedding. Let’s go through them one by one.
1. Hire an Online Marriage Officiant
Who will actually conduct your wedding? This is the job of a legal officiant. The courts recognize these individuals as having the authority to marry people in a particular U.S. state. (The exact qualifications can vary from state to state.)
You can hire a legal officiant to marry you in any U.S. state that allows for online weddings. You don’t have to get married in the state where you live. Since one of you is abroad, that’s not an option anyway.
2. Get a Legal Marriage License
You can’t be legally married without getting a marriage license. This is true for both offline and online weddings.
You and your other half will need to fill out forms and supply the court with key personal data, including:
- Proof of identification
- Proof that you’re of legal marrying age
- Declaration that you’re both currently unmarried (Only for offline marriage. For online marriage – no need)
- Your Social Security numbers if you’re U.S citizens
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3. Choose a Video Streaming Platform
Video streaming platforms seem to be everywhere these days. They often give you more options than you might want or need.
You can host an international wedding online using YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft Teams or other apps. However, Zoom has leaped to the forefront thanks to its:
Popularity
- Familiarity
- Ease of use
- Diverse multimedia options
- Ability to accommodate large numbers of participants.
Your online wedding planner can send Zoom links to the guests and participants. This method eliminates a major step that you’d usually be responsible for.
4. Hold the Online Wedding Ceremony
You can make your online wedding ceremony look as simple or as elaborate as you like. Both from your end and your spouse’s corner of the world.
You’ll want to ensure that both parties have reliable access to a strong internet connection. The other potential challenge in an international ceremony involves timing.
Choosing a wedding time that suits guests in both countries can prove tricky thanks to the different time zones. However, you may be able to record the ceremony for those who couldn’t attend in real-time.
5. Get Your Marriage Certificate
Once you’ve completed the online wedding ceremony, you need the official documentation. Registering the marriage declares that it’s legal, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Your wedding officiant will submit the necessary information to a local court or county’s marriage office. The court will send you a marriage certificate via mail. You can use this certificate whenever you need to submit proof of your union for any reason.
Marrying someone in another country can involve an element that most marriages don’t. Your wedding certificate might need the attachment of an apostille stamp. This notarized stamp authenticates your marriage in any of the nations that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. Here’s a handy list to help you out!
Why Hire an Online Wedding Specialist to Manage Everything?
Arranging an online wedding by yourself is quite difficult. International wedding ceremonies only bring more things to consider.
An online wedding specialist already has a reliable system in place. They can solve all these problems, and take care of the necessary details.
For instance, MarryFromHome can:
- Process all your information.
- Assign an officiant in a state that permits online marriage.
- Coordinate your online guest invitations.
- Provide the Zoom connection for the ceremony itself.
- Handle all the official paperwork, including the:
- Marriage license
- Wedding certificate
- Apostille stamp
MarryFromHome can take all these tasks off your plate. This leaves the two of you free to enjoy the wedding, even if you’re standing in two different countries. So make that long-distance union a reality — apply for your online marriage today!
If you want to tie the knot long distance, but you’d like to learn more about the process, feel free to contact us. We’d love to help you and your partner find the perfect package and get legally married online.
