Yes. Two foreign citizens can register a civil marriage in Georgia, with no residence requirement and no waiting period in the law. This guide explains who can marry, what the registry checks, and what happens after the wedding.
Published 21 October 2026 by TARGMANEBI. Checked against the Law of Georgia on Civil Status Acts and the Public Service Development Agency rules.
Georgian law does not care where you are from or where you live. It cares about a short list of conditions, which apply to Georgian citizens and foreigners alike.
Sources: Law of Georgia on Civil Status Acts; Public Service Development Agency.
Georgian law registers marriage only as a union of a man and a woman (Constitution of Georgia, Art. 30).
Under Article 48 of the Law on Civil Status Acts, a marriage comes into existence only through registration by the civil registry, which in Georgia is the Public Service Development Agency. A church wedding or any other religious ceremony, however beautiful, does not by itself create a marriage in law. Many couples hold both: the civil registration for the law, and a religious or symbolic ceremony for themselves and their families.
The civil registration takes place at a Public Service Hall, at one of the agency's territorial offices, at a Wedding House, or, because the law lets you choose the place, at a venue of your choice such as a hotel or a winery.
In practice the process has three parts. Only the first takes real planning.
Valid passports, proof of lawful stay and, if either of you was married before, the divorce decree or death certificate with an apostille and a notarized Georgian translation.
Both of you attend with at least two adult witnesses. The procedure runs in Georgian, so an interpreter makes sure you understand what you sign. You choose your surnames, and the certificate is issued in Georgian.
Your Georgian certificate gets an apostille, or a legalization for countries outside the Apostille Convention, and a translation into your language for your registry at home.
No. Residence is not a condition. What the registry asks of a foreign spouse is proof that they are in Georgia lawfully on the day, which for most visitors is the entry stamp in the passport. If you entered on a visa or hold a Georgian residence permit, bring that document as well.
The law sets no notice period. Many couples register within a day or two of arriving, as long as every document is in order. Book your date with some margin and keep a spare day in your schedule: a missing apostille or a misspelled name is the usual reason for a delay, and both can be caught in advance.
Yes. A Georgian citizen and a foreigner marry under the same rules. The foreign spouse brings the foreign documents; the Georgian spouse brings their Georgian ID. If the Georgian spouse divorced abroad, tell us first, because the earlier divorce may need extra steps before it shows in the Georgian register.
Partly. The application can be filed through a representative, but the registration itself cannot: both of you must be present (Art. 52(2) and (4)). If you leave Georgia before the apostille is ready, a power of attorney lets us finish the paperwork for you.
You choose at the registration. You can both take one of your surnames as a common surname, or one or both of you can combine your own surname with your spouse's, unless a surname already has two parts (Art. 53).
A civil marriage registered in Georgia is generally recognized abroad once the certificate carries an apostille, or a consular legalization for countries outside the Apostille Convention, and is translated into the language of your country. Each country has its own registration rules, so we check yours before we translate. For couples living in the Gulf, note that the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait require legalization, while Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman accept an apostille.
Want a marriage contract as well? It can be signed before a Georgian notary before or after the registration. See our marriage contract guide.
Yes. Neither of you needs Georgian citizenship or residence. You must both be at least 18, consent to the marriage, not be married already or closely related, and be in Georgia lawfully.
The law sets no notice period. Many couples register within a day or two of arriving once their documents are in order, but a spare day in your schedule is wise.
Not by itself. A marriage arises only through registration by the civil registry (Art. 48). Many couples hold a religious ceremony in addition to the civil registration.
No, but the procedure runs in Georgian, so you need an interpreter who renders the registrar's questions and the text you sign. We provide one.
Yes. At least two adult witnesses with legal capacity must be present. They can be foreigners, and we can provide two witnesses if you travel alone.
No. Georgian law registers marriage only as a union of a man and a woman (Constitution of Georgia, Art. 30).
In general yes, once the Georgian certificate is apostilled or legalized and translated. Each country has its own registration rules, so check with the office that will register the marriage at home.
Yes. The conditions are the same. The foreign spouse brings foreign documents with the required apostille and translation, and the Georgian spouse brings a Georgian ID.
Send your passports and your planned date. We reply with a document checklist and a timeline for your wedding.
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