How to Get Married in Ireland - Apply for your Marriage License the Easy Way

Here’s a simple step-by-step process for North Americans (USA & Canada) on how to get legally married in Ireland — perfect if you’re planning an elopement in Ireland, a destination wedding in Ireland, or just want to make your wedding in Ireland official. This guide is based on the legal info from the Eloping in Ireland website: https://elopinginireland.ie/legal-requirements/.

How North Americans Can Get Legally Married in Ireland — Step by Step

1. Dream It & Start Planning Your Elopement in Ireland

Decide your wedding date, location, and officiant for your intimate Irish elopement or destination wedding in Ireland.

2. Gather Your Documents

Before you apply for your marriage license in Ireland, you’ll need:

• Valid passports for both partners
• Divorce decree(s) if previously married
• Death certificate if widowed
• Civil partnership dissolution papers (if applicable)
• Proof of immigration status (for non-EU/EEA nationals)
• Names and birthdates of your two witnesses (over the age of 18)
• Details of your officiant and venue

These are essential for your marriage license application.

3. Connect With the Irish Registrar

Contact the Irish Registrar who handles marriages where your ceremony will take place. They’ll explain what’s required legally to get married in Ireland and how to apply for your marriage license.

4. Submit Your Marriage Application (Remotely Is OK!)

You can complete the paperwork before you arrive — people living outside of Ireland (including USA & Canadian couples) submit their marriage notification and application by email or post. There’s no need to travel months in advance.

5. Pay Legal & Paperwork Fees

There’s a legal fee (€220) payable directly to the Registrar’s Office, which covers your official paperwork and certificate.

6. Meet the Registrar in Ireland

Even if you submitted your application remotely, you’ll usually need to meet with the Registrar in person a few days before your wedding for final checks and to receive your official Marriage Registration Form (Ireland’s version of a marriage license).

7. Say “I Do” at Your Elopement or Wedding in Ireland

Bring your Marriage Registration Form (marriage license) to your ceremony, and make sure you have two adult witnesses aged 18+ (Eloping in Ireland can provide them if you don’t have guests). Your wedding Officiant and witnesses will sign your form on the day.

8. Receive Your Official Irish Marriage Certificate

After your ceremony, your completed Marriage Registration Form gets submitted, and you’ll receive your official Irish marriage certificate — which is recognized back home in the USA & Canada.

Quick tip: The key document is the Marriage Registration Form (your marriage license) — without it, you cannot be legally married in Ireland.

If you want to read the full legal details directly, check out the original page here, https://elopinginireland.ie/legal-requirements/. 

With experience planning 1,500+ unforgettable elopements and destination weddings in Ireland for couples from the USA and Canada, Eloping in Ireland knows exactly how to make the journey simple, seamless, and genuinely enjoyable. From guiding you through how to get married in Ireland and helping you apply for your marriage license in Ireland, to planning breathtaking locations and every meaningful detail in between, we take care of it all—so you can relax, soak it in, and focus on what truly matters: celebrating your love in one of the most magical places on earth.

Love from Ireland,

Stephen & Roisin
Eloping in Ireland

E-mail: hello@elopinginireland.ie
Call toll-free: 1-800-481-4055 (USA & Canada only)
Text toll-free: 1-833-210-7193 (USA & Canada only)

Thanks so much for posting this wonderful page on Eloping to Ireland to get married! 💒

In addition to this list of requirements to make sure you have all the boxes ticked, there is a page on our website on Finding your ideal wedding venue that may be worth a look, too. The location choices are vast, so you are bound to find somewhere to make your special day, well, special! 💚

Has anyone been to the island of Ireland to get married?

Absolutely — many couples travel to the island of Ireland specifically to get married, and it has become incredibly popular over the past decade.

Over the last 12 years, we’ve planned more than 1,500 elopements, destination weddings, and vow renewals for couples from all over the world. What was once considered unusual is now a well-established part of Ireland’s wedding and tourism landscape.

On average, couples invite around 14 guests, with each guest staying approximately 6 nights in Ireland. Beyond the wedding itself, the average spend per person is about €2,200 on accommodation, dining, transport, and sightseeing. Over the past 12 years, the Eloping in Ireland company has brought more than 25,000 couples and guests to Ireland, supporting local businesses and communities nationwide.

When it comes to the legal side, couples have flexible options. Some choose to get legally married in their home country before or after their wedding in Ireland, while others decide to get legally married in Ireland and receive their marriage license here. Around 40% of our American and Canadian couples choose to legally marry in Ireland, and we guide them through the entire marriage license application process in Ireland, making it clear, manageable, and stress-free. For anyone curious about the legal side, we also have a clear step-by-step guide on our website explaining exactly how to get legally married in Ireland.

Together with our trusted travel partner, we’re able to look after everything — from planning the wedding day itself to handling all travel logistics within Ireland, making it a seamless and stress-free experience for couples and their guests. 

It’s amazing to see how eloping and destination weddings in Ireland have grown into such a meaningful part of Irish tourism — and why so many couples continue to choose Ireland for such an important moment in their lives. 💚