Wedding Abroad RulesNot legal advice. Marriage rules change and local offices interpret them differently. Confirm every requirement with the civil registry or embassy before you book or pay. Disclaimer
Legal for visitors?Yes
Wait / residencyNot confirmed
Government feeNot confirmed
Same-sexLegal marriage
5 of 10 facts read on an official page; 4 not confirmed. Badges show the source level of each fact.
Where couples get confused
Aruba became one of the only Caribbean islands where same-sex couples can legally marry (2024).
The rules
- Legal ceremony for visitorsOfficial ✓
- yesDutch-law system: only civil marriage by the civil registrar is legal; religious ceremony may follow.
- Residency or waiting timeNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassyOur unconfirmed note: Aruba opened marriage to non-residents in 2001 per widely reported info; censo.aw blocked our fetch
- Required documentsOfficial ✓
- Written request to the civil registrar signed by both; passport copies; birth certificates issued <6 months before the wedding with apostille; proof of single status; divorce/death papers; parents' names/birth data; professions.
- Apostille / translationOfficial ✓
- Yes - apostille on birth certificates; documents not in Dutch/English must be translated into Dutch
- Blood or medical testNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassy
- WitnessesNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassy
- Who officiatesOfficial ✓
- Civil registrar (ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand)
- Same-sex couplesOfficial ✓
- Legal since 12 July 2024 (Dutch Supreme Court upheld ruling opening marriage in Aruba and Curacao).
- Recognized in the US, Canada, UKSnippet / semi-official
- US: generally valid if valid where performed; confirm with your state Attorney General (State Dept). Canada: usually valid if legal where performed, no need to register (travel.gc.ca). UK: no general statement found on gov.uk - unverified.
- Government feeNot confirmed
- Not confirmed, check with the registry or embassy
⚠ Pitfalls and scams to watch
Spanish/French documents must be translated into Dutch, not English; birth certificate must be issued within 6 months.
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Sources
Quotes copied from official pages on 2026-10-21. Items marked as a snippet were seen in search results because the page blocked our checker.
- legalhttps://cw.usconsulate.gov/getting-married/
Dutch law only acknowledges civil marriages, performed by a registrar of marriages
- documentshttps://cw.usconsulate.gov/getting-married/
Certified copies of your birth certificates. (the issue date must be less than 6 months before date of marriage), along with an Apostille stamp on each
- samesexhttps://www.hogeraad.nl/actueel/nieuwsoverzicht/2024/juli/hoge-raad-beslissing-hof-aruba-curacao-huwelijk-open-stellen-personen/
De twee beslissingen ... om in Aruba en Curaçao het huwelijk open te stellen voor personen van gelijk geslacht, kunnen in stand blijven.
All sources consulted
- https://cw.usconsulate.gov/getting-married/
- https://www.hogeraad.nl/actueel/nieuwsoverzicht/2024/juli/hoge-raad-beslissing-hof-aruba-curacao-huwelijk-open-stellen-personen/
- https://www.censo.aw/main/huwelijk/
- https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/living-abroad/marriage.html
- https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/marriage-overseas
Last checked 2026-10-21. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].
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