"civil" Marriage - Documents Needed?

[wineguy999]

Wineguy, So if the US marriage certificate (Colorado) is apostilled and translated it is good for use to get residency or citizenship? Thanks!

Yes!

 

[wineguy999]

I never had any issue with this. My wife works for the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs - we married in NYC a few years ago. The Ministry recognizes our marriage, as I am a spouse with certain benefits (e.g. medical benefits; diplomatic passport, etc.). When I applied for my permanent residency, it was done through the process available to spouses of Argentine citizens. Now.....I did have all of my documents (Birth Certificate, Certificate of Good Standing, Marriage Certificate, etc.) apostilled, translated, and then certified by the Argentine Consul here in NYC - they provided me with a permanent resident visa in my passport - and I then completed the process at Migraciones to get my DNI while I was in Buenos Aires on my last trip. According to my wife (a lawyer), you cannot be married twice (in other words, you don't get married in the US, and then get married again in Argentina) - if you do, only the first marriage is legally recognized. But other than getting the marriage certificate apostilled and translated, it should satisfy as a valid marriage in Argentina.

Yes, obtaining my residency was fairly painless as well. But before that, this is just about how the conversation went:
"Is our marriage recognized in Argentina?"
"No, according to the government of Argentina, you're not married until you pay a lot of money and go before the judge."
"Okay, we'll just get married in Argentina."
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Because you're already married."
"You just said we're not."
"..."

I think you were fortunate - my wife doesn't work in the government.

 

[citygirl]

Your marriage is automatically recognized in Argentina if you're married in the US (or anywhere else for that matter) - not sure why anyone would have told you differently. And there's no fee or anything else involved although you do need documents apostilled, etc.

 

[wineguy999]

Your marriage is automatically recognized in Argentina if you're married in the US (or anywhere else for that matter) - not sure why anyone would have told you differently. And there's no fee or anything else involved although you do need documents apostilled, etc.

He was told differently because of truth and experience.

You definitely need to certify this claim. Several here know otherwise, as has been stated.

 

[citygirl]

Personal experience as well. Unless both of you aren't Argentine?

You can't legally get married in two countries. Any country will recognize your marriage that occurred in another country. And you as foreign citizen can simply and easily apply for permanent residency as spouse of Argentine citizen, regardless of where you were married without any need for judge. Stevied's experience is the norm, not because his spouse works in government.

ETA - Unless you're saying it would have been $1200 and required judge,etc to get the libreta and have your marriage written in to the civil registry in Argentina? Yes, I believe that does require a judge. But I'm not entirely sure why you would want to do that? It's not required in order for spouse to obtain residency or for anything else that I'm aware of?

To the OP - this lists all the steps needed: http://www.buenosair...e-de-matrimonio

It's much easier if neither of you has been previously married. Not impossible by any means with divorces but there is extra paperwork involved. And appostiles. FWIW, I got the entire process from start to married (even with my husband's prior marriage/divorce in the US and the paperwork that entailed) in under 2 weeks.

 

[citygirl]

Did you happen to find out anything? I'm been combing old threads here trying to find out the same information but most refer to what to do after you get married for citizenship/residency. I have the same questions as you so if you found out what documents you needed as a US citizen marrying an Argentine citizen, let me know. Also, does the testigo/witness need to be an Argentine citizen as well or can they be visiting from the US? Thanks for any information at all!!!

You need at least 2 testigos of age, with non expired DNI and living in Argentina. Se necesitaran dos testigos obligatorios que sean mayores de edad, capaces con DNI en vigencia y domicilio registrado en la República Argentina.

​You can pay for extra witnesses and those can be foreigners I believe.

 

[Stevied]

ETA - Unless you're saying it would have been $1200 and required judge,etc to get the libreta and have your marriage written in to the civil registry in Argentina? Yes, I believe that does require a judge. But I'm not entirely sure why you would want to do that? It's not required in order for spouse to obtain residency or for anything else that I'm aware of?

Yes, this is spot on, and what my wife mentioned to me this morning. She said the only reason that she can think of where you might want to have the marriage written in the civil registry is for purposes of inheritance.

 

[wineguy999]

ETA - Unless you're saying it would have been $1200 and required judge,etc to get the libreta and have your marriage written in to the civil registry in Argentina? Yes, I believe that does require a judge. But I'm not entirely sure why you would want to do that? It's not required in order for spouse to obtain residency or for anything else that I'm aware of?

Why would one want to do that? Try to make a medical decision for your comatose spouse when you're in a country that doesn't officially recognize your marriage.

Good luck!

 

[citygirl]

I'm still trying to understand why you think your marriage isn't/wouldn't be legally recognized? Unless you happen to be in a same sex marriage which occurred in one country and then you moved to one where it was not legally allowed. I understand can be more difficult. But since that's not an issue in BsAs so I'm not fully understanding.

You are still recognized as legally married (heck, it is a legal basis for permanent residency in Argentina) even if your marriage took place in another country. And vice versa, if you're married in Argentina - it's legally recognized in your home country. Think about it. If it wasn't, you could marry X in Argentina, Y in the UK, Z in France, etc, etc.

 

[davidtarbuck]

JLevi - your post has been hijacked a little but here is what you need to know. I as an Englishman just married my Argie wife in BA in January. It's quite easy but a little bureaucratic and requires trips to various offices and hospitals!

The first thing you do is go to the civil registry office and tell them you want to get married. Take along your passports and a photocopy of each. They will give you some papers to complete and a form to take to a public hospital for a blood test. They speak English there.

You can book your wedding 30 to 14 days in advance. They keep spots open for foreigners so don't worry about getting a date at a civil registry. There are 8 or 9 registry offices across BA. We got married on the one on Uruguay street near Congreso (I think).

Once you have booked the date, you need to return with all the forms and various documents and blood test 7 days in advance of the ceremony. You need to provide the Argie IDs and photocopies of 2 witness who will be at the ceremony. They must hold Argentinian citizenship and be able to speak about your relationship during the ceremony.

The papers are easy to fill out. Your fiancé can do it. The blood test is a bureaucratic nonsense but must be done. It is basically a test on both of you to ensure you don't carry Syphilis only (not any other STD!) - this is a requirement under the law. There are a few public hospitals where they do the tests, but they only open at specific times. We had to attend between 7-9am one day then come back 9-11am another day for the results!

Once you have the blood test back, you can return to the civil registry office 7 days in advance of your wedding date. The documents you will need are as follows:

- Original passports (or his Argie ID)
- 1 photocopy of your passports (or his ID)
- Original ID and photocopy of 2 witnesses (have to be Argentinian)
- Blood test results

Finally, 2 things to know. First, they will ask you how you intend to divide the property and assets in the event of divorce. The question will be if you want 1 regime or the other - do you want to combine the assets together once your married or do you wish to keep them separate? It's like a pre-nup.

Second, as the foreigner they will make you do a Spanish test to see if you need a translator or not during the ceremony. It is free anyway. I didn't need a translator but still there were times during the ceremony when I didn't fully understand everything the judge said and I had to answer a few small questions. If you don't feel comfortable then request a translator.

PS. If you have been married and divorced before, you need to provide evidence of this at the civil registry.