What are the requirements for getting married in Bolivia?

Hi I met a fantastic person who I fell deeply in love with and we want to get married in his country = Bolivia. He is an Bolivian citizen but is currently in America, and we both decided that we want to move to Bolivia and start our life there. I am a Danish citizen and would like to know what I should/ can do to marry him and stay with him in Bolivia.

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What are the requirements for getting married in Bolivia?

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Jun 24, 2012
 getting married too
by: bill

i plan on marrying in bolivia with an cochabamba woman, who has my 1year old daughter, and immigrate to canada for two yearsa and then come back to bolivia to work . at this point i think cheaper for me to fly every month to bolivia and work in canada until the visas can come through . getting married seems interesting process and just going through it myself.
May 29, 2012
 fiance invitation letter
by: Karla

Hi Alison,

I have a questions as well. My fiance, who is Bolivian, and I are hoping to get married in about a year, so I'm starting to get my papers together and everything (I'm a US citizen). I was looking at the requirements for a specific purpose visa and it says I need my fiance to write a letter inviting me to marry him in his country. What would this look like? Is he writing the letter to me and I make a copy of it for the application? Or is he writing the letter to the consulate stating that he would like me to come and marry him there? Thanks for your help!
May 05, 2012
 :-(
by: James

We gave up - as the certificate of non impediment marriage takes more than 3 weeks to get! To get this legalised and translated and then tomhv to send it back to Bolivia just doesn't even leave enough time

So frustrated with all the beaurcracy with just getting married in Bolivia - it's not as if I wanted to even live there and I was only going for 9 days!

We are going to apply for the uk fiancé visa here with a view to my fiancé living here with me - and hope that we get it - even though I have no savings ( spent all momey on going to bolivia and back 4 times ) and my salary isn't the best AT ALL!

James
May 03, 2012
 embassy problems
by: James

Well what a nightmare ... After a 600 mile coach and train journey I was turned away from the Bolivian embassy in London for not having the right documents.

It was my part in fault, as I had a statutory declaration and NOT the cert of non-impediment to marriage - as I thought this was the same thing and was advised this by my solicitor.

My flight is booked for the 31st - but I know that I will have to get the cert of non-impediment to marriage , translate it , legalise it and then wait for all my documents to be processed by the embassy and get them all sent to my amorcito in Bolivia to show the registry office 10 days before our wedding - plus there is a bank holiday in the middle of all this!

She also told me that my change of name deed was not valid (even though it was done by a solicitor and it has been translated by a certified company and legalised by the fco. She told me that I have to have an official document from deed poll (when I called them they told me that they don't keep records of this before 2000 so it's impossible to get this) She then told me that because my name was not actually changed but that I'd dropped Arthur from my name (name was Arthur James Connor before 1992 - but now is just James Connor ) she told me that I might be able to get away with it.

I'm so confused and stressed and cant get this document from deed poll but then she told me it might be ok!?

I might be screwed because I am really pushing getting the cert of non-impediment to marriage mi amor on time to show the registry office in bolivia

I was so stressed at the interview at the embassy that I forgor to ask more questions and when I went back they wouldn't talk to me saying that they were taking afternoon sessions - also they wouldn't answer the phone to me - now I am on my way back to my home town 250 miles away very stressed and hurt with the whole situation - plz advise!
Apr 30, 2012
 FAO:- James from the UK
by: Alison D

hi James

If it is any consolation at all, I found the whole visa/ getting married in a foreign country issue THE most stressful thing I have ever done.

Firstly, is this whole increase in income requirement for a UK spouse visa actually law? I can't find any reports anywhere of this being passed by parliament and quite a few reports suggesting that they weren't likely to be able to get it through (as the Tories don't have a majority). [I am interested in this whole issue and I bet I'm not the only one so if you have any links please would you post them, when you have a moment].

If you guys really do need to be back in the UK by June 15th, I am not sure you have enough time to get legally married in Bolivia.

I can understand that her parents would like to see her get married (or at least know that she is getting married) before she leaves Bolivia but you guys need to do what is right for you as a couple.

If you had a church "wedding" in SCZ would this help with the in-laws at all? (NB this would not legally recognised as a marriage by the state but many Bolivians will consider the church ceremony to be the point at which they actually got married - apologies if you are not religious and this is not appropriate).

It is generally considered best to get married in the country in which you intend to settle (at least for the first few years) so on these grounds maybe it would be more sensible for you guys to get married in the UK.

Please focus on the end result (being with your amorcito) and take whichever legal steps you need to do this.

Please let us know how you get on.
Apr 29, 2012
 Bolivian civil ceremony
by: James

Hi Alison,

Thank you for your quick response to my question! I live 300 miles away from the embassy and work full time Monday to Friday and was about to go to London tomorrow (Monday) to the Bolivian so I'm glad I read your post!! I'm in a bit of a difficult situation (wish I'd read your post sooner)

I booked a flight this morning to go to Bolivia which arrives on the first of June - but am stressed about the visa application.

We are making two visa applications at the same time; one for a fiance visa in the UK and one to get a civil ceremony in Bolivia! Her parents want to see her married before she leaves Santa Cruz, but we also want to have a civil ceremony here in the UK so we can just be together and live here,
We need to get the UK fiancé visa approved BEFORE June 14th as the UK goverment are changing legislation so that partners have to earn a minimum of £27k to bring their spouses from that date but I earn nowhere near that!

Judging from your response of how long the consulate take to process a visa and actually just put a stamp inside a passport I don't think I'm going to have time to do this as we have to start doing the UK fiancé application on May 15th for which I need all my paperwork for!! (birth certificate and passport etc). - I've also just thought that I need my passport for travelling to Bolivia in June which may be with the UK Border Agency if we make the visa application in mid May!

I'm so stressed and just want to be with my fiancé - any advice?

Apr 24, 2012
 FAO: James from the UK
by: Alison D

Congratulations James!

Regarding the Bolivian embassy in the UK, I hope the following helps (this is how I found things in July 2011, please check as it might have changed since).

They only accept applications for legalisations/ authentications of translations on THURSDAY mornings. They will give them back 2 weeks later (again on a THURS morning). They said it would take approx 1.5 weeks AFTER this to put the visa in my passport. I didn't want to hang around any longer and ended up getting the visa at migraciones in Santa Cruz (MUCH more expensive).

If you get it all done in London it will be 2xUS$43 plus 2xUS$26, plus US$85 for the visa. You will need to pay at the BBVA near Harrods and return with 5 slips (one for each amount). You can pay in UK pounds if you want and they will covert (maybe not to your advantage). The consulate will give you the bank details and the bank address.

Give the consultate the original and a photocopy of everything.

They also ask for the following for the visa:
1. invitation letter from your Bolivian fiancee
2. cover letter from the company you work for in the UK
3. bank statements for the last 3 months
4. flight details
5. hotel bookings
6. yellow fever certificate
7. valid uk passport with at least 6 months validity
8. 2 passport sized photos

Please don't forget that the birth cert and cert of non-impediment to marriage first need to be legalised by the FCO in Milton Keynes.

I hope this helps and good luck. Any more queries please let me know.

Apr 24, 2012
 translations of birth cert etc
by: Alison D

FAO:- anonymous. No, the Bolivian consulate will authenticate the translation (ie put a stamp confirming that the translation is an accurate reflection of the original document). They might want you to use an approved translator. I would check with them. Good luck
Apr 24, 2012
 FAO: Vimal
by: Alison D

hi Vimal. I'm not sure what your situation is (you guys married in India and would like to use your marriage to give you the right to stay in Bolivia?). Have you asked the Indian embassy in Bolivia how you can speak with their counterpart? Or maybe put your own post on BoliviaBella.com? As strange as it may sound, I have heard that some Bolivian embassadors to other countries actually reside here in Bolivia. If I find out anything I will post back on here. Good luck
Apr 16, 2012
 Bolivia marriage visa
by: James

Hi Alison D,

Just a couple of questions if you wouldn't mind answering them!

I am from the UK, and am getting married to by Fiance who is currently living in Bolivia.

I have been told thatI will have to travel to the Bolivian embassy - how long will it take for them to process the visa, and how will I get it back? IS it a same day thing?

How much does the visa cost in total in £s??

Many thanks

James
Mar 23, 2012
 translated documents
by: Anonymous

So the birth certificate and "solteria" can be translated by the Bolicvian Consulate in your own country?
Mar 12, 2012
 Thank you
by: Vimal

I am yet to legalise my marriage with my wife who is Bolivian. My question is there is no Bolivian embassy in my country hence I came here on a Visa on arrival. So any ideas how i could get my visa change to residency please?
Mar 06, 2012
 marriage requirements part 3
by: Alison D

(please see parts 1 and 2 below).

I realised I forgot to include the charge by Bolivian embassies for authentication of translations: US$26.

Once in Bolivia you will need to get each document legalised by the cancilleria (this is to authenticate the signatures in the Bolivian embassy in your home country). It will cost around US$10 per document and should only take a day.

Any more questions please ask!
Mar 06, 2012
 doing paperwork remotely
by: Alison D

Hi again. Whether you can get these papers done whilst you are in Bolivia will depend 1) whether you can convince someone to go to the Bolivian embassy in Copenhagen for you and b) whether you can obtain a certificado de solteria remotely. This will depend on the laws in Denmark. A friend from another European country did manage to get all his papers done by his dad back home whilst he himself was in Bolivia with his fiancee. In the UK I had to attend an appointment and swear on oath that I had not been married before and could not be related by blood to my fiance! Hopefully it is simpler for you guys. I would suggest you speak to the registry office in Denmark and maybe the DANISH embassy in Bolivia to see what they know.
Mar 05, 2012
 Thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much for the list of all the things we have to go through. I was wondering if you or anyone else knew if going through the process while in Bolivia ?
Once again thank you
Mar 02, 2012
 it won't be easy but it will be worth it!
by: Alison D (again)

(part 2 - see part one below)
7. Witnesses. They will need to go with you to the registro civil to sign the notice of marriage form. They cannot be family members. I am not sure whether they need to be bolivian nationals. We were asked for 2 witnesses, a foreign friend of mine who also got married here was asked for 4! You need to choose reliable people who will also show up to your wedding as they must be the ones who witness your marriage.
8. Money! I think the total bill for the registro civil came to just over US$200 which includes a copy of the marriage certificate. The prices are fixed and they should be able to give you an explanation for all charges.
9. You need to give the registro civil all these requirements at least a week before your intended date (the notice of marriage needs to be posted for 5 working days).
10. There are soooo many registro civil offices in most cities. Go and speak to a few different ones to find someone who is clued up and deals with you (as a foreigner) in a professional way. They will be responsible for the most important hour of your life!

If you are obtaining your Objeto determinado outside of Bolivia (probably easiest and definitely sooo much cheaper) then you will need your fiance to write you a "letter of invitation" to come to Bolivia and marry you. You should include a copy of his ID card and contact details. The Bolivian embassy that issues your visa OD may also ask you for other items eg proof of economic solvency or how you will support yourself in Bolivia.

IMPORTANT. Passport holders of most countries (including the US) are NOT able to obtain a visa objeto determinado inside Bolivia. I know UK citizens can (at the moment anyway) and I believe this extends to all group 1 countries BUT PLEASE CHECK. A visa OD issued inside Bolivia costs nearly US$400 (ouch) and has different requirements, so best to pay US$85 in your home country if at all possible.

RESIDENCY

Bolivia no longer extends automatic citizenship to foreigners married to Bolivians. You will be obliged to go through the residency process once you are married. This starts with 1 year temporary residence. You will still need to provide all the same documents as those who are in Bolivia for other reasons. This will include a certificate from Interpol, blood tests, Bol police checks (all done once inside Bolivia) but instead of showing them a work contract etc you can give them your marriage certificate. They processed my residency in under 4 weeks (which included Christmas and New Year) so I can't complain.

I hope I've remembered everything.

So, it sounds like a lot (and it is) but keep in mind why you are doing this (to spend the rest of your life with your amorcito) and you will be fine!

Let us know if you have any more questions and good luck!
Mar 02, 2012
 it won't be easy but it will be worth it!
by: Alison D, Santa Cruz

(part 1)
Well, congratulations! I got married 3 months ago to a Bolivian (in Santa Cruz) and I hope I can shed some light on this for you.

I think that lots of people want to know about the process of getting married in Bolivia so I will try to cover a few general things too.

Firstly, the Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Bolivian govt) requires all couples to have a civil "ceremony". You are welcome to have whichever church/ temple ceremony you wish, but you must also go through the formalities with an official from the registro civil (registry office). This can take place wherever you want, but you will have to pay them extra for their travel time.

One of the parties needs to be a Bolivian citizen and have a valid Bolivian ID card. That is, 2 foreigners cannot have a destination civil wedding in Bolivia.

Documents I needed to give to the registro civil: [we got married in the Dept of Santa Cruz 3 months ago]. I would hope that the requirements would be the same in all Depts of Bolivia but cannot confirm that.

1. Original birth certificate, legalised by Bolivian Embassy in your country of origin. US$46. You will probably need to get this legalised by your own govt before the Bolivian embassy will accept it as genuine.
2. Certificado de solteria, legalised by Bolivian Embassy in your country of origin. In the UK we call this a Certificate of Non-impediment to marriage but basically it is just to confirm that you are free to marry your Bolivian sweetheart. Please see above for price etc.
3. If you have previously changed your name for any reason then this document will need to be legalised too. This includes previous marriages which ended in divorce or widowhood.
4. If documents 1. 2. and 3. are not issued in Spanish then they will need to be translated into Spanish and the translations legalised by the bolivian embassy in your country of origin. Check with the Bol embassy whether they have a list of translators you must use, or whether you are free to choose anyone. Whatever document 2. is called in your country, I would ask the translator to include the words "certificado de solteria" in the title.
5. Visa objeto determinado (your objeto determinado will be to get married to a Bolivian and live in Bolivia). This will cost US$85 if bought outside of Bolivia (please see below). OR if you already live in Bolivia then your residency.
6. Certificate of Visa Objeto determinado or residency. 100Bs if bought in Bolivia, don't know how much if bought outside. The reason for this is that your visas and residencies are stamps in your passport and you can't leave your passport with registro civil.

CONT in separate post
Mar 01, 2012
 Tillykke
by: Michael

Lyder dejligt---held og lykke.

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