| Marriage
Licence Paperwork - Making it Official
Getting
married in the US Virgin Islands is easy with minimal paperwork.
You will not need a blood test or a physical. If you are already
married (vow re-newal) or if this a committment ceremony then
you do not need to follow these proceedures. The cost for
a marriage license is $100.
Court
house hours:
Note before you reserve that you will need to go to the court
house before your wedding once on island. The court house
hours are as follows:
Monday to Friday 8am
to 5pm
Saturday 10am to noon.
Sunday 9:30am to 11am.
Holidays - varies - need to call to verify.
Note that there is an extra $150 court house fee for going
to the court house on a holiday or Sunday.
STEP ONE - Court House Paperwork
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Download,
fill out, and mail forms along with $100 certified check
or money order to the court (no personal checks accepted)
made out to the "Superior Court of the Virgin Islands".
Download the Marriage License and application forms
and fill them out (below). You
will need to have this paperwork in the court house
at least 8 business days before your wedding date. It
is good to mail the paperwork in one to two months ahead
of time. If you mail it in any sooner than that then
the court house may missplace it.
Application
for marriage license - See
sample marriage application filled out.
License &
certificate of marriage - See
sample licence certificate filled out.
Instructions on filling out
your marriage licence & application.
download
acrobat reader
They
must be typed or in extremely ledgible neat print (no
cursive). Can be typed on our on line form.
If you are divorced you need to send your most recent
Certified Divorce Decree in English (with a raised seal or
stamped certified copy) signed by the judge from the
court in which you were divorced (not just a notarized copy).
Your divorce must be final and dated thirty days prior
to your wedding date if contested or by default. No
exceptions. If either spouse is widowed, you will need
a certified, stamped copy of your spouse's death certificate.
After
completion mail them, along with a $100 certified check
or money order made out to the Superior Court of the
Virgin Islands. If you are from Canada make sure your
money order is from a bank and not the post office or
it will be sent back.
Send by
Priority Mail - get tracking but not signature confirmation
(no one will be there to sign and it will come back
to you).
MAIL TO:
Superior
Court of the Virgin Islands
P.O. Box 70
St. Thomas, USVI 00804
If you are cutting it close to
the date and want to send it Express or Fed Express
then use the address below. You can get tracking and/or
signature confirmation.
Superior Court of the Virgin Islands
5400 Veterans Drive
St. Thomas, USVI 00802 |
STEP TWO- Call Court House
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A
few days after you mail the court house then call them
at 340-774-6680 ( ext 6207 or ask for marriage licence
department) to verify that your paperwork has arrived
and that everything is in order.
To
get better service always start your phone conversation
with "good morning" or "good afternoon"
- this is a local custom that you will find useful on
St. Thomas before handling any business (ie talking
to a local sales clerk, ordering a burger, getting into
a taxi).
Also ask them for the ref # for your marriage license
- write this down as you will need it when you go to
the court house when you get on island. If they have
not assigned a ref # at the time of your call ask them
when you should call them back for it.
Also verify if your
wedding date falls on a government holiday or a Virgin
Island holiday. If it does ask for special instructions.
After
the completed Marriage Licence and application is received
via mail in the island courts, there is a required
eight-day waiting period before you are allowed to get
married. This rule can be waived if you ask.
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STEP THREE- Once on St. Thomas go to the court
house before your wedding
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Once
you arrive on St. Thomas a quick trip to the courthouse
is required to pick up your marriage license in person.
The
courts are open 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday
Saturday 10am to noon.
Sunday 9:30am to 11am.
Holidays - varies - need
to call to verify.
Important to know before you go
to the court house:
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STEP FOUR - Get Married
STEP FIVE - After
your wedding return signed papers back to court house.
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After
your ceremony you will need to go back to the court
house to drop off your signed paperwork. If you are
staying on island then you can do this days after the
ceremony. Your minister can drop off the paperwork afterwards
for you for an extra handling fee of $25. If you do
it yourself you will walk off the island with your final
papers. If your minister handles the paperwork then
you will have to wait 2 to 3 weeks for the final papers
to arrive in the mail. Another option is to mail it
in. If you are getting married on a weekend or holiday
you may not have the option to go back to the court
house as it may be closed.
If
you are not from the US you will need to check with
courts with regards to special requirements for your
country. Usually you will need an Apostile. You can
either take care of getting it right after getting your
final certified copy of your licence OR you can mail
it up to two weeks afterwards (Lt. Governors, #18 Kongens
Gade, St. Thomas, VI 00802). The fees and requirements
are different for each country (usually around $25).
Call 340-774-2991 and ask for the "Apostile department"
for special instructions regarding your country. |
STEP SIX - You
are married! Live happily ever after!
To Top
The
Ceremony 
Unless otherwise specified this will be the ceremony used
at your wedding:
Today
is a day of celebration. We are here, on this Caribbean
island, surrounded by incredible beauty to celebrate life,
love, and the beauty of relationships. But more importantly
we are here to celebrate the relationship of two people
who have come here to embark on an incredible journey and
set sail for a magical life together.
It is such a wonderful blessing that the two of you have found
each other in this world. Your hearts met and through your
relationship unfolded vulnerable honesty, gentle caring, and
that crazy little thing we call love, which has bonded you
for life.
The
beauty of this marriage is that you will always continue to
learn together and teach each other, to open each other to
explore new ideas, to share life and bring out the very best
in one another. The two of you will never lose your freedom
by being married because you will become freer by being together.
Your world will become larger and your options more abundant
than what would have been alone.
What could be more beautiful? What could be more fun?
*****
The Exchange of Vows
Do
you (groom) promise (bride) to be forever faithful and honest,
to share with her your dreams and your fears, to cherish her
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness
and in health and to be forever close in your souls?
groom :" I Do"
Do
you (bride)
promise (groom)
to be forever faithful and honest, to share with him your
dreams and your fears, to cherish him for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health and to be
forever close in your souls?
bride : " I Do"
*****
If you wish you can write personalized additional vows on
a card and read them to each other at this point.
*****
The exchange of rings
Let
these rings, which you are about to exchange, serve to remind
us that a circle is a symbol of the sun, the earth, and the
universe. A circle has no beginning and no ending. It is a
symbol of wholeness, peace and completeness. These rings are
very special because they remind us that we are individuals
yet we are not alone. Wear them to tell each other and the
whole world that you are in love with the very special person
wearing the other one.
( groom ) , place this ring on ( bride ) 's finger and while
holding her hand repeat after me.
I,
( groom ) , give you this ring as a symbol of how happy you
make me and as a sign to all that you are the one that I wish
to share life's journey with. May you feel surrounded by my
love each time you look at your ring.
(
bride ) , place this ring on ( groom ) 's finger and while
holding his hand repeat after me.
I,
( bride ) , give you this ring as a symbol of how happy you
make me and as a sign to all that you are the one that I wish
to share life's journey with. May you feel surrounded by my
love each time you look at your ring.
*****
Wedding Blessing
(
bride ) & ( groom ) , live your lives with passion, compassion
and
excitement
play
dance
make footprints
in the sand
sail in the gentleness of the winds
climb mountains together
laugh together
cry together
smile
often ... make life magical and extraordinary
be happy
.
be silly
rejoice in the beauty of life
and from
now on and into all of your tomorrows you will be partners
in love for life
remembering while sailing on the great
sea of marriage to always be each other's best friends.
*****
Pronouncement of Marriage
Having
witnessed the vows you have just made to each other,
surrounded by your love, the sun, the tropical sea of the
Caribbean, by the loving grace of God, and by the authority
vested in me, upheld by the laws of the U.S. Virgin Islands,
I now pronounce you co-captains in life, best friends forever,
and most of all husband and wife.
(
groom ) , you may kiss your bride.
xxxoooxxxooo
Island
Wedding Ministers, Photographers & Videographers
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
married@weddingministersvi.com
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