What documents do Americans need to get married in the Dominican Republic?

If you're planning a destination wedding in Punta Cana, you've probably wondered what documents Americans need to legally get married in the Dominican Republic, and discovered that the answer is more involved than a quick Google search suggests.

You've chosen the venue.

You’ve started dreaming about the ceremony setup.

Then someone mentions the civil registry paperwork, and suddenly the whole thing feels like a government exam you didn’t know you were taking.

Many couples stall right here, and the reason is simple: nobody hands them a clear, complete document list at the start.

At Batú Events Venue, we built a personalized legal document guide directly into our coordination onboarding. Every couple who books with us receives that guide before they start collecting paperwork. It's one of the first things our team shares because we've seen what happens when couples get it wrong or get it late.

The goal is no scrambling, no guessing, and no last-minute surprises at the civil registry.

This article covers everything U.S. citizens need to prepare for a legal civil marriage in the Dominican Republic: the exact documents, how to apostille and translate each one, the submission timeline, witness logistics, and how to get your marriage recognized when you’re back home.

To legally get married in the Dominican Republic, American citizens typically need the following documents. It's highly recommended to confirm the exact requirements with your chosen wedding planner or the local Civil Registry Office (Oficina del Registro Civil) in the Dominican Republic at least two months in advance, as regulations can change. Essential Documents: * Passports: Valid passports for both individuals. * Birth Certificates: Original or certified copies of birth certificates for both individuals. These must be apostilled. * Single Status Affidavits (Certificado de Soltería): This document proves that neither party is currently married. It must be obtained from the relevant authority in your home country (e.g., county clerk, state department, or an embassy/consulate) and then apostilled. * Divorce Decrees or Death Certificates (if applicable): If either party has been previously married, you will need certified copies of the final divorce decree or the death certificate of the former spouse. These documents must also be apostilled. * Tourist Cards (Tarjeta de Turista): These are typically obtained upon arrival at the Dominican Republic's airport. * Translation of Documents: Any documents not originally in Spanish will need to be officially translated into Spanish by a sworn translator or by the Dominican Consulate in your home country. Additional Documentation (May be required by specific regions or for certain circumstances): * Parental Consent Forms (if under 18): If either individual is under 18 years of age, parental consent is required. These forms typically need to be notarized and apostilled. * Medical Certificates: Some wedding venues or Civil Registry Offices may require a recent medical certificate. Process Summary: 1. Gather Your Documents: Start collecting all necessary documents well in advance. 2. Apostille: Ensure all required documents (birth certificates, divorce decrees, single status affidavits) are authenticated with an apostille from the issuing country. This process can take time. 3. Translation: If your documents are not in Spanish, get them officially translated. 4. Submit Documents: Submit all apostilled and translated documents to the Civil Registry Office (Oficina del Registro Civil) where you plan to marry. This is usually done a few days before the wedding. 5. Wedding Ceremony: The wedding ceremony will be performed by a Dominican judge or official. 6. Registration: After the ceremony, the marriage will be registered with the Civil Registry. 7. Obtain Marriage Certificate: You will receive a Dominican marriage certificate. This document may also need to be apostilled or legalized at the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs if you intend to use it for recognition in other countries. Important Notes: * Dominican Consulate in the US: It is highly advisable to contact the Dominican Consulate in your home state or a neighboring state to confirm specific requirements for Americans. They can also advise on the apostille process and translation services. * Wedding Planner: Hiring a reputable wedding planner in the Dominican Republic is strongly recommended. They are experienced with the local bureaucracy and can significantly streamline the process, ensuring all paperwork is in order and submitted correctly and on time. * Timelines: Begin the process at least 3-6 months before your intended wedding date, especially if you need to obtain apostilles or have documents translated. * Civil vs. Symbolic Ceremony: The above list is for a legally recognized civil marriage. Many resorts also offer symbolic ceremonies, which do not require all of these legal documents and are purely for the ceremony itself. You would then handle the legal registration in your home country.

Core documents every American couple must prepare

The Dominican civil registry requires four documents from each partner. Local offices may have minor variations, so request a written requirements list from your specific registry office, but in practice, every item below must be in order before the registry will schedule your ceremony date.

Valid passport
- Original plus a color copy of the photo and data page
Long-form birth certificate
- Original or certified copy with parental information; the short abstract version is not accepted
Sworn single-status affidavit
- A notarized declaration confirming you are unmarried and legally free to wed.
Civil marriage application form
- provided by the civil registry or your local wedding coordinator

All documents except the passport copy must be apostilled and translated into Spanish by a locally registered Dominican translator before submission.

The registry does not accept photocopies of birth certificates unless they carry official certification. Plan to submit originals or notarially certified copies with clear signatures and seals.

For a concise downloadable checklist tailored to U.S. citizens that highlights common registry variations, see this practical documents guide for U.S. nationals preparing to marry in the Dominican Republic: Documents to get married in the Dominican Republic (U.S. citizens).

If you've been married before: additional paperwork

Partners who have been previously married must also provide a certified divorce decree or death certificate of the former spouse. Both documents go through the same apostille and translation process as the birth certificate.

There is one additional consideration worth flagging early: under Dominican civil law, women who have been divorced are subject to a 10-month remarriage waiting period. This is a legal requirement, not a procedural quirk, and it directly affects your wedding date window. If this applies to your situation, raise it with your coordinator at the very beginning of the planning process.

What your witnesses need to bring

Two witnesses are required for the civil ceremony, and they cannot be immediate family members. Each witness must present a valid ID or passport copy to the civil registry on the day of the ceremony.

If you don't have two eligible witnesses traveling with you, coordinators in Punta Cana, including the team at Batú, can help arrange them. Many destination wedding couples use this option, and it works smoothly when organized in advance.

Getting your U.S. documents apostilled before you travel

The apostille step is where couples most often lose time, so it’s worth understanding the process clearly before anything else. The Dominican Republic joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 2009, which means foreign documents must carry an apostille stamp to be legally recognized there.

Documents that require an apostille are typically public documents that will be used in a foreign country that is a member of the Apostille Convention. The purpose of an apostille is to authenticate the origin of a public document so that it can be recognized in foreign countries. It certifies the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, and, where appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. Essentially, an apostille is a form of international notarization. It simplifies the process of authenticating documents for use abroad, eliminating the need for further legalization by embassies or consulates. Common documents that often require an apostille include: * Vital Records: * Birth Certificates * Marriage Certificates * Death Certificates * Divorce Decrees * Adoption Papers * Why: These are often needed for immigration, residency, marriage, or inheritance purposes in another country. * Educational Documents: * Diplomas * Transcripts * Degrees * Certificates of Attendance * Why: Required for employment, further studies, or professional licensing abroad. * Legal Documents: * Court Orders * Judgments * Power of Attorney * Contracts or Agreements * Affidavits * Why: To prove the validity of legal instruments in a foreign jurisdiction. * Business Documents: * Articles of Incorporation * Certificates of Good Standing * Company Bylaws * Export/Import documentation * Why: To establish a business, conduct trade, or prove the legal existence and good standing of a company in a foreign country. * Identification Documents: * Passport copies (though typically not required for passports themselves, but for certifications related to them) * Why: Less common, but may be needed in specific legal contexts. Why are they required? The primary reason an apostille is required is to ensure that a document issued in one country is legally recognized and accepted in another country that is part of the Hague Apostille Convention. Without an apostille, a foreign country might not trust the authenticity of the document, requiring a more lengthy and complex authentication process through its embassy or consulate. The apostille provides a standardized, internationally recognized method of verification.

For American couples, the apostille requirement applies to birth certificates, divorce decrees, and death certificates. Passports are internationally recognized government-issued IDs and do not need an apostille.

An apostille is a standardized authentication stamp that confirms the document’s signature and seal are genuine. It is accepted across all Hague Convention member countries without additional legalization, which makes it the most efficient path for U.S. documents headed to the Dominican Republic.

How to request an apostille in the United States

The process varies by document type, but the general steps follow a consistent pattern.

For state-issued documents, including birth certificates, divorce decrees, and death certificates, contact the Secretary of State office in the state where the document was originally issued. Most states accept mail-in or online requests, with processing times ranging from a few days to several weeks depending on the state.

Note that Florida routes apostille requests through the Department of State rather than the Secretary of State; if you need state-specific guidance for Florida, consult a focused guide on how to obtain an apostille for the Dominican Republic from Florida before you submit documents.

For federal documents, submit requests to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Whichever route you use, make sure all stamps and signatures on the original document are clean and legible. The apostille office can reject submissions where signatures are faded or seals are unclear, which adds weeks to your timeline.

Certified Spanish translations: what's required and who qualifies

What a certified translation actually involves

Every apostilled document must be translated into Spanish before the Dominican civil registry will accept it. A certified translation means the translator signs a Certificate of Accuracy confirming the translation is complete, accurate, and faithfully represents the original document. This certificate is attached to the translated text alongside the original.

The Dominican Republic requires translations to be certified by a sworn translator registered locally with authorities such as the Supreme Court of Justice or the General Attorney's Office. These are officially designated translators who carry a legal seal and whose work is recognized by Dominican institutions.

A translation from a U.S.-based service may not be accepted on its own, and a family member’s translation will not be accepted at all.

Who to use and what to avoid

Work with a sworn translator registered in the Dominican Republic, or use a local wedding coordinator who has vetted translators as part of their network.

After translation, the document typically requires authentication by the Attorney General's Office to legalize the translator's seal before submission to the registry. Confirm this step directly with your coordinator rather than assuming it's included.

Self-translations or translations by family members create rejection risk that can push your ceremony date back significantly.

If you need an example of an in-country sworn translator resource, consider reviewing listings for a sworn translator in Santo Domingo to understand local certification options.

The single-status affidavit for a Dominican Republic marriage: what it is and how to get it done

The affidavit must include

The sworn single-status affidavit, sometimes called a «no impediment» statement or affidavit of marital status, is a notarized declaration confirming the signer is unmarried, legally free to marry, and faces no legal barriers to the union.

It should include the affiant’s full legal name as it appears on the passport, date and place of birth, passport number, address history for the past two years, marital history, and the name of the intended spouse.

A clear declaration of single status and the intended location and date of the Dominican Republic ceremony should also be included.

No U.S. government agency issues this document. Couples draft it using a standard legal template and have it notarized by a commissioned U.S. notary public. It is then apostilled through the appropriate state authority before submission to the Dominican registry.

Where can I get this notarized?

The affidavit does not need to be executed on U.S. soil. Americans already in Punta Cana can have it notarized at the U.S. Embassy or consulate, where consular officers perform the notarization for citizens abroad.

If you choose this route, verify with the local civil registry or your coordinator that the consular format is accepted, as requirements can vary slightly by registry office.

When executed in the U.S. and apostilled, the document follows the standard accepted format for Dominican civil marriage applications, though if apostilled stateside, confirm with your registry office that no additional Dominican consular authentication is required before submission.

Timeline, submission windows, and arrival requirements

Starting the process 6 to 8 months out

The Dominican Republic civil registry requires original documents 30 days before the wedding date. That 30-day mark is the final cutoff, not the starting point.

Begin gathering documents six to eight months before the ceremony to give yourself enough runway for requesting long-form birth certificates from state vital records offices, processing apostilles, and commissioning certified Spanish translations through qualified Dominican translators.

Send document copies to your local wedding specialist or civil registry two to three months before the date for review.

If any documents are legalized by a Dominican consulate, they cannot be more than three months old at the time of submission. Plan that step close to your 30-day window.

Once the registry confirms everything is in order, originals are submitted within the final 30-day window.

Arrival and in-country requirements

Both partners must be present in the Dominican Republic at least three business days before the ceremony for the civil registry to review and approve the final paperwork.

Witnesses must be present at the ceremony itself with their ID or passport copies ready.

Couples who book with Batú receive a coordinated document submission timeline as part of their onboarding, with each deadline mapped out and local contacts established from day one, so the 30-day cutoff is never a surprise.

What to do with your marriage certificate once you’re back in the U.S.

Getting the official Dominican marriage record

After the civil ceremony, the document you need is the Acta Inextensa de Matrimonio, the full marriage record issued by the local civil registry.

This document must be legalized by both the Central Electoral Board and the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs before it carries legal weight outside the country.

The full legalization and mailing process can take up to 15 weeks, so request it immediately after the ceremony rather than waiting until you're back home and in the middle of a name change or benefits update.

Steps to have the marriage recognized in the United States

The U.S. does not have a federal registration process for marriages performed abroad. Recognition is handled at the state level, and the steps are manageable once you have the right documents in hand.

Obtain a certified copy of the Acta Inextensa with both the JCE and Ministry of Foreign Affairs seals.
Have it translated into English by a certified translator
Present it to your state's vital records office, or use it directly with institutions like Social Security, the DMV, or for a legal name change.

A legal civil marriage in the Dominican Republic is fully valid in the United States when properly documented.

The paperwork step is the one most couples underestimate. Starting the legalization process before your flight home makes the transition far smoother than chasing a document from three time zones away.

You don't have to figure this out by yourself.

Now that you know what documents Americans need to legally get married in the Dominican Republic, the path forward is clear: passport, long-form birth certificate, single-status affidavit for Dominican Republic marriage, and divorce or death records if applicable.

Every document except the passport requires an apostille, a certified Spanish translation by a locally registered Dominican translator, and proper submission timing. Give yourself six to eight months of runway so none of these steps become a crisis.

The legal aspects of a Punta Cana wedding only feel overwhelming when couples try to navigate them without guidance. Working with an experienced coordinator means you get a step-by-step document guide built into your planning process from the very first conversation.

At Batú, that coordination layer is part of every wedding package, deadlines are tracked, translations are coordinated, and registry submissions are confirmed so you're never left guessing at the 30-day mark.

For an overview of official requirements and procedures in-country, the Dominican-focused guide to marriage requirements can be a helpful supplementary reference: requirements to perform a civil or religious marriage in the Dominican Republic.

The ceremony by the lake, the dinner, the first dance. That’s what your energy should go toward.

Reach out to the Batú coordination team to start your planning onboarding and receive your personalized document checklist for a legal Dominican Republic civil marriage.