A civil wedding in Santorini is the real, legally binding thing - recognised back home, signed at the town hall, and celebrated wherever on the island you dream of. It takes a little more preparation than a symbolic ceremony, but for many couples that stamp on paper matters, and we completely understand.
The key is starting early: a civil wedding in Greece needs certain documents prepared and translated several weeks before your date. Once the paperwork is moving, the fun part begins - choosing your venue, your flowers, your photographer and your dinner.
What a civil wedding in Santorini involves
Every nationality has slightly different requirements, so we confirm the exact list for your country when you book. Our wedding team handles complete civil wedding packages - venue, coordination and all the essential services - while we make sure the day itself feels like yours and nobody else's. Prefer everything bundled into one plan? Have a look at our all inclusive Santorini wedding packages. If paperwork sounds heavy, remember there is always the symbolic route with none at all.
What a civil wedding package includes
Two halves. The legal half: we confirm the document list for your nationality, tell you in which order to request the certificates, check that the apostilles and the official Greek translations are complete (translation through our agency costs €300 at the time of writing), book the date with the municipality and, if you authorise us, register the marriage on the next business day while you are at the beach. The celebration half follows our symbolic wedding packages and their prices: the Essential (€850 plus VAT) with our coordinator, the champagne, the music and the certificate; the Superior (€1,600) with the car, an hour of photography with 60 colour-graded pictures, a videographer and the decorations; the Premium (€1,900) with the bridal bouquet, the boutonniere and a hairdresser at your hotel. Any municipal fee and the venue are added to your quote.
The timeline, from your first email to the certificate
The day you pick your date, write to us, before you order a single document; we reply with the list for your country. Your certificates should be freshly issued, no older than three months, carry the apostille and be officially translated into Greek, and everything must be with us one month before the wedding. On the day, the ceremony is performed by the mayor or a deputy, usually at the town hall, with your two witnesses; it is short, and then the celebration is yours: the photographer, the champagne and the sunset at the spot you chose, on the caldera, on the beach or at a venue by the water. The marriage is registered in Santorini on the next business day and you receive the Greek marriage certificate.
Will our marriage be recognised at home?
In our experience most countries recognise a Greek civil marriage, but check with your own authorities before you book; every country has its own rules about foreign marriages. If in doubt, the symbolic route with the legal part at home is the safe one.
We are only two. Who are the witnesses?
A civil wedding needs two witnesses who sign with you; friends or family travelling with you are perfect. If you come alone, tell us early and we look at the options together.
Read the paperwork in detail in our legal requirements guide, or see how a symbolic beach, caldera or hotel ceremony works if you decide to keep the legal part at home.
- Read our plain-English legal requirements guide
- Prefer no paperwork? Symbolic packages
- All our packages in one place
- Questions couples ask us - our FAQ
The paperwork takes a few weeks. The marriage takes a lifetime. We will help you with both.Santorini Proposals