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Minimum residency period prior to marriage: 5 days
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Suggested stay in Sri Lanka: 10 days
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Minimum age : 18 years old
Documents Required:
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UK/Irish passport (which expires more than 6 months after the date of your return home )
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Birth Certificate (Both short and long certificate are acceptable)
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Affidavit to confirm single status (even if previously married)
If Required
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If you have been divorced: Decree Absolute is required.
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If you have been widowed: The former marriage certificate and original death certificate
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If you have changed your name: Deed Poll certificate will be required.
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If you have been divorced and have reverted to using your maiden name then this counts as a name change and proof will be required.
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If you have been adopted: Adoption papers need to be produced
Before you travel: (new important information issued by Sri Lanka High Commission)
The following documents should be certified by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (for British nationals) or The Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland.
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Affidavit and Divorce Certificate if applicable
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If widowed, the death certificate of your late spouse and your previous marriage certificate
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If you have changed your name, a deed poll (including divorcees who have reverted to their maiden names)
For other nationals, the document should be certified by their respective Foreign Ministry. Approx. cost for certification is £70 per document.
For further information regarding the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, please go to:
Phone: 03700 00 22 44 (Monday to Friday 12:00-16:00)
Email: [email protected]
The Legalisation Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office PO Box 6255
Milton Keynes
MK10 1XX
Before you travel, next step:
Once you have had the required documentation certified by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the next step is to have them legalised by The Sri Lanka High Commission, London.
For further information on legalisation, please contact the Sri Lanka High Commission:
Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau Sri Lanka High Commission, London
No. 1, 3rd Floor Devonshire Square 020 7262 1841 – Ext. 223
London EC2M 4WD
0845 880 6333
The Sri Lanka High Commission also requires you to obtain a Business Visa before travel to enable you to have your wedding in Sri Lanka. This can be obtained from the Sri Lanka High Commission and costs £38 per person. The visa needs to be applied for no more than 30 days before travel and takes approx. 4 working days to process.
Guests marrying at hotels in Sri Lanka will need to send photocopies of the documents listed to us at least 12 weeks before the date of travel.
In Resort:
Once you have married in Sri Lanka, you must get your marriage certificate certified at the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs in Colombo; only then will your marriage certificate be valid to submit to authorities outside of Sri Lanka.
All original documents to be taken with you.
Translation of documents
All legal documents must be in English or legally translated into English. All translated documents must be from a legal translator with letterhead, stamp and seal from the translator's office or notarised by a Notary Public. Occasionally the documentation will have to be sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for their approval before being sent back to the notary to sign.
The Wedding Ceremony
In most destinations, your wedding ceremony will be conducted Monday to Friday (excluding local holidays). In some destinations, local festivals and holidays will determine available wedding dates. Generally, your wedding will take place in the grounds of the hotel unless otherwise specified. Many hotels offer wedding gazebos for extra privacy. Some hotels may offer more than one wedding per day with the first wedding taking place at around 10am with the last wedding at 4pm. The majority of our weddings are conducted by a marriage officer whose title varies depending on the resort. Where it is possible to be married by a Minister, the ceremony will be non-denominational unless otherwise stated and will be a Civil wedding.
Tropical Sky Weddings and the information given above only apply to couples:
• Born in the UK
• Have a valid UK passport (with some months validity on return home)
If couples do not fulfil these requirements they must advise us. Couples should be referred to the embassy of the country of origin and the country where they wish to marry as they may require extra documentation to satisfy their own embassy requirements – Tropical Sky cannot advise on this and couples must investigate this on their own.
As Tropical Sky weddings have no jurisdiction over hotels/resorts/venues/legal requirements and their charges, we cannot be responsible for any increases or changes to these wedding arrangements. We will, however, endeavour to advise you of changes as soon as we are made aware of them. All prices and legal requirements correct as of June 2013.
