Warning: super personal post alert! It’s been exactly one year since I eloped and got married in Gibraltar, so I thought on my first wedding anniversary I’d do a post all about it! Gibraltar is located on the very southern tip of Spain, and a United Kingdom territory. Gibraltar itself is worth visiting for a few days, if you’re in that area of Spain. And of course, the main thing to do is explore the Top of the Rock! Overall, it was really easy to get married there, and for anyone looking to elope in Europe, it’s a great option. I’m not an expert on this, so if you’re looking for the official civil marriage and civil partnership page for Gibraltar, it’s here.
EDIT: Unfortunately my marriage ended, in the most difficult and painful way possible, at the end of 2020. I loved my husband very much and I intended to be with him for the rest of my life. So many people have found this blog post and gotten married in Gibraltar, and I have been so honored to have helped so many others. I have decided to keep this post up, despite what has happened to me personally, in the hopes that whoever comes across it finds future happiness and joy. I have not edited the rest of the post, as it was real for me and despite the pain I do not want to erase or delete real memories. I am wishing all of you reading this a very bright future <3
Table of Contents
Why Gibraltar?
So many people have asked, “Why Gibraltar?” The question has a bit of a complicated answer: first of all, as an American I didn’t need a visa to get married there (and Adam was obviously fine as a UK citizen). Secondly, there are no residency requirements, so we didn’t have to live there in order to get married. Thirdly, as Gibraltar is a territory of the United Kingdom, the official language is English, so all of our documents would be in English (which is very important, as paying for translation of documents like a marriage certificate is very expensive). And finally, it would be nice sunny weather, and we could fly there for cheap from England!
The major detractor for pretty much every other European country was that the documents wouldn’t be in English, they would be in the official language of the country—which would mean very expensive (and possibly time-consuming) red tape getting the marriage documents translated to English. So in narrowing down the countries in Europe (where we’d be in the spring) that had English as the official language, it was pretty much either the UK or Ireland. Since to get married in Ireland you needed to be a resident (or to be in Ireland 90 days in advance, for them to read the marriage banns), it was pretty much the UK.
But the downsides to getting married in the UK would be that I would need to apply for a separate marriage visa in order to register a marriage in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. And since I knew I would be applying for a different partner/settlement visa for the UK, I didn’t want to worry about doing more paperwork in a quick time crunch.
The great news is that Gibraltar is the perfect place to elope—it’s part of the UK (so everything is in English), but Americans don’t need a visa to get married there! Other nationalities might need a visa though, so check the immigration requirements here (and potentially send an email).
What You Need To Get Married In Gibraltar
You will need several things in order to get married in Gibraltar: you’ll need your passport and birth certificate, and you’ll also need proof that you will be staying in Gibraltar for at least one night before or one night after the marriage ceremony (and all of these documents must be in English). While it’s cheaper to stay in the Spanish border town (La Linea de la Concepcion), you must stay overnight in Gibraltar in order to get married there. If you have been married before, or are a widow(er), you will need to provide additional documents. You will also need to be at the registry office in Gibraltar at least the day before the marriage ceremony before 10:30am in order to do some paperwork (more on that below), so make sure to take this into account when booking flights/accommodation.
You can get married at 12 approved venues (including several fancy hotels), or at the registry office, which is the most straightforward/cheapest option. Any ceremony that takes place outside of the registry office costs extra, as does any ceremony outside of the office working hours.
Making your booking is fairly easy! You will need to contact the registry office in Gibraltar during their opening hours to secure an appointment, either in person, or by phone, email, or mail. We made our booking just about 2 months ahead of our ceremony date, but it’s never too early to schedule something this important!
When you make your booking, you will need to send copies of your documents (passport and birth certificate, etc.) which can be done over email. However you book your hotel, make sure you have a document proving that you’ll be staying in Gibraltar overnight—you’ll need to send this in with your documents. You will also have to send payment for the ceremony. If making your booking over email, you’ll send off a payment form with debit/credit card details as well.
In terms of money involved, it’s actually quite cheap to get married in Gibraltar! If you are getting married in Gibraltar (and you aren’t a resident), you’ll only need to pay £67.50 for the special license for marriage, and £40 for the ceremony and registration (if done at the registry office)—which is only £107.50 (~ USD $132). This is the money you’ll send in advance.
One thing to be aware of is that you will need two witnesses at your marriage ceremony. They don’t need to be related to you, or each other, they just need to speak and understand English, be able to sign their names, and be over 18! Since Adam and I were eloping, we picked up Alan and Brenda (an older British couple) off the street for our witnesses—they were waiting outside the registry office the day before, Adam asked if they were busy the next day, and it turns out their friends were getting married immediately after us! So they kindly agreed to come half an hour early and witness our wedding. It was a bit stressful but everything worked out in the end for us. You can also pay for witnesses from the registry office, but it’s quite expensive. Best of luck if you need to find witnesses!
What To Do When You Arrive In Gibraltar
Once you get to Gibraltar, it is very important to get an official letter from your hotel/accommodation stating that you’re staying there, and the specific dates of your stay. This was no problem at all at the Bristol Hotel, where Adam and I stayed (and bonus points since it was 2 minutes away from the registry office!). You’ll need this letter when you do paperwork at the registry! If you don’t have witnesses, start asking as soon as possible. Depending on the length of your stay in Gibraltar, this might be very leisurely. Since Adam and I were only there for less than 4 days, we felt a bit rushed with the stress and red tape of it all.
It is very important to do your paperwork at the registry office before your marriage ceremony. You will need to do this at least before 10:30am the day before the ceremony, at the absolute latest. This worked fine for us, as we got to the registry office bright and early when they opened (the day before the ceremony). You’ll need to present your original documents (passport, birth certificate, hotel/accommodation letter, etc.), and to fill out and sign an affidavit (stating that you’re single and free to marry) before a Commissioner of Oaths/a notary. The notary typically charges a fee for their services, which I’m pretty sure was £20 or £30 for both Adam and I.
When you get this paperwork done, you can also order and pay for marriage certificates (which are £3.50 each, plus £5 postage if sent outside of Gibraltar). Adam and I ordered 3 certificates, just to be extra sure we’d have the paperwork and backups. If you want to use the marriage certificates outside of Gibraltar, the UK, or the United States, you should probably get an apostille on the marriage certificate (basically a fancy stamp or post-it on the certificate saying that it’s legit and can be used in other countries)—which costs £15 per certificate.
With all the paperwork done, all you need left to do is show up to the marriage ceremony and enjoy the fun stuff—getting married!
My Experience Getting Married In Gibraltar
In the year it’s been since I’ve gotten married, I’ve sometimes felt like I should regret mine and Adam’s decision to elope, to get married just us two, to not do the big fancy wedding.
But I’ve never actually regretted it.
Adam and I have never been a conventional couple. We did long distance for most of our relationship. We didn’t live in the same country, let alone the same state or city. We got together after traveling in Poland for a week, had our first date at Auschwitz, and said “I love you” for the first time the day before I left England at the end of my study abroad (when we didn’t know when—or if—we would ever see each other again). We missed birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Days, big life events, put up with so many shitty connections on Skype calls, and spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets to see one another when we could. So for me, it only made sense that our wedding would be unconventional as well.
There was no big proposal. We decided to get married over Skype. I wore a dress I bought at Primark for £5 (~$7). Our two random witnesses took all of our photos during the actual ceremony. We didn’t do rings. After we got married, we Skyped our families, then went to a bakery and bought a shit ton of cakes and pastries. We went to Catalan Beach and ate them all and drank champagne on the beach in the sun. For our wedding dinner, we went out to a great Indian restaurant and ate our body weight in curry.
For us, it just made sense. And in the last year looking back on it, I am so happy with the decision to elope. Neither of us wanted the big fuss. And our simple, non-traditional, European elopement was exactly perfect for us.
Adam and I have both been blessed with truly wonderful and supportive family members. We didn’t have the traditional type of wedding most people expect. And on top of that, we both wanted to keep it quiet for the first couple of months (until we were together in the same country for more than a few days at a time!), and we didn’t end up breaking the news about eloping—besides to immediate family—until August! Both of our families have been so great and welcoming and understanding in our decision to elope (and our decision to tell people in our own time) and do it “the Gib way.” A lot of them read this blog, so just saying it—we appreciate it SO much.
The great thing about marriage and getting married is that you get to do it however you want to!
Gibraltar was the perfect place to get married. It was easy to get married as a non-resident, all our documents were in English, and the weather was fantastic. I sincerely hope this post finds its way to people looking to elope, and proves useful. Best wishes to everyone!
Do you have a special wedding story? I’d love to hear about it! Share your experiences in the comments!
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Nice!
Thanks so much, Rick!
Oooooh my little Maja ~ WOW WOW WOW!!! Sending you and Adam lots of love and blessings, lots of patience and forgiveness with yourselves and each other and hopefully a visit to Minnesota at the same time so I can meet this wonderful man ~ who has married a wonder-filled woman!!!
Love you, honey
xxo
Maggie
Thank you so much, Maggie! I would so love for you to meet Adam someday–we’ll be in Minnesota this Christmas! Sending lots of love to you! 🙂 xoxo
Hi Maja,
Thanks for the blog, its very helpful and informative. Myself and my fiance are doing the same thing, she is form the USA and I am from the UK also!
We will be getting married in September and your blog has helped to ease the red tape fears …thank you!
I’m so glad you found it useful! Good luck with everything and best wishes for your wedding! 🙂
Hi Maja, we are planning to do exactly the same in September however I’m a bit anxious about booking hotel before confirming a wedding date with the registry office. What if they can’t do any of the dates we are there? Was this a problem for you or did they accommodate your proposed wedding date easily? ☺
Hi Emily,
To be on the safe side, I would recommend confirming your date with the registry office before you book a hotel. We booked our wedding two months in advance and they had no problem fitting us in–so I’m guessing if you’re planning this far in advance, you’ll be just fine! 🙂 You will need to book your hotel immediately after you get a date set, since to confirm with the registry office you need proof that you’ll be staying in Gibraltar. Let me know if you have any other questions, and best wishes!
Ohhh ok fab. I kind of got the impression they wouldn’t give me a date until I proved I was staying there. Thanks for your advice. Great blog, and love the “being married rocks” photo! Oh and happy one year anniversary! ☺ xx
Thanks you! Congrats and good luck! 🙂
My fiance and I are getting married in Gibraltar in 2 months, and needed a translator for my Quebec (Canada) birth certificate, which is in French. The translator needs to be a certified EU translator recognised by the Gibraltar registry office, so we requested a list of acceptable candidates from the registry clerk. from the list, we chose Maricela Hook. Her rate was 45 GBP, and she dropped off the hard copy to the registry office for us so that we could confirm our booking. We pay her when we arrive in Gibraltar. She was quick to email back and the translation was done in under a week. She can be reached by email at mj.hook@hotmail.com
Good to know! Thanks for the info.
My husband and I eloped in Gibraltar earlier this year as well! We don’t regret a thing! Did eloping affect you UK spouse visa application?
Congrats Kyra, that’s great!! 🙂 I didn’t have any problems with my UK spouse/partner visa application with eloping. My marriage certificate from Gibraltar was just fine!
Congratulations! Such a beautiful pictures! You can see and feel the love! Thank you for sharing it!
Aww thank you Pedro, that is so kind of you!
Hiii! Congrats you guys are super cute! My boyfriend is Italian and im American and we just looked into getting married in Gibraltar! Its a bit hard to get direct information from the office about not having witnesses but reading this made me feel so much better and like its possible! Did you need to get an Apostille for your American birth certificate or was the US sign and seal recognized? Thanks so much<3 xo
Hi Amanda! Yes, getting information by email from the registry office can be difficult…. I know that feeling. I did not need an apostille for my (American) birth certificate! Glad this post helped 🙂 Congratulations and best wishes to you!
I am currently 18 and doing long distance with my boyfriend right now and we are going to get engaged in June and are planning to get married in Gibraltar and this was so useful and so adorable and it is the middle of the night and I am BALLING I can’t wait to get married <3
Awww very exciting, congrats to you! Glad you found the post useful and best wishes for the future 🙂
I am a USA citizen who wants to marry a UK citizen. I see all the steps you have to take (thanks for the information) but were you allowed to go to the UK to live after the wedding? or did you have to wait in the US for a marriage VISA to be approved?
Hi Katrina, I had to go back to the US after we got married, and apply for my family/spouse visa from there. You are not able to apply to “join family living in the UK” (aka get a family/spouse visa) if you are in the UK. Hope this helps! If you want more info on the visa, I wrote a whole post on that: How To Get A UK Partner Visa
Hi Maja! Beautiful article. I’m also a US citizen and my fiancé is British citizen. We are planning to get married in Gibraltar in March and do the reception in UK in July. I have no plans of living in the UK just as yet, the reception is for formality for our friends and family to celebrate our marriage life. Do you think it will be a problem entering the UK as a tourist since I’d be married to him before I enter UK?
Hi Ana! It shouldn’t be an issue entering the UK as a tourist after you’re married, as long as you have no formal plans to live there. However, MAKE SURE you have proof that you’ll be leaving the UK when you arrive to the UK and go through immigration (ex. flight confirmations), and have a hard copy printed out, don’t rely on a phone or computer. I almost got denied entry to the UK when I came back from getting married in Gibraltar because I didn’t have any evidence that I would be leaving – completely my fault and a huge overlook on my part! So as long as you have proof that you’ll be leaving, there shouldn’t be any issues. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and wishing you two the best! 🙂
This is really helpful! Thanks so much! xxx
Hi Maja! Thank you for sharing your story, it’s beautiful and very helpful! Me and my boyfriend wants to get married in order to be able to live together, be together. This sounds like an amazing idea!
However, I have a question and please if you can help me, let me know. After getting married in Gibraltar, did you had to go back to your Country US and then apply for the spouse visa to stay with your husband, or you applied within? I believe I will have to go to my country, apply and then join my boyfriend, as I do want to stay and live together, but also be able to work/study in UK. Do you know anything about this??? Thanks in advance and your post was very helpful. xxx
Hi JP, just replied to your email! But to anyone else reading, yes I had to go back to my home country (the US) and apply for my spouse/partner visa there. Hope this helps! 🙂
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Hi Maja ,
thanks for sharing your story, do you know if a certified copy of a usa birth certificate is acceptable to produce in gibraltar to get married? thanks!
I’m not sure if they’ll accept a certified copy of a US birth certificate. If I remember correctly, I brought my original US birth certificate. I’d send the registry office an email and specifically ask if you can use a certified copy! Best wishes to you 🙂
Hi Maja,
great and very informative post! I would like to ask you just about the affidavits.
Could you plese explain what are the necessary affidavits and how the process of doing the affidavits looks like? Do you need any other documents to do affidavits and to apply for the Special licence? How do you apply for the Special licence? Can you do the affidavits at the same attendance at the registration office the day before the wedding?
Thank you so much for your answer.
Hi, the affidavits was a super quick process as neither of us had been married before – we just signed a paper in front of a notary. Both the affidavits and the license were done at the registration office when we did our paperwork the day before we got married – just keep in mind you will need to do this by 11am the day before you get married (you can do it earlier if you’re around as well). Hope this helps! 🙂
Hey thank you so much for writing this blog its been so helpful. Me and my fiance are looking to get married in the next 6 weeks. How soon did you hear back from the registry office after you sent them your documents? Do you think 6 weeks is enough time?
Hi Luke, thanks for reading and glad you found the post useful! Have you made an appointment with the registry office yet? We had 8 weeks between when we called and made the appointment and when we got married. But we did elope and so didn’t need to plan out anything else besides flights and the appointment to actually get married at the registry office!
Hi Maja, thank you so much for getting back to me. We sent in our application to the registry office, but haven’t received any reply yet. How long did you need to wait to get a confirmation from them? Hopefully it’s enough time, we may need to pay extra for outside venue if registry office is booked up.
We actually sent ours in during the awkward period between Christmas and New Year’s (when I think they were shut) – so we ended up calling them to confirm our appointment time over the phone. I would give them a quick call if you can, it sucks paying for an international phone call but hopefully you’ll get some answers faster that way! 🙂
Hi Maja,
Great information. Can I asked if you were asked for a “Certificate of No Impediment” that some of the web sites mention? I’m an Aussie and my partner is from Czech and we want to get married in Gibraltar before I have to go home in a month. Do you think we can manage it in that time frame?
Hi Annie, neither myself or my husband had been married before, so we just signed (and paid) the notary and I think that was what counted for our certificate of no impediment. In terms of time frame, we had about 2 months from starting the process to the day we got married. If you can be slightly flexible with dates and not stressed about paying a bit more for last minute flights, you should be fine. But I’d recommend calling the registry direct to get an appointment, as opposed to waiting for an email back. Let me know if you have any more questions and a big congrats to you 🙂
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Hi Maja, congrats (although been some time already)!!
I am also planning it the GIB way too, were you required to submit the CNI Certificate of No Impediment issued from your home country?
Thank you!
Candy
Hi Candy,
Thanks very much, and good luck with Gib! I didn’t need to submit a certificate of no impediment as I’d never been married before. What I signed with the notary was valid for us 🙂 best wishes to you!
Hi Maja,
Congrats although I know its been a while. My fiancee and I are thinking about doing this since my parents live in spain and we’re actually going to see them with his mum soon. Financially it’d be much easier to do this and then do a religious ceremony with extended family later we think.
Just a couple of questions, how long did the process take? What documents did you need? And possibly the most important to us is where are you living now? Did eloping cause any issues getting your visa? Were kind of worried about that since we want to live in the UK after and we don’t want the elopement to stand against us in getting his visa to live here.
Thank you for the super informative post! You might have just made our lives and marriage a lot easier to plan and a lot less stressful!
Kind Regards,
Annmarie
Hi Annmarie, thanks so much for reading! I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 the whole process took me just about 2 months. We made our booking at the beginning of January (2016) and got married on 10 March. We needed our birth certificates and passports), and a letter from our hotel confirming that we were staying in Gibraltar (you must stay in Gibraltar itself for at least 1 night before or 1 night after the ceremony). Neither of us had been married before, but if you have you might need more documents.
I currently live in the UK – after we got married, we traveled a bit, then I went back to the US to apply for my visa to move to the UK (you can’t apply for this visa in the UK if you’re there as a tourist). Eloping had no effect on our application – as long as you are in fact married, and in a genuine committed relationship, it won’t matter what kind of wedding you had. You will still need to back this up with lots of documents and paperwork.
I hope this helps – best wishes for the future! Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Hi Maja.
First of all I want to thank you for writing this post! I know it’s been a while but it helped me loads through my process of getting all the documents together for the wedding and just the process in general.
I just got an email back from the registry office saying :
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your email. please confirm that either have not been married before and you have all the original documents.
Regards
Does this mean I need to get a certificate of no impediment or that I just simply have to tell them that neither of us have been married before?
Thank you and wishing you all the best 🙂
Hi Ana, thanks so much for reading! Neither of us had been married before, and we just told them that neither of us had been married before. If you have been married before, they would ask for divorce/death certificates etc. I would assume that original documents mean your birth certificate and passport, but you can email them back and ask for clarification. We confirmed to the notary that neither of us had been married before and that was our ‘no impediment’ sorted. Don’t forget you’ll need a letter from your hotel in Gibraltar confirming that you are in fact staying there! Good luck and best wishes for the future! 🙂
Hi Maja, thanks so much for ur earlier reply. My email didn’t notify me so I couldn’t thank you in time. Apologies!
I studied the app form and already collecting documents (exciting). Could you let me know how you arranged the Notary? For signing an affidavit? Can I get the Registry to arrange for me? Are witnesses required when you sign an affidavit or just required on the day of registration?
Very likely I’d need an apostille to the certificates, do I only request on the day I complete the paperwork? Or do I inform them as they confirm my booking?
Thanks so much again, I hope you are enjoying your new life in London. My partner is from London too, so hopefully I can move over soon!
Best,
Candy
Hi Candy, no worries! For the notary, we literally just showed up at the registry office, paid the notary, and signed something for her. We didn’t need witnesses when we signed the affidavit with the notary, we just needed them at the actual ceremony.
I would check with the registry office about an apostille – my guess is that you wouldn’t need to do it so far in advance and you’ll just pay for it on the day when you pay for the marriage certificates. But I’m not sure.
Thanks very much! I actually live in York, not London. But I really appreciate it and wish you the best! 🙂
Thanks Maja! York is wonderful and only 20mins to Leeds. I absolutely adore that Castle!
Loves,
Candy xoxo
This is so amazing!! My partner and I are trying to get married there soon and this was extremely helpful. 💜 thanks so much!
Hi Carla, thanks so much for reading! Best wishes for the future! 🙂
Hello Maja! Congratulations and thanks very much for your post, it’s more than helpful!.
Here an Italian guy about to marry a Taiwanese in Gibraltar, hopefully on December ( just sent the email to the office). We are living in Ireland at the moment.
I have some doubts and maybe you can help us with it.
First of all, when you said you sent on the email a letter from the hotel as proof of stay, you mean after getting a confirmation date for the civil ceremony right? Cause in other hand, we’ll be forced to book a hotel without yet knowing the available date to get married.
On the other hand, as I marry as Italian outside of my country of residence, do I need to register my marriage on an Italian consul in Gibraltar straight away after married? Or there’s no need to register my marriage? Not sure how does it work. As soon as we can keep living in Europe together we’re more than happy.
Thanks very much in advance for any info.
Hi Juan, thanks for reading and congratulations! Once we had our date confirmed with the office in Gibraltar, we booked our flights/accommodation. Then to finalize it we sent over the confirmation of our stay in Gibraltar – so as far as I’m aware you don’t need to book a hotel before you get a date confirmed!
In terms of registering your marriage with Italy… I honestly don’t know. I know that if you will be using the marriage certificates outside of Gibraltar, the UK, or the US (which I assume you’ll be doing at some point), you will need to have an apostille for the marriage certificate. It is basically a fancy post-it note that will be on the certificate that validates it authenticity to be used in any country. It costs extra than just the normal marriage certificate. Besides that, unfortunately I really don’t know.
Best wishes to you both for the future! 🙂
Hi, when you “sign an affidavit (stating that you’re single and free to marry) before a Commissioner of Oaths/a notary,” did you need to provide any proof of being single or do they take your word for it? Also, is birth certificate absolutely required? Thanks!
Hi Ming, when I signed the affidavit with the notary we didn’t need to provide proof of being single as neither of us had been married before (if we had have been married, we would have needed to give them proof of it ending, like a divorce certificate or death certificate). Your birth certificate is required and you will need to provide the original when you do paperwork in person. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hello Maja! first of all congrats about your wedding, and thanks very much to share your experience and info!
I’m Argentinian, with Italian passport. Been traveling around the globe for the last 5 years. On the way, I met Ellie, my Taiwanese girlfriend.
We in Ireland at the moment, but not for too long, and planning to get married in Gibraltar, hopefully beginning of December! So we are kind of trying to make everything as organized as possible.
We are a bit worried in the first place, as we sent our email with all the documents and info 2 weeks ago and the situation turned kind of weird. We asked for the 4th of December date for ceremony at the Registry office. At first they said that the date was not possible, but could be the 1rst of December instead (Which is Sunday, so I guess they made a mistake). So after we made them realize that they must be wrong, they told us the 4th is fine. Now they haven’t replied since, or charged the fees into the credit card. We also called and they just said that all emails will be processed and replied in a few days…so fingers crossed, as we still need to book for flights and hotels (not getting any cheaper).
On the other hand, I couldn’t find much information online about registering the marriage. Just one EU page saying that if I get married outside my place of residence I should register it at the place I do the actual wedding. Called the only Italian consulate in Gibraltar and they said I shouldn’t ask or register it there. So we find ourselves without knowing how to proceed with it or if its actually necessary.
We are worried that without this marriage registration Ellie wont be able to keep traveling with me around EU. Do you know if with the apostilled marriage certificate is enough for her to travel,live and work in any country of the EU with me without any problem? or will we need further documentation?
Any help, advice or info would be more much appreciated.
Thanks for reading!
Hi Juan, thanks for reading and congratulations! Unfortunately I really don’t think I have any information that might be able to help you. In terms of the registry office, my only advice is to call and check up regularly on the status of it.
In terms of registering your marriage in Italy, I really don’t know how to do that or have any other information for you, besides that to have your marriage certificate be accepted as valid in Italy you will need an apostille on the certificate. Every country is different but I believe she will need to get some sort of residency visa for Italy to be able to live/work in Italy. For example, I am married to a Brit but I still needed to apply for a spouse visa in order to live in the UK with him. The process will be different for every country I’m sure, but I don’t believe a marriage certificate alone will qualify her for residency. But then again, Italy is different and they might have different rules 🙂 Best wishes to the both of you!
Sorry I thought that the previous message was not sent, and just realized it did haha.
Thanks very for your reply! hopefully we can live, travel and stick toguether with the apostille certificate =)
Dear Maja,
My name is Jane, an Indonesian who will marry a Norwegian in Gibraltar. First thing first congratulation for your marriage. I have so much relief after reading your web page as not so much information I can gather from the emails. I have a question regarding residence documentation. Since he is being a vagabonde, he doesnt really have residence documentation other than his pasport and working visa. Do you think they will question the residence documentation? And did you provide residence documentation such as resident permit when you get married? Thanks in advance.
Hi Jane, first of all congratulations! In regards to residence documentation, I’m afraid I really don’t know. We didn’t need any proof of residency – we just needed to put down our addresses on our marriage certificate (I was living in the US and he was living in the UK at the time). I would maybe try to email the registry office the question and see if they can give you confirmation if you’d need something either way! Good luck and best wishes for the future! 🙂
Very nice! Your post just helped me decide 😊.
Wishing you and Adam a blissfully happy life together.
Hi Yinka, thanks so much for reading! Hope you found the post useful. Best wishes to you in the future! 🙂
Hi,
Has anyone had any issues regarding to birth certificates? My partner only has certified true copy (US), issued when his birth was registered. It seems like we are only able to request true copies of the birth certificate, not the original certificate itself.
Hi, I’m not sure regarding having a certified true copy vs. the original birth certificate. I’d like to think that if you can’t obtain the original birth certificate, you could use a certified true copy, but I’m not sure. I’d email the registry office and ask them about it, and see what they say so you have confirmation! 🙂
Hello Maja! Thanks very much again for your help to everyone. we have almost everything sorted to get married in Gibraltar. I just have a question regarding to the visas, as my girlfriend is Taiwanese. I read in one of your previous posts that you had to go back home to the US to aply for a visa for UK. We also plan to move to UK next, so my question is What kind of visa did you apply? is it for being resident in UK? We thought that by the fact of being married we could just go straight to UK and apply for her resident visa as I´m EU resident. Which is the visa she cant apply from the UK? Why did you have to do it back home? Thanks very much again!! Juan and Ellie
Hi Juan, I applied for a spouse visa (also called a family visa) to live in the UK with my husband, who is British. This visa allows me to live in the UK for 2.5 years, and I renewed it last year for another 2.5 years. After 5 years in the UK, I can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (permanent residency). I had to go back to the US to apply for my spouse visa, as you can’t apply for this in the UK if you are there visiting on a tourist visa. I am not sure if this is different with you being an EU citizen living in the UK vs a British citizen. I would highly recommend speaking to a lawyer about this (start with Citizens Advice Bureau if you’re in the UK, it’s free) if you can as things may have changed with Brexit etc after 31 January which affect your status in the UK, which in theory will affect hers as well. Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but good luck to both of you! 🙂
Hello
How long did it take for you to receive the marriage certificates after the wedding?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Sam, to be honest I can’t really remember as it was over 4 years ago – and we actually had a huge issue with the marriage certificates! We weren’t there when they arrived (we were on our honeymoon of sorts), and by the time we got back 5 weeks later, they had actually been sent from our post office back to the sender (Gibraltar). So my guess is it took about 1-2 weeks for them to arrive but I’m not totally sure. Sorry but I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Maja. Great blog, inspirational and spontaneous. I am planning to marry my Mexican girlfriend in Gibraltar within the next 2 weeks (we hope) as her UK visa will expire by then. We are currently getting her birth certificate with translation sent over from Mexico. So i wanted to know how much time is needed to arrange a marriage in Gibraltar from your experience? I know you were planning it for 2 months but how quick were the responses for any questions etc you had at the time? Did it feel like it could have been arranged smoothly if you had not much time? As there is not as much time for us i have investigated some wedding planners but the cost is obviously so much more that what it is to do it your self. Many thanks in advance for your time.
Hi Luke, congrats to you! You probably plan it with a shorter timeframe than 2 months but to be honest I’m not sure if you could pull it off in 2 weeks. You’ll need to get all your documents (it could take weeks for international mail with the pandemic situation alone!), confirm an appt time, book flights/hotel, etc. Maybe you could pull it off but it’s an extremely short timeframe if you don’t have all the documents physically with you, and need to book flights/hotel which with the pandemic could be more difficult. However, someone emailed me about getting married in Gibraltar on 2 July and just got married less than 3 weeks later! Either way, good luck to you and best wishes 🙂
Thanks for your response Maja.
It seems difficult to receive email response from the Gibraltar registry office and no one is answering the phone the past few days haha.
Another question was if you had issues when returning to UK soil after the marriage…like did customs here ask what you did in Gibraltar and if you got married ?
Many Thanks
Luke
Based on the comments over the last few years on this post, unfortunately I think very slow responses from the registry office is normal…! I flew to Gibraltar, got married, and then I came back to the UK for a week before we left traveling around Europe for a month or so. I was actually almost denied entry to the UK when we came back after getting married – coming to the UK to visit my “husband” was much different than visiting my “boyfriend.” I didn’t have any physical proof (printed copies of flights etc) to prove that I would actually be leaving the country in the next week. Wifi wasn’t working at this part of the airport, couldn’t pull up any emails… thankfully I’m sure in part to my American privilege, he let me in. However, as long as you have proof (print out copies!) that they will be leaving the UK you should be fine. 🙂
Also, keep in mind if your end goal is for your partner to live with you in the UK on a spouse visa, they cannot apply for this visa if they are in the UK on a tourist visa – they have to leave and apply for a spouse visa.
Ok thanks for the tips we will print off all that info and more. Yeah we know the spouse visa has to be applied for from Mexico thanks.
When you returned to the UK from Gibraltar did immigration ask you if had just got married ? Ive heard that is the reason that they sometimes don’t let people to re-enter.
No when I entered the UK from Gibraltar they asked what I was doing in the UK, and I just said I was on holiday and visiting my husband. As soon as I said husband, they asked how long I’d be there and kind of what our plan was – as I said I didn’t have anything printed off to prove I was leaving a week later! Be confident, make sure to have a plan for when she’ll be leaving within the timeframe of her visa, and have proof of it like flight confirmations etc. 🙂
Hello Maja,
I’ve been using your blog as a huge help this entire process (way better than the huge document Gibraltar has on their website). Do you know if official letters of accommodation from Airbnb hosts are accepted? Best wishes and hope you and your family are well during these strange times!
-Kamille
Hi Kamille, so glad you have found the post useful! The Gibraltar government website gives this guidance on accommodation:
“The Registrar will accept any of the evidence listed below:
-Gibraltar hotel bill covering the night before or the night after the ceremony;
-A Gibraltar hotel booking form confirming that the night of the ceremony is paid for;
-A statement by a resident of Gibraltar confirming that the parties spent the night before the ceremony, or will spend the night of the ceremony, as their guest at the relevant address (which must be specified); or
-Another form of proof that the parties were or will be in Gibraltar on the night before or the night of the ceremony, to the satisfaction of the Registrar”
I assume that as long as your Airbnb host is a resident of Gibraltar, willing to provide a letter, and the Airbnb is located in Gibraltar, it should be okay 🙂 I would maybe suggest emailing the Registry office to double check, but based on what they say it sounds good! Good luck and best wishes to you!! 🙂
How did y’all give notice to marry? My partner and I are looking to do this in a couple months however can’t find anything online about giving notice 😓
Hi Rebecca, we did not give any notice to get married in Gibraltar. We simply booked the appointment with the registry office. Hope this helps!
[…] life. We were together for 6.5 years, married for 4.5 years, and living together for 4 years. We eloped in Gibraltar, and I’ve spent thousands on visa fees to live with him in the UK. I have shared so much of our […]
Hi,
Can you tell me if you have since applied to stay in the uk as Adam’s wife or if he has applied to stay in America as your husband?
My fiancée and I have had the same type of distant relationship as you two.
We have spent the last 5 years staying approx 3 months at a time in various countries (sometimes with me visiting her and sometimes not) then the next three months she has been in the UK with me.
We have done this because we didn’t want to break immigration rules and have it affect us adversely.
However once we are married we want her to be able to stay here and travel freely.
The normal route would be to apply for a fiancée visa for her to come and get married in the uk but we don’t really want to get married here. We would sooner get married somewhere else first then make application for a spousal visa.
Best Regards
Gary
Hi, yes I applied for a UK spouse visa and was approved for it (probably pretty outdated as it was almost 5 years ago: https://www.awaywithmaja.com/how-to-get-a-uk-partner-visa/) and then renewed it in 2019 (https://www.awaywithmaja.com/complete-guide-applying-renew-uk-spouse-visa/). I hope this helps, good luck! 🙂
Hi,
Have you since made a spousal visa application in the uk and if so did it cause any problems that you got married in Gibraltar which is still technically the UK.
Best Regards
Gary
Hi Gary,
We are in the same situation, me from Hong Kong and my fiance is from the UK. We don’t want to get married in the UK and am looking for a third country/place amid the pandemic. We want to get it done in Gibraltar and my question is same as yours. Gribaltar is technically part of UK (overseas though), so I am wondering if we need a UK fiance visa before we can get married in Gibraltar? Or we don’t ? We plan to apply for Spouse Visa and so I can settle in UK permanently to live with my partner after marriage.
So, did you get to register your marriage in Gibraltar or did you choose somewhere else? How’s everything going? Finding a place to get marriage is no easy task during the pandemic.
cheers
Kathy
Hi Maja,
I am a Hong Kong passport holder, and my Fiance is a UK national with UK passport. We would like to go to Gibraltar to register our marriage and then we will apply for UK Spouse settlement visa and move to live in the UK.
To my understanding, Gibraltar is a UK overseas territory, so I would like to know if I need to apply for a UK Fiance visa (a type of UK settlement visa) before we can legally register our marriage in Gibraltar? As far as I know, a fiancé visa is a must for any overseas nationals and a UK nation who want to register their marriage within the UK territory, and I am not sure if this apply to Gibraltar too? I am worried that if Home office later will challenge why we didnt apply for the UK Fiance visa given the fact that Gibraltar if part of UK (overseas though)
Did you apply for the UK Fiance visa before getting married in Gibraltar? or you just follow the Gibraltart local regulations and that’s all?
I emailed to Gibraltar visa office but they havent replied to my question…
Thanks a lot in advance.
Hi Kathy, thanks for reading. I would wait to hear back from the Gibraltar registry/visa office for confirmation, but I do not believe you need a UK Fiance Visa in order to get married in Gibraltar as it’s an overseas territory. I can’t advise on your nationality, but as an American citizen I did not apply for a UK Fiance or UK Marriage Visa, after we got married I went back to the US and applied for a UK partner/spouse (family) visa from there which had no issues with a Gibraltar marriage certificate. However I would confirm this with an official advisor in Gibraltar beforehand as I can’t offer legal advice! Good luck and best wishes to you! 🙂
Hello Maja. Started reading your blog. In shock. Please tell me what happened. Considering Gibraltar for a spring elopement.
Hi, thank you for reading and for your comment, however I do not share all personal details of my life publicly. You can read more here: https://www.awaywithmaja.com/surviving-end-of-2020/
Gibraltar was a wonderful place to get married and in spite of what’s happened, I do still have meaningful memories from there. Best wishes to you.
I’m a wedding photographer from Gibraltar. This is my instagram account https://www.instagram.com/alastair_sanchez_photo_video/
Also have a car and can drive you around Gibraltar even up the rock to photograph you both in the best Locations.
Also if you looking for a witness i can do that too.
Send me a message on Instagram and any questions you may have.
Thanks
Thanks for reading and sharing those details! Hope some may find use for them 🙂
[…] of this decline is because I am losing traffic on some of my best-performing posts: posts like my Gibraltar marriage post and my visa renewal post that can’t be updated as I simply don’t have new/up-to-date […]
Thankyou so much for writing this! i am very sorry to hear about your sad news.
I appreciate you leaving this blog available 🙂
Can I ask, I have read somewhere that when marrying in Gibralter you cant immediatly take your husbands name and would need to apply via deed pol. Is this true?
Thanks again
Hi Lu, thanks for your comment! I didn’t change my name when I got married so I can’t offer any information on that, in Gibraltar or elsewhere. All the best 🙂