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Legal Requirements

The following list of legal requirements are needed only for legal marriage. The resort Wedding Coordinator must receive the following documents to begin the application for marriage in the Civil Registry Office

  • Arrival to the hotel for the Bride(s), Groom(s) and four witnesses four business days before the wedding. (Saturdays and Sundays do not count)
  • Valid Passports of the Bride(s), Groom(s) and four witnesses (This is essential, otherwise the wedding cannot be performed)

Please bring these documents to the appointment with your wedding coordinator:

  • Copy of the Tourist Visa Card of the Bride(s), Groom(s) and four witnesses (This is given at the airport upon arrival to Cancun)
  • Blood tests that should be taken in Mexico; they are not valid if it is taken elsewhere. To be considered valid the test should not be taken more than 14 days prior to the ceremony. The blood will be tested for HIV, RPR (sexually transmitted diseases) and blood type. The results will be ready in 24 hours and it will be given to the wedding coordinator to complete the paperwork. Four witnesses that can sign the legal forms four days before the wedding and during the ceremony. If you don’t have the four witnesses arriving four days before the wedding, the resort will provide the witnesses Legal form completed with the names, addresses, nationalities, ages, occupation, relationship, for Bride(s) and Groom(s). These can be received from the wedding coordinator and sent one month prior the wedding date
  • Birth Certificate of the Bride(s) and Groom(s)*(optional-please see details below)
  • None of the above mentioned services are included in any of the Secrets Akumal Wedding Packages. The Marriage Certificate that you receive on the ceremony day by the JOP is only valid in Mexico. In order to make it legal internationally, the wedding coordinator will send a copy of your Marriage License to a Validation
  • Process in our Capital City in Chetumal. The process of Validation may take up to four months. Once Marriage License is validated with the “Apostille” Stamp and translated into English the Hotel will send it to your home address. Make sure that you bring all requirements listed above to the first meeting with the wedding coordinator when you arrive at the Resort (you and the coordinator will set up a time and place to meet). In case of previous divorce, you will need to bring the divorce decree, and this must be apostilled and translated prior to the arrival to the resort, please bring this document to the final appointment with your wedding coordinator. Additional fees apply for legal weddings
  • *Birth certificates for Bride(s) and Groom(s) are optional. It applies only if the Bride(s) and Groom(s) WANT the names of their parents to appear on the Marriage Certificate. If you decide to take this option the Birth certificate should be the one that has the names of the parents on it, also the translation in to Spanish required. This document must be translated in to Spanish and should be provided with “Apostille” stamp and it should be processed at hometown, service not available onsite. In case that the Birth Certificate of the Bride(s) and Groom(s) doesn´t have the “Apostille” stamp. Parent´s name will not appear on the Marriage certificate, the spaces for those names will be filled out