Planning Your Wedding

issue a Certificate indicating that all due diligence has been done, no caveats have been received, or if received, they have been resolved and the union may proceed on the date and time specified. If you are using a civil partnership officer, then that individual must obtain the Certificate through either the Registrar or a Civil Registrar.

For visitors wishing to form a civil partnership in the Cayman Islands, visit www.caymanresident.com/live/gettingmarried for information on additional steps that must be undertaken.

Same-sex couples who are already married or in a recognised civil partnership outside the Cayman Islands can apply to have their relationship registered here. They must provide to the Registrar, or a Civil Registrar, a certified copy of the relevant document, a statutory declaration, proof of identity, and the required fee. Once the marriage or civil partnership has been registered, the couple will receive a certificate to that effect. Contact the General Registry or a Civil Registrar for further guidance.

MARRYING IN CAYMAN

Planning Your Wedding Most residents get married on Saturdays, which means you should book early to secure the date with your wedding celebrant. You will have to have a preliminary interview with your wedding celebrant and complete a form called a ‘Notice of Marriage/Banns’, which is valid for three months. When you attend the interview, you will need to take your passports and proof of your immigration status (e.g. work permit, residency certificate, etc.), if applicable.

If you have been previously married, you will also need your original divorce decree or spouse’s death certificate. If the decree or certificate is in a language other than English, you will need an English translation certified by a Notary Public.

If a visitor is marrying a Caymanian, your wedding celebrant is required to ask you certain questions to make sure you are not entering into a marriage of convenience. A marriage of convenience is where the two parties enter into the marriage for the sole purpose of obtaining immigration rights as a spouse of a Caymanian. This is illegal in the Cayman Islands, as in most countries. Most marriage celebrants will charge a fee for the documentation, booking, preliminary interview, publishing the Banns, conducting the ceremony and filing your marriage with the appropriate government office. The average cost of this is CI$300 and some of this is nonrefundable. Ministers of Religion may or may not charge a fee if you are a member of their congregation and they may have other requirements according to the requirements of the church. All documents, including the Notice of Marriage, must be received and be in order before the wedding can take place.

The Department of Counselling Services (Tel: (345) 949 8789) offers pre-marital counselling and marriage counselling for couples. All services are provided

free of charge by the Cayman Islands Government and performed by qualified professionals.

Wedding Dresses Unfortunately, there is not a wide variety of traditional wedding dresses sold in the Cayman Islands. Therefore, your options are to purchase a dress while overseas and bring it in yourself or buy it online and have it imported.

When bringing it in yourself, if your dress exceeds the CI$500 allowance given to each returning resident when re-entering the Island, you will need to pay duty on the balance of the dress. If importing it, you will need to pay customs duty (22%) on the value of the dress.

Note that the duty does not apply to non-residents temporarily bringing in a dress to get married in Cayman.

Wedding Bands, Engagement Rings & Bridal Gifts When shopping for engagement rings,