Getting married in Ivory Coast

Hello Armand,

We got married in Abidjan (foreigners). the procedure is quite easy:

1. You prepare all papers for the embassy of your country ( Birth Certificate, Certificate that you or your future spouse were not married before, proof of residence in Ivory Coast, copy of all pages of your passports, and fill up special forms from the embassy)

2. After embassy will give you a permit paper to get married. Depends on the embassy or conculate they can arrage your marriage in the embassy or consulate ot you can get married in one of the mairies in Ivoru Coast.

3. After you took a permit from embassy you go to the local mairie and apply for marriage ( they will ask you approx. the same set of document as in embassy, so better to make copies of all). After they will tell you when is availability and you book a day.

4. On the set day- Wedding itself.

5. After you need to cobe back to marrie and pick up your official certificate.

6. If you a foreigner the coy of this certificate you need to return to your embassy.

All this takes about 3-4 weeks, depends on your papers.

ADVICE:

To give papers to embassy and mairie at the same time, it will save you alot of time( and when a permit from embassy is ready, just bring it to mairie after)

Look for photographer and video operator in advance, better to ask an advice of local friends, if you have an opporunity to buy dress and wedding rings in Europe, because here is very complicated to find something.

Thank you!

All this looks so complicated,
I wish there could be much simpler way for couple to get merried in Ivory Coast.

Its a lot easier to do and get documented