Two foreign nationals can marry in Cyprus, and for most couples the civil route is the practical one. You both apply in person to the Marriage Officer at a municipality, give notice, wait at least 15 clear days, then marry at the town hall or a licensed venue. The whole thing runs on one statute, the Marriage Law 104(I)/2003, and once the certificate is apostilled the marriage is recognised in the UK and across the EU. Couples in a genuine hurry can compress the wait to a few days by paying for the urgent procedure.
Who can marry here
You do not need to be a resident or a citizen. The Marriage Law 104(I)/2003 lets two people marry whatever their nationality, which is why Cyprus is a common destination wedding for British and other European couples. Both parties must be at least 18; the law allows a narrow exception for a 16- or 17-year-old with the consent of a parent or guardian, which rarely arises for couples travelling to marry. Neither of you can already be married. An existing marriage anywhere in the world is an absolute bar, and the notice you sign is a sworn statement that no such impediment exists.
The same law covers civil ceremonies conducted by a municipal Marriage Officer and religious ceremonies by clergy of recognised denominations, including the Church of Cyprus. A Greek Orthodox church wedding carries the same legal weight as a civil one, provided it follows the canons of the Church and is registered. Most foreign couples choose the civil route because it sidesteps the religious eligibility rules.
Giving notice to the Marriage Officer
You apply together, in person, to the Marriage Officer of whichever municipality you like. You are not tied to where you are staying, and the weddings offices in Larnaca, Paphos, Limassol and Nicosia are all used to foreign couples. You complete a joint Notice of Marriage, make a declaration on oath that there is no legal impediment, and hand over your documents.
That declaration is not a formality. Giving false information on the notice, or marrying while still married to someone else, is an offence.
The 15-day rule, and how to skip it
Under the standard procedure the marriage cannot take place until 15 clear days have passed from the notice, and it must happen within three months or the notice lapses. Plan to be in Cyprus for around three weeks if you run the whole thing from arrival to ceremony this way.
If you cannot spare the wait, the law provides a special, urgent procedure. You apply for a notice of special procedure, pay a higher fee, and the Marriage Officer can fix a date within a few working days. Couples who want to arrive, marry and leave inside a week generally use this. Everything else about the marriage is identical. You are paying to shorten the notice, nothing more.
The documents you need
Bring originals. Every municipality asks for broadly the same set:
- A valid passport for each of you.
- A full birth certificate.
- A certificate or sworn declaration that you are free to marry.
- If either of you is divorced, the decree absolute, meaning the final divorce order rather than the interim one.
- If either of you is widowed, the death certificate of the late spouse and the previous marriage certificate.
Two things trip people up. First, documents issued outside Cyprus usually need an apostille, the stamp under the 1961 Hague Convention that authenticates a public document for use in another member state. For UK papers that means an apostille from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office before you travel. Second, anything not already in Greek or English has to be officially translated. Sort both out at home, because you cannot fix a missing apostille from a counter in Paphos.
What it costs
Fees are set by each municipality and vary a little between them, but Limassol's published scale is representative for 2026:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard notice (15-day wait) | €128 |
| Special, urgent procedure | €282 |
| Certified copy of the marriage certificate | €14 each |
| Saturday or out-of-hours ceremony | +€130 |
Order at least two certified copies on the day. You will need them for changing names, spousal visas and updating records at home, and going back for more later is slower than paying €14 now.
Making the marriage count back home
A marriage validly registered in Cyprus is recognised in the UK and across the EU with no need to marry or re-register again. What you usually do need is an apostille on the Cyprus marriage certificate itself, so your home authorities accept it. In Cyprus that apostille comes from the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, and many couples arrange it through the municipality or a local lawyer before flying home. If you plan to use the certificate to change a surname, apply for a spouse's residence permit or update tax records, get it apostilled while you are still on the island.
Marriage also has consequences you will not see at the ceremony. It changes who inherits under Cyprus's forced-heirship rules if either of you owns property here, which is worth reading up on in our guide to Cyprus wills and inheritance. And if the wedding is part of a move rather than a holiday, a spouse's residence rights follow their own process, covered in moving to Cyprus from the UK.
Same-sex couples
Cyprus does not currently offer same-sex marriage. What it does offer is the civil cohabitation agreement under the Civil Cohabitation Law 184(I)/2015, open to same-sex and opposite-sex couples alike. A registered cohabitation carries almost the same legal effects as marriage, the main exception being joint adoption, and any reference to a "spouse" in Cypriot law is read as including a civil partner. You sign before the registrar in the district where one of you lives, or any district if neither of you is resident. Couples who want the full status of marriage, or recognition of an existing overseas same-sex marriage, should take advice, because that recognition can turn on the specifics of each case.
Planning a Cyprus wedding, or working out what marriage means for your property and residency? A family lawyer from the directory can check your documents before you travel, arrange the apostille, and advise on the civil cohabitation route where marriage is not available.