To get legally married in Santorini you'll usually need apostilled birth certificates, a certificate of no impediment, official Greek translations of everything, and the paperwork submitted several weeks before the big day. The exact list depends on your nationality and it does change from time to time, so when you book with us we confirm the current requirements for your country before anything else. And here is the part many couples are relieved to hear: a symbolic ceremony needs no paperwork at all, which is why most of our couples choose that route and sign the legal papers at home.
One thing before we start: we are wedding planners, not lawyers! What follows is the plain-English version of how things have worked for our couples over the years. Your embassy and the Greek authorities always have the final word, so please treat this as friendly guidance and not legal advice.
Can foreigners legally get married in Santorini?
Yes! Couples from all over the world have civil weddings on our island every year. A civil ceremony in Greece is a short, official wedding performed by the mayor or a deputy, usually at the town hall, and afterwards you receive a Greek marriage certificate. In our experience most countries recognize a Greek civil marriage, but do check with the authorities at home before you book anything, every country has its own rules about foreign marriages.
The catch is not whether you can, it's the preparation. Greek town halls take their paperwork seriously, and everything must arrive translated, stamped and on time.
What documents does a civil wedding in Santorini usually need?
The typical list looks like this:
- Your passports
- Recent birth certificates carrying an apostille stamp
- A certificate of no impediment, the official proof that you are both free to marry
- Official Greek translations of all of the above
- If one of you was married before, the divorce or death certificate too, apostilled and translated like the rest
We say "typical" on purpose. The requirements depend on your nationality and they change from time to time. In our experience many couples from outside Europe need an extra freedom-to-marry document from their embassy, authenticated by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while couples from countries like the USA, Canada or Australia usually have a simpler path. When you book with us we confirm the current list for your country, step by step, so nothing is left to guessing.
The translations must be official ones, not something a Greek-speaking friend types up. You can arrange them yourself, or through our agency, at the time of writing translation through us costs 300 euro.
How far ahead should the paperwork start?
Several weeks before the wedding, at the very minimum. Our own booking terms ask for the legal documents one month before the event, and the certificates should be freshly issued, no older than three months. Remember that your home authorities need their own time to produce birth certificates and apostilles, so honestly, the best moment to start is the day you pick your date.
If you are dreaming of a legal wedding here, send us an email before you order a single document. We will tell you exactly what to request and in what order, and it saves couples a lot of back and forth.
What happens on the wedding day itself?
The ceremony itself is short and sweet. You, your two witnesses, the officiant, a few signatures, and suddenly you are married in Greece! Witnesses can be friends or family travelling with you; if it's just the two of you, tell us and we'll look at the options together.
Afterwards the marriage must be registered here in Santorini on the next business day. You can do that yourselves, or authorize us to handle it while you two go swim in the Aegean instead. We know which one our couples usually pick!
The paperwork is not the wedding. The moment you say "I do" above the caldera is. Choose the road that lets you actually enjoy it.
The easy road: a symbolic ceremony with no paperwork at all
Here is what most of our couples actually do. A symbolic ceremony looks and feels exactly like a wedding: the celebrant, the vows, the rings, the champagne, the tears (often the groom's, we won't name names). What it doesn't have is documents. No apostilles, no translations, no deadlines, nothing to post or stamp.
Then, before or after the trip, you have a quiet ten-minute visit to your local registry office at home for the legal part. Nobody at the ceremony will ever know the difference, and your photos certainly won't. Our symbolic wedding packages start at 850 euros plus VAT, and they can happen on a cliff, on a black sand beach, or at your hotel terrace.
This is also how same-day weddings work. Some couples propose at sunset and marry the next morning, or even the same evening! Have a look at our Santorini elopement weddings page for how that unfolds. If you want the elopement to be legal rather than symbolic, you would have to contact us well beforehand so the wedding documents are prepared in time.
Civil or symbolic, which one is right for you?
If it matters to you that the marriage certificate itself says Greece, go civil. It is completely doable with a bit of planning, and our civil Santorini wedding packages exist for exactly that. If you are short on time, arriving by cruise ship, or you simply hate bureaucracy as much as we suspect you do, go symbolic and keep the paperwork at home.
Either way the sunset over the caldera is the same, we promise. More small practical answers live on our Santorini proposal FAQ page too.
Questions couples ask us
Is a symbolic wedding in Santorini legally binding?
No. A symbolic ceremony has all the beauty of a wedding, the celebrant, the vows, the rings, but no legal effect. Couples handle the legal marriage at their local registry office at home, before or after the trip, and keep Santorini for the moment itself.
Do we need witnesses for a civil wedding in Santorini?
Usually yes, two witnesses sign along with you. Friends or family travelling with you are perfect. If you are coming just the two of you, tell us early and we will look at the options together.
Do our documents need to be translated into Greek?
Yes, the documents for a civil wedding need official Greek translations. You can arrange them yourself or through our agency; at the time of writing, translation through us costs 300 euro.
Can we get married the same day as our proposal?
With a symbolic ceremony, yes! Same-day elopements are one of our favourite things to plan. For a legal wedding you would need to contact us well beforehand so the documents are prepared in time.
We arrive by cruise ship. Can we still get married in Santorini?
Symbolically, absolutely. Couples marry on a day visit all the time. For a legal ceremony, cruise travellers usually need extra arrangements, such as a power of attorney prepared through a Greek Embassy before travelling, so email us as early as you can.
Still not sure which road is yours? Write to us at Info@SantoriniProposals.com or through our contact page, tell us your nationality and your dream, and we'll reply with the honest, current picture for your country. It all starts with an email, and we love getting them!
