Foreign couples planning a wedding in Saint Vincent should check licence timing

Choose the licence before fixing a short visit

Two foreign visitors using the Governor General’s special licence must be in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for 24 hours before applying, according to the Judiciary. Its Registrar’s licence instead requires 15 clear days in the country before application and seven consecutive days of public notice. Applications are made in person; these alternatives have different consequences for a short visit.

The Judiciary lists valid passports for foreigners, with foreign birth certificates not accepted, and divorce or death documents where relevant. Both licence types last three months. Its published charges are EC$525 cash for the special licence and EC$15 in revenue stamps for the Registrar’s licence. At the Civil Registry wedding stage it lists EC$50 in stamps, two witnesses and EC$150 for marriage by the Registrar.

Resolve the published fee discrepancy with the responsible office

The Ministry of Legal Affairs describes the special licence as the private method, without public notice, handled through the Attorney General’s Chambers. It says the parties must be present in the country at least one day before applying and that the process usually takes a day. However, it publishes EC$500 for that licence, compared with the Judiciary’s EC$525. The reviewed pages do not explain the difference or establish which amount is currently collected.

The ministry also describes a public-notice method involving the High Court and Registry, with seven days’ notice and a usual EC$150 charge. That description does not itemise the same components as the Judiciary’s list. Ask the Attorney General’s Chambers on (784) 457-2807 for the special-licence amount, and the Marriage Clerk for the full Registry quotation, specifying the licence and ceremony you intend. Treat neither a licence-only figure nor an unexplained difference as the complete wedding bill.

Check the record while the Marriage Officer can correct it

After the ceremony, registration is the Marriage Officer’s responsibility. The Judiciary’s registration instructions require immediate registration at the Civil Registry Department in Kingstown using a fully completed duplicate original marriage record. Booking a ceremony and obtaining permission to marry are therefore earlier steps than creating the registered record from which a certificate can be obtained.

The record includes names, ages, marital status, occupations, the place and date of marriage, fathers’ names and occupations, and signatures of the couple, witnesses and officer. The instructions require present addresses and say foreign addresses are not allowed. Visiting couples should ask the officer how their local address should be recorded. If a mistake appears, the officer has one year to correct it free of charge. Later corrections require the Attorney General’s Department or an attorney; a marriage left unregistered requires late registration through an attorney.

The published Registry address is the Civil Registry Building at the corner of Egmont and Halifax Street, Kingstown. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; telephone (784) 457-1091.

Apply for the certificate separately from the licence

The Judiciary’s certificate page explains the subsequent certificate application. For a local application, obtain a form at the Kingstown office or the listed district post and revenue offices, and have it certified. Permitted certifiers include a Justice of the Peace, notary, magistrate, Marriage Officer or lawyer. The form asks for the couple’s names, marriage date, birth information and the applicant’s identity, address and contact details.

Take the certified application to the computer clerk and pay at the cash desk when directed. The published certificate price is EC$15, with immediate issue stated for that service. This is the certificate charge, separate from the earlier licence and ceremony charges. The page also accepts written overseas applications to the Registrar with the couple’s names, marriage date and place, a return address and a bank draft payable to the Accountant General covering the certificate, bank charges and postage. Obtain those additional amounts before arranging the draft; no overseas delivery deadline is established.