Comprehensive Guide to Getting Married in Mexico

Do you want a special wedding and don’t know where to celebrate it? getting married in Mexico is your best option because this Latin American country has several destinations to choose from such as its paradisiacal beaches, perfect weather, delicious food, vibrant and colorful culture, and the best lodging services.

Many are the people who dream of getting married in Mexico, however, to achieve this it is necessary to understand and comply with all the legal requirements requested by the country. In addition, you must analyze how you want to celebrate your wedding, if you prefer to celebrate it on the beach or in a less open environment, if you prefer symbolic, legal, catholic or even indigenous weddings, all these are determining factors to organize your wedding well, that is why here we will tell you everything about getting married in Mexico.

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Everything you need to know about getting married in Mexico

If you and your partner are thinking about getting married in Mexico you need to understand that besides determining the location and style of the wedding you want, meeting the legal requirements is an extremely important factor, especially for your marriage to be valid both in Mexico and abroad.

Another factor you should discuss is whether you want to celebrate only a legal, religious or symbolic wedding, and finally choose the destination that best suits your desires and budget. Here we will talk about everything you need to take into account to getting married in Mexico.

What are the legal requirements for getting married in Mexico?

In order to get married in Mexico it is necessary that you investigate and comply with all the legal requirements, therefore, you should already know what are the documents required in Mexico to get married, likewise, it is important that you keep in mind that the requirements sometimes vary between states, so it is necessary that you do a little research if you do not want to live any setback the most important day of your life. Below we will tell you what documents are needed to getting married in Mexico:

1. Passport: It is necessary to present both the original and a copy.
2. Travel visa or residence permit: If you want to get married in Mexico and you are a foreigner you must present original copies, to corroborate that your stay in the country is legal.
3. Birth certificate: In addition to your identity documents you must present the birth certificate to corroborate your information. 
4. Divorce Decree/Death Certificate: If you are divorced or widowed it is mandatory to present the documents that certify it. 
5. Medical tests: One of the requirements to get married in Mexico are chest x-rays and blood tests, so it is necessary that you have them done and the most important thing is that both the chest x-rays and the blood test must be done in Mexico, if the results are from another country the medical tests are not valid. 
6. Marriage application forms: This requirement is even more important if you are getting married under joint or separate ownership.

It is extremely important that you keep in mind that all the requested documents (birth certificate and divorce decree/death certificate) must be translated into Spanish by a certified translator and also, it is extremely important that they are notarized and apostilled, if the couple does not comply with these requirements they will not be able to getting married in Mexico.

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Another thing to keep in mind if you plan to get married in Mexico is that the documents must be updated and it is mandatory to have four witnesses, so that any legal ceremony can be carried out. At the same time, these witnesses must have their legal identification (it can be a passport).

It is also important that you take into account article 148 of the Federal Civil Code if you want to get married in Mexico, which establishes that if you want to get married you must be eighteen years old. However, the judge can grant dispensation of age for serious and justified causes, but he/she will never be able to dispense a young person under fourteen years of age.

Last but not least, validity is key if you want your marriage to be legal both in Mexico and in the rest of the world. For that you will have to undergo the process of legalization in Mexico of the Marriage Certificate, we recommend you to ask for a guide from the wedding planners or the Mexican registry office.

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Here is a list of the requirements you need to validate your marriage in Mexico:

•  Marriage Certificate 
• Certified copy of the marriage certificate 
• Official identification of the parties 
• Proof of address
• Payment of fees, which vary depending on the entity where you had to register your marriage. 

Types of Wedding Ceremonies in Mexico

Many people dream of getting married, but did you know that there is more than one way to do it? If you and your partner are thinking of getting married in Mexico, the first thing to keep in mind is that the best way to make sure everything goes smoothly is to hire a wedding planner, who besides helping you with the ceremony itself, will give you great support with the documents you need to collect.

You should also decide which is the right place according to your tastes and the type of wedding you want and establish a calendar of preparations that will help you organize everything more easily.

After establishing all this you must decide how you will celebrate your wedding in Mexico, we will tell you about the most popular ones below:

Symbolic Weddings

This type of wedding represents a union between a couple through a purely spiritual ritual, therefore, the symbolic wedding has no legal or religious meaning, it is rather related to the couple’s personal beliefs.

In this type of wedding the bride and groom can conduct the ceremony or have a master of ceremony and it is recommended that the couple feel comfortable with the ritual if they want to enjoy this type of wedding.

Symbolic weddings are much more flexible than traditional ceremonies, so many people choose to make their love official in this way. The most popular places in Mexico to celebrate this type of wedding are paradisiacal Mexican beaches such as Cancun, Acapulco, Tulum, Cozumel and some beaches of the Riviera Maya, they are also celebrated in gardens and wooded places.

The cost of a symbolic wedding will depend on what you decide to do, the simplest ones usually cost approximately 9,850 pesos, the ones that include more rituals 10,990 pesos and the most eccentric ones cost up to 12,499 pesos.

Legal weddings

Those who want to officialize their union legally can choose to get married in Mexico by civil ceremony, this ceremony is more than a legal procedure, it is the way to demonstrate before the law your commitment with that other person.

It is important to keep in mind that marriages in Mexico are protected by the Civil Code and are recognized internationally if you comply with the aforementioned process (registering the marriage certificate).

If you want to celebrate a civil marriage in Mexico you must go to a judge, who will proceed to read your rights and obligations to the couple and they must sign the marriage certificate, this type of wedding can be performed in the civil registry or you can ask the judge to go to a special place.

A civil marriage has an approximate cost in a civil registry of 1,518 pesos and a civil marriage at home has a cost of 3,048 pesos.

To get married by civil marriage in Mexico they require a birth certificate, passport, proof of bachelorhood issued by the Civil Registry and a divorce decree or a certificate of diffusion (in case one of the parties is divorced or widowed). All these documents must be translated and certified by an authorized expert.

Catholic Wedding

If you want to have a Catholic wedding, Mexico is your best option because you will be able to get married under the protocols established by your faith.

Catholic weddings must be celebrated in a church, the couple stands at an altar in front of the symbols that represent the church and a priest conducts the wedding. All the symbolism that takes place in this ceremony represents the strength of the union of marriage, the bride and groom must receive communion, exchange rings, hold the arras, are surrounded with a ribbon and kneel to be blessed.

The cost of a Catholic wedding, including the priest’s fees and the rent of the chapel, has an approximate amount of more than 100 thousand pesos, however, if your thing is luxury, you can spend more than one million pesos in a Catholic ceremony.

Indigenous weddings

This type of ceremony is usually performed at sunset and is led by a spiritual leader called Mamo Kogui. Indigenous weddings usually include offerings to nature, exchange of symbolic vows and a blessing ritual, in Mexico you can have an Aztec, Nahua, Rarámuri, among others, it is important to note that these weddings are performed outdoors (gardens, beaches, mountains).

Mayan Weddings

A Mayan wedding is totally symbolic, so you do not need to sign any document. In this spiritual ritual the union of the bride and groom is presented to the four elements, earth, water, fire and air.

The four elements provide good energy, harmony and success to the marriage, Mayan weddings are usually performed on a beach.

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Multicultural weddings

This type of wedding celebrates the union of a couple from different cultural or religious backgrounds, therefore, it seeks to mix the most important traditions of both religions, and are usually conducted by two representatives of both cultures.

You already know all the important information for getting married in Mexico, now tell us, are you ready to start with the preparations for the most special day of your life?