Getting married in Hungary

It's quite similar for both.

As a foreigner you need:
Birth Certificate from your home country (with an apostille)
Paper stating you are not married from your Embassy (I just had to go in with my fiancée and day after I could go pick it up)

Official translations of the above documents (the official translaters are horrible, by the way. On my official translations most of the names got spelled wrong, mixed to a different word order, FULL CAPS on parts of some names with no caps at all on other names... I think they just shove it into Google Translate or a similar thing. Quite rude for a service that costs a couple 10000 HUF) It takes about 1 week for them to translate the pages if you pay extra, I think it was 3 weeks if you pay the standard fee.

Mind that the translation of the second paper (for a guy) has to specifically mention you are "Nőtlen" (wife-less) otherwise it's back to start.
The template I first got from the embassy said that 'there was no legal objection for me to get married' which was not enough.

As a local all you need to do is go to your local authority office and collect the birth certificate and a paper that states you are allowed to marry. (last one they possibly can also make at the location where you will register to get married but I'm not 100% sure so better safe then sorry)

Then you go to the Anyakönyvvezető and register to get married. With two locals/foreigners I don't know how long it takes them to decide, but for a mixed couple they said it takes 1 month to see if you can get married (took them a good 40 days to decline it the first time for us over the "Nőtlen" thing, now we're waiting for the review of the second try which I went to deliver 2 weeks ago)

Another thing of note is that all these documents have to be less then 6months old on your wedding day. Which means you should start asap when you have chosen your date because it takes some time as a foreigner to get everything ready. Especially if you get declined at the Anyakönyvvezető (like us) which sets you back more then a month.


For people that do not speak Hungarian:
You will also need a translator during the wedding. As far as I know this person is your own responsibility. I can't remember if it has to be a "licensed" person. The friend we asked to do it is an English teacher but I do not remember if they checked her certificates or not. This person also has to be present at the Anyakönyvvezető (was an issue first time we went)


That's all I have for now



tl;dr:
You both need birth certificates and a paper stating you are unmarried. If foreign these need to be validated with an apostille or by the embassy and afterwards officially translated to Hungarian.
Then you register at the Anyakönyvvezető to get married (a translator should be present if one or both of the people do not speak Hungarian).

Hi Matthiasdg!

Thanks very much for your help

Armand

I will be happy to contribute, because *ta-da* I'm getting married to my Hungarian hunny :-)

For American citizens, the U.S. Embassy website is helpful:
http://hungary.usembassy.gov/marriage.html

So far, I have gotten the "free-to-marry" statement (affidavit of civil status) from the embassy - it costs $50, or 11,500 HUF.
They don't say this on the website, but I was told THIS PAPER IS ONLY VALID FOR 6 MONTHS.
Thankfully, I wasn't planning a huge wedding, only to get married legally on paper, and let the party-planning happen when we have the time.  Because we live in Budapest, his family is in Romania, and my family is in the U.S...  things get complicated.

My next step is to get my birth certificate translated.  The information for the translation office is also on the above website.

Thank you for previous contributions, I had some questions about the "30-day wait" (30 days from what?!?!) and some other details that have been answered, which I could not find anywhere else online.

The question I still have is:  Is there a special way to register or report my marriage in the States (particularly PA)?  They say a foreign marriage license is 'valid' but should I get it translated?

CHANGING MY NAME:  must I do it right away?  Will they charge me fees to get a new residence permit, student card, address card, etc?  Because if that's the case, I won't bother, although eventually I would like to.  It would just be easier for me to wait until each document is up for renewal, instead of paying for all new ones at once.  Hungarian offices can be very greedy and I like to avoid them as much as possible; but I don't want to break any laws, and if we move back to the States, I certainly don't want any legal issues to get in the way.

What Matthiasdg wrote.... though there can be an exception, if you life here you need an address card..... checking and asking at the local government were you both want to get married would be suggested prior to marriage (to check if all paperwork is there)

But always a good thing to get married here

TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENTS:  Just had a quick and pleasant experience at the translation office, 1062 Bp. Bajza utca 52.  To get my birth certificate translated in 5 days cost 10,458 HUF.  It is cheaper for the 10-day option, but I'm kind of in a hurry. 
To answer my own question from before, yes I will need to come back and get my marriage license translated back to English in order to file for an immigration visa for my husband-to-be.

Hey hi , need some help to know how much does it cost to do translate the documents in hungry,  and it manditory to get translate at the place where the district official mention, as they told us it might cost around 1 million foraint for 3 documents.  I feel that's not right . Can you help me to get some info which is best place and also name and address for translate office which is certified.

You have to go here: Official Office for Translations

1M HUF is silly for 3 documents. 

Get a proper quote from them for your documents.

Answered

Thank you for your reply, by any chance to get more info as I am in Dubai right now and I am not able get proper info related to this.

Ravi Sambrekar wrote:

Thank you for your reply, by any chance to get more info as I am in Dubai right now and I am not able get proper info related to this.

Not from me but search the forum.

A lot of your questions will already have been answered in previous posts.

We are planning to marry in Hungary but there is a hiccup. Any help on this would be appreciated.


I am from the UK and my fiancée is from China with a Hungarian PR card.

We have all the documents but I was born with a different name and my mother used her new married name for me from the age of 5 without officially changing my name. As a result, my birth certificate states Williams and all other documents including passport DL banks property owned use Casey.

So when I present my birth certificate and passport they will be in different names. Has anybody got any ideas how I can overcome this or does anybody know who I can talk to in Hungary to discuss and overcome this?


This might sound odd or trivial but it is causing us stress as it could destroy our plans so we would be grateful for any help please.

meslo wrote:

We are planning to marry in Hungary but there is a hiccup. Any help on this would be appreciated.


I am from the UK and my fiancée is from China with a Hungarian PR card.

We have all the documents but I was born with a different name and my mother used her new married name for me from the age of 5 without officially changing my name. As a result, my birth certificate states Williams and all other documents including passport DL banks property owned use Casey.

So when I present my birth certificate and passport they will be in different names. Has anybody got any ideas how I can overcome this or does anybody know who I can talk to in Hungary to discuss and overcome this?


This might sound odd or trivial but it is causing us stress as it could destroy our plans so we would be grateful for any help please.

How did you manage to get a British passport in the name Casey when your name on the BC is Williams? 

Notwithstanding that question, do you need your birth certificate for marriage in HU?  Surely passport is sufficient?  Otherwise you'll have to get everything officially translated.

You might be able to just do a deed poll.   There's nothing to stop you changing your name as you wish (in the UK).   Deed polls easy.    While it won't change your BC, it gives a way to say the name change is recognised by institutions of the state (i.e. the UK).  No idea if it would be recognised here in HU - maybe ask the Embassy as they notarise documents.  It would explain the difference sufficiently perhaps.

If any others chip in about applying to courts etc for name changes,  the situation in the UK is that you can call yourself anything you like in the UK so long as you don't intend to commit fraud. Nationals of other countries will find the ease of the self-certification aspects of deed poll procedure unusual.

Hate to say it but  anything in Hungary official anything is much a hassle.
(Dang I'm still waiting on an OK for a senior bus pass! will be going on 4 months with official OK from the HU SS dept.)
Since neither you or your future wife are HU citizens, I think you should talk to an "official" inside your district city hall to get official info on what the process is , your not legal name change may put a monkey wrench in your plans going forward in a hurry.
You local district city hall should have a marriage office where all marriages are recorded etc. They should be your first stop for info.
My husband is a born Hu citizen and our son is a dual citizen of HU and the US but I had a hard time with immigration and my husband of now nearly 44 years and I had to do a legal paper marriage in HU to satisfy the officials in Hungary. Weird, think someone dropped the ball in my case since we had all our legal marriage papers from the US with us.( Been legally married since 1978)
A far a legal name changes, I have no clue how it is done in the UK or HU but I did legally change my son's last name in court when he was 3 years old.This was done in the USA.
My husband is his father but we didn't legally marry until our son was almost 3 years old. I was being a stubborn person and wouldn't give him his father's name unless we married.
Have to have some sort of hard set rules in life, at least that's the way I see it.
Had to file forms with the state in the courthouse with the law clerk, ( All Federal forms legal everywhere) most people would of hired a lawyer but I went to the library and with my sisters' help we typed and filled out the tons of forms ourselves. Had to advertise for I think 6 weeks in 3 different local newspapers that a name change was about to happen and anyone who had objections should come forward. Had to stand up before the judge in open court and tell why we wanted to do the name change. Brought in my little toddler to add impact for my case. I've long forgotten the cost for a name change but it wasn't exactly cheap if I remember correctly, would of been very pricey if we had used a lawyer) Had to pay to cover court costs etc.
Wasn't too bad but took some time to do.
Good luck, start with the clerk in your city hall.
Your UK embassy really wouldn't have much to do with legal marriages done inside of HUngary, they have their own rules.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Hate to say it but  anything in Hungary official anything is much a hassle.
(Dang I'm still waiting on an OK for a senior bus pass! will be going on 4 months with official OK from the HU SS dept.)
Since neither you or your future wife are HU citizens, I think you should talk to an "official" inside your district city hall to get official info on what the process is , your not legal name change may put a monkey wrench in your plans going forward in a hurry.
You local district city hall should have a marriage office where all marriages are recorded etc. They should be your first stop for info.
....
Your UK embassy really wouldn't have much to do with legal marriages done inside of HUngary, they have their own rules.

HU means hassle.

Just to clear up what I meant as the OP was British.

In the UK, there's no need even to have a change of name via  the deed poll method (it's actually a self-declaration or a deed).

In the UK, an adult can just start calling themselves something else anytime and they do not need permission for it from anyone at all, not even a court.  That might surprise other people from other countries but it's not the same in England or Wales or even Ireland.  Slight differences in Scotland.

However, some agencies of UK government like to see paperwork, even if you did it by yourself.   What they want to know is that this is a permanent change but really there' nothing they can actually do about it if you really insist.   To smooth the way, many people choose the deed poll as a way of having something to shove in front of a bureaucrat's nose.

The point about the UK embassy is that it's necessary to get a certificate to say you are free to marry in Hungary  (as you might still be married in the UK).  It's called a CNI - Certificate of No Impediment. So that means getting that document from the UK and possibly stamped at the UK embassy. 

Anyway, re names. My point was that a deed poll is a self-declaration of name change and if that is seen at a UK embassy, they may stamp it and therefore make it acceptable to HU authorities (by dint of mutual recognition of documents even if no such system for free for all name changes exists here).    On the other hand, in HU, the official reviewing your paperwork might implode.

Might be best to ask the UK embassy about the name paperwork predicament.

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK.  There's far less messing about and it's really easy and what's more, all the paperwork is already in the right languages and they are more used to foreign documentation.  Mrs Fluffy and I did it that way after we realised it was just too much of a pain here.

Yes, I was going to add maybe they should wed in the UK.
Will still have to get translations into Hungarian if used for immigration or perhaps even for anything else legal in Hungary.
Seems the UK is very liberal with names, lots of people with alias names then?
I was known as AKA "Ruby Mavis Trapeze " for 6 months, not fessing up to anything "she "did!! I was a minor so guess no courts would hold my feet to the fire!

fluffy2560 wrote:

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK. 

Unless I am missing some details (and with government and their bureaucracies, that is more than possible) this seems to me to be a no brainier.

His fiancee is not a HU citizen, nor is he (I assume). But he is a UK citizen. Why would they want to marry in Hungary and not the UK?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
Seems the UK is very liberal with names, lots of people with alias names then?

Well no not really, it's not uncommon but also not something people do all the time.  How can one tell anyway?   There's a tendency to take people at face value.  I mean some people might be called Robert but day to day they get called Roger.  No accounting for it in the matrix.

People change their names all the time - married women and even married men for example. Bloke I knew changed his family name on marriage to his wife's name as he never liked his last name.

Mrs Fluffy decided not to change her name so retains everything original.  Some might find that odd but I think and she thinks that she needs to be her own person.  Good for her!

The kids have my family name to make sure they are part of clan McFluffy so that might be confusing for some officials when she travels with them without me, especially airline and immigration personnel as there are issues with child abduction. 

Last time we went to the UK, we were quizzed over why they had different names to their mother but they never really outright asked us why, just kind of danced around it with relatively innocuous questions but in totality built up a picture of what we were doing. Surprised me but I suppose if it helps stop child abduction, then why not.  The Fluffyettes would be pretty vocal if they thought it wasn't going the right way.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK. 

Unless I am missing some details (and with government and their bureaucracies, that is more than possible) this seems to me to be a no brainier.

His fiancee is not a HU citizen, nor is he (I assume). But he is a UK citizen. Why would they want to marry in Hungary and not the UK?

OP said the planned Missus was Chinese with PR (Permanent Residence) in HU.   As far as I know, as she has PR in the Schengen countries she can go anywhere within Schengen without a visa BUT as UK and Ireland are not Schengen, she needs a visa for there especially if she's going to get married.  Probably one of the reasons to avoid the UK.

Getting a UK visa could be a real nightmare for a Chinese national - there are so many restrictions, especially for marriage, it's not that easy but might be OK if they'd accept PR as equivalent to HU citizenship.  Then it'd be easy. I can imagine it's not a very simple situation.

UK visas are a PITA.  People get refused all the time for stupid reasons.  African guy I met once had been invited by the UK government to attend a course in London.  But he was refused a visa by the British Embassy despite having an invitation letter from another (UK) government department.   Now that's joined up thinking.

D'oh!

In many, many ways Hungary still operates like they did under the old system.
Anything that is "different" brings out the "stop sign" and then things get sci-fi crazy.
There is zero chance of just getting,"hitched in Hungary" without things getting official one way or the other.
If there is a buck to be made out of making things more complicated here then it's going down.
I still think going into their local city hall and asking some serious questions is the start.
My son got married in Hungary as a dual citizen to a Hungarian citizen and it still took months of paperwork to get done.
I now wish they had been turned away but alas..

fluffy2560 wrote:

How did you manage to get a British passport in the name Casey when your name on the BC is Williams? 

Notwithstanding that question, do you need your birth certificate for marriage in HU?  Surely passport is sufficient?  Otherwise you'll have to get everything officially translated.

You might be able to just do a deed poll.   There's nothing to stop you changing your name as you wish (in the UK).   Deed polls easy.    While it won't change your BC, it gives a way to say the name change is recognised by institutions of the state (i.e. the UK).  No idea if it would be recognised here in HU - maybe ask the Embassy as they notarise documents.  It would explain the difference sufficiently perhaps.

If any others chip in about applying to courts etc for name changes,  the situation in the UK is that you can call yourself anything you like in the UK so long as you don't intend to commit fraud. Nationals of other countries will find the ease of the self-certification aspects of deed poll procedure unusual.

Easy in 1980 with a note from doctor.

Yes need bc for both HU and Slo as in the posts above in this thread but if you know different that would be a god send.


Yes I could do deed poll myself, problem is I need it backdating to at least before my present passport was issued then signed by a solicitor then apostillated.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Hate to say it but  anything in Hungary official anything is much a hassle.
(Dang I'm still waiting on an OK for a senior bus pass! will be going on 4 months with official OK from the HU SS dept.)
Since neither you or your future wife are HU citizens, I think you should talk to an "official" inside your district city hall to get official info on what the process is , your not legal name change may put a monkey wrench in your plans going forward in a hurry.
You local district city hall should have a marriage office where all marriages are recorded etc. They should be your first stop for info.
My husband is a born Hu citizen and our son is a dual citizen of HU and the US but I had a hard time with immigration and my husband of now nearly 44 years and I had to do a legal paper marriage in HU to satisfy the officials in Hungary. Weird, think someone dropped the ball in my case since we had all our legal marriage papers from the US with us.( Been legally married since 1978)
A far a legal name changes, I have no clue how it is done in the UK or HU but I did legally change my son's last name in court when he was 3 years old.This was done in the USA.
My husband is his father but we didn't legally marry until our son was almost 3 years old. I was being a stubborn person and wouldn't give him his father's name unless we married.
Have to have some sort of hard set rules in life, at least that's the way I see it.
Had to file forms with the state in the courthouse with the law clerk, ( All Federal forms legal everywhere) most people would of hired a lawyer but I went to the library and with my sisters' help we typed and filled out the tons of forms ourselves. Had to advertise for I think 6 weeks in 3 different local newspapers that a name change was about to happen and anyone who had objections should come forward. Had to stand up before the judge in open court and tell why we wanted to do the name change. Brought in my little toddler to add impact for my case. I've long forgotten the cost for a name change but it wasn't exactly cheap if I remember correctly, would of been very pricey if we had used a lawyer) Had to pay to cover court costs etc.
Wasn't too bad but took some time to do.
Good luck, start with the clerk in your city hall.
Your UK embassy really wouldn't have much to do with legal marriages done inside of HUngary, they have their own rules.

Thank you for the feedback. I have checked with the deed poll company who say that apostilated deed polls are normally okay within the EU. The process in the UK is so much simpler than in the US, sorry that you had to go through that but potential hazard with the HU authorities noted.

fluffy2560 wrote:

HU means hassle.

Just to clear up what I meant as the OP was British.

In the UK, there's no need even to have a change of name via  the deed poll method (it's actually a self-declaration or a deed).

In the UK, an adult can just start calling themselves something else anytime and they do not need permission for it from anyone at all, not even a court.  That might surprise other people from other countries but it's not the same in England or Wales or even Ireland.  Slight differences in Scotland.

However, some agencies of UK government like to see paperwork, even if you did it by yourself.   What they want to know is that this is a permanent change but really there' nothing they can actually do about it if you really insist.   To smooth the way, many people choose the deed poll as a way of having something to shove in front of a bureaucrat's nose.

The point about the UK embassy is that it's necessary to get a certificate to say you are free to marry in Hungary  (as you might still be married in the UK).  It's called a CNI - Certificate of No Impediment. So that means getting that document from the UK and possibly stamped at the UK embassy. 

Anyway, re names. My point was that a deed poll is a self-declaration of name change and if that is seen at a UK embassy, they may stamp it and therefore make it acceptable to HU authorities (by dint of mutual recognition of documents even if no such system for free for all name changes exists here).    On the other hand, in HU, the official reviewing your paperwork might implode.

Might be best to ask the UK embassy about the name paperwork predicament.

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK.  There's far less messing about and it's really easy and what's more, all the paperwork is already in the right languages and they are more used to foreign documentation.  Mrs Fluffy and I did it that way after we realised it was just too much of a pain here.

Thank you and yes marriage in the Uk is an option but Jin has a Chinese passport and even though she has PR in HU she would have to get a UK visa and that is hassle like no other. We need to book halls etc then apply for the visa, give my tenants notice in the UK or find other place for a couple of months. Then we would have to wait a minimum of three months for a visa decision and even then we might get turned down. We will consider if less hassle than HU


Self declaration is no problem but I need it backdating and authorising so as to be accepted in HU so for £100 I think I'll risk that.

Thank you for helpful feedback

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK. 

Unless I am missing some details (and with government and their bureaucracies, that is more than possible) this seems to me to be a no brainier.

His fiancee is not a HU citizen, nor is he (I assume). But he is a UK citizen. Why would they want to marry in Hungary and not the UK?

OP said the planned Missus was Chinese with PR (Permanent Residence) in HU.   As far as I know, as she has PR in the Schengen countries she can go anywhere within Schengen without a visa BUT as UK and Ireland are not Schengen, she needs a visa for there especially if she's going to get married.  Probably one of the reasons to avoid the UK.

Getting a UK visa could be a real nightmare for a Chinese national - there are so many restrictions, especially for marriage, it's not that easy but might be OK if they'd accept PR as equivalent to HU citizenship.  Then it'd be easy. I can imagine it's not a very simple situation.

UK visas are a PITA.  People get refused all the time for stupid reasons.  African guy I met once had been invited by the UK government to attend a course in London.  But he was refused a visa by the British Embassy despite having an invitation letter from another (UK) government department.   Now that's joined up thinking.

D'oh!

Absolutely and totally my experience from the research I've done.

Might be a long shot, but I hear Denmark is very easy to get married in.

meslo wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

.....

UK visas are a PITA.  People get refused all the time for stupid reasons.  African guy I met once had been invited by the UK government to attend a course in London.  But he was refused a visa by the British Embassy despite having an invitation letter from another (UK) government department.   Now that's joined up thinking. ...

Absolutely and totally my experience from the research I've done.

Got more to share? Might help someone!

Ravi Sambrekar wrote:

Hey hi , need some help to know how much does it cost to do translate the documents in hungry,  and it manditory to get translate at the place where the district official mention, as they told us it might cost around 1 million foraint for 3 documents.  I feel that's not right . Can you help me to get some info which is best place and also name and address for translate office which is certified.

Sorry to tell you,yes there so far is ONE official office to get Foreign to Hungarian documents translated.
They just come up with figures at random.
My best advice is to look as poor as you possibly can because there is no real posted prices for services.
I had to have translations done several years back and my Hungarian husband went in.
He was sitting and speaking with a man from Romania who needed exactly the same service we needed, translation of marriage certificate.
Well. he was from Romania so his quoted price was only about $15.00 mine from the US was around $150.!!
After speaking to that man my husband threw a fit inside the office and didn't give 2 S**** who heard him.
He was over a barrel and had to go with it.
When he went to pick up the papers about 2 weeks later they gave him a discount of about $50. Probably were afraid
of him going off again.
3 Million forints seems like extortion , that is really out of line. Maybe a lawyer would cost less then that.That amount seems way, way too high, I suppose many people are trying to make extra income off your back, not right at all.
I went through this about 8 years ago so not sure what is happening now but still 3 mill is extortion pricing.
My husband is the most soft spoken kind person anyone could meet so him getting loud was really something.

meslo wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

HU means hassle.

Just to clear up what I meant as the OP was British.

In the UK, there's no need even to have a change of name via  the deed poll method (it's actually a self-declaration or a deed).

In the UK, an adult can just start calling themselves something else anytime and they do not need permission for it from anyone at all, not even a court.  That might surprise other people from other countries but it's not the same in England or Wales or even Ireland.  Slight differences in Scotland.

However, some agencies of UK government like to see paperwork, even if you did it by yourself.   What they want to know is that this is a permanent change but really there' nothing they can actually do about it if you really insist.   To smooth the way, many people choose the deed poll as a way of having something to shove in front of a bureaucrat's nose.

The point about the UK embassy is that it's necessary to get a certificate to say you are free to marry in Hungary  (as you might still be married in the UK).  It's called a CNI - Certificate of No Impediment. So that means getting that document from the UK and possibly stamped at the UK embassy. 

Anyway, re names. My point was that a deed poll is a self-declaration of name change and if that is seen at a UK embassy, they may stamp it and therefore make it acceptable to HU authorities (by dint of mutual recognition of documents even if no such system for free for all name changes exists here).    On the other hand, in HU, the official reviewing your paperwork might implode.

Might be best to ask the UK embassy about the name paperwork predicament.

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK.  There's far less messing about and it's really easy and what's more, all the paperwork is already in the right languages and they are more used to foreign documentation.  Mrs Fluffy and I did it that way after we realised it was just too much of a pain here.

Thank you and yes marriage in the Uk is an option but Jin has a Chinese passport and even though she has PR in HU she would have to get a UK visa and that is hassle like no other. We need to book halls etc then apply for the visa, give my tenants notice in the UK or find other place for a couple of months. Then we would have to wait a minimum of three months for a visa decision and even then we might get turned down. We will consider if less hassle than HU


Self declaration is no problem but I need it backdating and authorising so as to be accepted in HU so for £100 I think I'll risk that.

Thank you for helpful feedback

Maybe you 2 kids should get married in China? Perhaps that is at first glance expensive but in then long run might work out best? good luck.
It is sad when paperwork gets in the way of true love.

meslo wrote:

....
Thank you and yes marriage in the Uk is an option but Jin has a Chinese passport and even though she has PR in HU she would have to get a UK visa and that is hassle like no other. We need to book halls etc then apply for the visa, give my tenants notice in the UK or find other place for a couple of months. Then we would have to wait a minimum of three months for a visa decision and even then we might get turned down. We will consider if less hassle than HU


Self declaration is no problem but I need it backdating and authorising so as to be accepted in HU so for £100 I think I'll risk that.

Thank you for helpful feedback

While you need to be in the UK for the banns to be read, no-one will be checking on you between the dates of application and the actual marriage.  I think the minimum period is about 2 weeks.

And of course, here, only the civil ceremony means anything and anything else is just for show.   I don't know your plans but you could always get married in a registry office in the UK, then have the blow out as wanted here sometime later. 

Mrs Fluffy and I did it on the cheap.  We did it in the registry office. We told anyone we thought interested to attend the ceremony and we'd be having lunch in the pub down the road.   In the end, we had about 15 people there.  Good enough!

Our opinion was that it was OUR wedding and not directly anyone else's.  Besides we'd already been shacked up together 10+ years and therefore it was hardly going to be a change in circumstances.

One of my relatives spent £27k on a daughters wedding only to find her divorced 3 years later.  That level of dosh could have been better spent in hindsight!

fluffy2560 wrote:

meslo wrote:

....
Thank you and yes marriage in the Uk is an option but Jin has a Chinese passport and even though she has PR in HU she would have to get a UK visa and that is hassle like no other. We need to book halls etc then apply for the visa, give my tenants notice in the UK or find other place for a couple of months. Then we would have to wait a minimum of three months for a visa decision and even then we might get turned down. We will consider if less hassle than HU


Self declaration is no problem but I need it backdating and authorising so as to be accepted in HU so for £100 I think I'll risk that.

Thank you for helpful feedback

While you need to be in the UK for the banns to be read, no-one will be checking on you between the dates of application and the actual marriage.  I think the minimum period is about 2 weeks.

And of course, here, only the civil ceremony means anything and anything else is just for show.   I don't know your plans but you could always get married in a registry office in the UK, then have the blow out as wanted here sometime later. 

Mrs Fluffy and I did it on the cheap.  We did it in the registry office. We told anyone we thought interested to attend the ceremony and we'd be having lunch in the pub down the road.   In the end, we had about 15 people there.  Good enough!

Our opinion was that it was OUR wedding and not directly anyone else's.  Besides we'd already been shacked up together 10+ years and therefore it was hardly going to be a change in circumstances.

One of my relatives spent £27k on a daughters wedding only to find her divorced 3 years later.  That level of dosh could have been better spent in hindsight!

I'll top that one Mr. Fluffy.My co-worker and friend who was a hairdresser let her father spend in the mid 1980's $40,000 for a at home wedding. Custom dresses and Limos and a marching band, couple weeks honeymoon siking somewhere.
She called me up when she got home to see how many "gifts" she had collected and show off their little house they were renting. Cute but while we were sipping tea it just about came out of my nose when she confessed she had already had been seeing her old boyfriend! She was divorced about 2 months later.
I asked her why and all she said was she wanted to see what it was like to get married....
She was 19 years old but still a bit childish on her part.
Her father could afford it but still,how rude of her.
Anyone from S. Ca. at that time probably heard the advertisement on the FM radio stations every hour for ,"Prositraction Tires" her father owned that tire co. with his brother. Then his nephew got involved and stole a ton or money, they were forced to close down the co. but he still made a pretty penny and got to play in the country club after the shops closed down...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

......
I asked her why and all she said was she wanted to see what it was like to get married....
She was 19 years old but still a bit childish on her part.
Her father could afford it but still,how rude of her....

Oh that's exactly what was said of my relative's daughter!  She wanted the big shindig.  Well, my kids aren't getting that kind of thing because a) I don't have any money and; b) I think it's a waste. We'll have a party but the no way we'll have the fancy nonsense at a religious establishment.  In fact, I'd rather the happy couple to live together to see how it goes.  Then when they get over 40 with two kids, then they can get married on their terms and for them. Definitely not the wider family's idea of a marriage.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

......
I asked her why and all she said was she wanted to see what it was like to get married....
She was 19 years old but still a bit childish on her part.
Her father could afford it but still,how rude of her....

Oh that's exactly what was said of my relative's daughter!  She wanted the big shindig.  Well, my kids aren't getting that kind of thing because a) I don't have any money and; b) I think it's a waste. We'll have a party but the no way we'll have the fancy nonsense at a religious establishment.  In fact, I'd rather the happy couple to live together to see how it goes.  Then when they get over 40 with two kids, then they can get married on their terms and for them. Definitely not the wider family's idea of a marriage.

My son's second marriage was in Las Vegas with a justice of the peace BUT his wife wanted her due.
So about 18 months later they flew to Japan and had a nice wedding Japanese style.
All the clothing was rented as they do in Japan. First she had on a really nice big white dress and my son had on a nice suit in a Japanese high collar sort of design with tie and his trendy haircut, then they had traditional Japanese outfits, she had her hair done up Japanese wedding style and my son was dressed like a Samurai, nice photos of that. ( Japanese ladies look so pretty in their traditional clothing)
Was hard to fit him they had to bring in a tailor since he is 6'3" tall, nothing off the rack.
Then the entire family about 8 people and kids flew them to Okinawa for a week honeymoon.
Everyone went on the honeymoon with them! Crazy but guess that's a thing in Japan?
We were invited to the event, all free for us expect the airfare but my husband just didn't feel right, he never likes anyone to pay his way and he didn't feel like spending that much money on a short vacation.
Makes me sad sort of my only child has had 3 weddings and I never went to any of them.
He seems to only need me when he is getting a divorce!!
His first wedding in Hungary with his first wife was an even we had planned on attending but he dragged his feet so long that we had to leave and we missed it.
In Japan he had it all recorded for us to see, we skyped his family and sort of felt part of it.
At the service in Japan, it was held in some sort of Christian thing, Not minister or priest more like MC was there leading the way.Japanese style all the way.
They said vows to each other in Japanese, I was very impressed that our son addressed her family and friends and spoke in Japanese at length. Didn't realize he actually knew his stuff.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
My son's second marriage was in Las Vegas with a justice of the peace BUT his wife wanted her due.
So about 18 months later they flew to Japan and had a nice wedding Japanese style.
....
Then the entire family about 8 people and kids flew them to Okinawa for a week honeymoon.
Everyone went on the honeymoon with them! Crazy but guess that's a thing in Japan?
We were invited to the event, all free for us expect the airfare but my husband just didn't feel right, he never likes anyone to pay his way and he didn't feel like spending that much money on a short vacation.....

I suppose it works differently in other cultures but waste of money really if one is older, well established and previously married adult.  It's about the couple themselves, not the wider family - at least in my mind.   

To me, it was an administrative arrangement as we'd been together years. No change at home or in anything else!

I sort of agree,my husband said they would of been better off if her father had just given them the cash spent on the wedding and holiday.
Not sure how much it was but over $10,000 not including airfare.
I would of loved to have gone, probably better I didn't as I would of been hitting the saki!
We got married Justice of the peace in Vegas, good enough been 40 legal years this year!
No refunds or exchanges at this point!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I sort of agree,my husband said they would of been better off if her father had just given them the cash spent on the wedding and holiday.
Not sure how much it was but over $10,000 not including airfare.
I would of loved to have gone, probably better I didn't as I would of been hitting the saki!
We got married Justice of the peace in Vegas, good enough been 40 legal years this year!
No refunds or exchanges at this point!

Yes exactly, that $10K is better spent on setting up home, especially the first time around.   

I've got a number of kids and I'd be bankrupted if I had to pay out for all of them to get spliced.

I'd rather pay for them to go to university, get a decent job, then they can pay for their own party!

Exactly but my son went for a traditional  lady so guess it's a package deal.
My mom's had a strange situation 3 girls with no father paying for support, only our step-dad.
We all sort of knew years ahead of time not to reach for the stars.
Sad, cause I do think we all were decent girls and should of had the  big wedding.
My eldest sister had it, my step-dad paid for it all and even asked my father to walk with her. Total class considering my dad never sent a penny towards our care in many years. Unless giving a buck or two here and there counts for much. Even then my sister tried to not break the bank, had a friend sew our dresses and held the after party at her BFF's mom's nice home.They were very happy to have it at their home, they introduced my sister to her husband.
I'm a "strange' sort of gal, really would be so embarrassed to have a fancy wedding, not my style at all, sort of a Tom Boy I suppose but will cry like a baby at anyone else's wedding...
My second eldest sister had a crazy wedding, I think someone from Kill Bill may of been watching because her wedding in las Vegas wasn't too far off from the crazy wedding in Kill Bill 1 or 2?
My sister's future husband was drafted into the military during Vietnam.
he was sent to SC and my sister went with him. Our mother was out of her mind since they hadn't married before she went off with him, no time for it.
They both promised my mum they would marry ASAP when they got to SC.
Well, about 6 months later after his training they came back to S. Ca.
He went to the military base and my sis stayed at my mom's home temp.
Mom found out my sister was with child and went insane, I mean INSANE!!
Total shot gun wedding.
It was wed now or never set foot in my mom's house agin etc.
I was 14 at that time.
Mom, step- dad, daddy , sister and BIL to be all got into step-dad funky old station wagon and off we were to Las Vegas. When I think about it now, I have no clue where his parents were or why they weren't around, they only lived about 20 mins away from my mom.
Mom made us all bring "fancy" clothing for the event.
It was super dry Vegas killer heat outside with no A/C in the car.
Guess it was around 1969 or so.
We checked into the hotel in Vegas but mom was so hyped up on seeing them married that we forgot about dressing up and went into the city hall and justice of the peace as we were.
My BIL had a military haircut but was dressed like Hippie,( even had on "Love Beads") my sister was fashion model slim and had on thigh high boots and super mini-skirt and some sort of  poor boy style top.
I had on jeans, my hair straight down my back and a Hippie vest Mexican style with desert boots on.
Mom had on normal housewife out on the town 60's clothing and my step-dad and father were wearing white shirts with slacks  and polished shoes.
When we went to do the deed at one of the strip Chapels the minister was wearing, I swear to God, a huge 10 Gallon cowboy hat with boots on!Had a twangy accent and all get out.
I almost died laughing with my sister and BIL. My mom was mad as all get out but the deed was done and then she could relax.
My family is nuts!
Would of probably gotten 500,000 U tube hits if we had done it now!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

......
When we went to do the deed at one of the strip Chapels the minister was wearing, I swear to God, a huge 10 Gallon cowboy hat with boots on!Had a twangy accent and all get out.
I almost died laughing with my sister and BIL. My mom was mad as all get out but the deed was done and then she could relax.
My family is nuts!
Would of probably gotten 500,000 U tube hits if we had done it now!

Haha!  That's one for your forthcoming book and mini-series on your groovy life in the 60s!

No-one bats an eyelid these days if someone has got a bun in the oven and no ring on the finger.  It's just normal.  At least in the UK it is.   I think even  20 years ago about 30% of kids were born out of wedlock.  Probably more like 70%+ now. 

I'd look it up but I've got to get under the car before it rains again,

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

meslo wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

HU means hassle.

Just to clear up what I meant as the OP was British.

In the UK, there's no need even to have a change of name via  the deed poll method (it's actually a self-declaration or a deed).

In the UK, an adult can just start calling themselves something else anytime and they do not need permission for it from anyone at all, not even a court.  That might surprise other people from other countries but it's not the same in England or Wales or even Ireland.  Slight differences in Scotland.

However, some agencies of UK government like to see paperwork, even if you did it by yourself.   What they want to know is that this is a permanent change but really there' nothing they can actually do about it if you really insist.   To smooth the way, many people choose the deed poll as a way of having something to shove in front of a bureaucrat's nose.

The point about the UK embassy is that it's necessary to get a certificate to say you are free to marry in Hungary  (as you might still be married in the UK).  It's called a CNI - Certificate of No Impediment. So that means getting that document from the UK and possibly stamped at the UK embassy. 

Anyway, re names. My point was that a deed poll is a self-declaration of name change and if that is seen at a UK embassy, they may stamp it and therefore make it acceptable to HU authorities (by dint of mutual recognition of documents even if no such system for free for all name changes exists here).    On the other hand, in HU, the official reviewing your paperwork might implode.

Might be best to ask the UK embassy about the name paperwork predicament.

On the other hand, I would really advise anyone British to get married in the UK.  There's far less messing about and it's really easy and what's more, all the paperwork is already in the right languages and they are more used to foreign documentation.  Mrs Fluffy and I did it that way after we realised it was just too much of a pain here.

Thank you and yes marriage in the Uk is an option but Jin has a Chinese passport and even though she has PR in HU she would have to get a UK visa and that is hassle like no other. We need to book halls etc then apply for the visa, give my tenants notice in the UK or find other place for a couple of months. Then we would have to wait a minimum of three months for a visa decision and even then we might get turned down. We will consider if less hassle than HU


Self declaration is no problem but I need it backdating and authorising so as to be accepted in HU so for £100 I think I'll risk that.

Thank you for helpful feedback

Maybe you 2 kids should get married in China? Perhaps that is at first glance expensive but in then long run might work out best? good luck.
It is sad when paperwork gets in the way of true love.

I share your sentiments about paperwork and true love, some of the stories of separation and paperwork for UK citizens are so sad. Also, if you are British you can't bring your wife to the UK unless you earn more than £18,600 pa.

Just asked Jin and no, China is a none starter.

fluffy2560 wrote:

meslo wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

.....

UK visas are a PITA.  People get refused all the time for stupid reasons.  African guy I met once had been invited by the UK government to attend a course in London.  But he was refused a visa by the British Embassy despite having an invitation letter from another (UK) government department.   Now that's joined up thinking. ...

Absolutely and totally my experience from the research I've done.

Got more to share? Might help someone!

Okay, just a quick google of UK visa refusals shows how they are looking to fail you. Then you must wait 3 months from submission of visa application to travel. Then they expect to see evidence that you intend to get married but you won't reserve halls etc. until you know your application has been successful.
They can refuse for suspicion that your partner might work - with no evidence that they will, just that you haven't proved that they wont - case of freelance software engineer refusal.
Basically not worth the hassle.