Couples from all over the world choose Georgia for their wedding, and getting legally married here is quick and needs no certificates from home. Without a ceremony, you can marry on the day you apply, and a marriage certificate with an apostille is then accepted in other countries.
This guide explains step by step how to register a marriage in Georgia and what to do so that it is recognised in the country where you live.
01Documents you need
The documents for marriage registration are listed on the website of the Public Service Development Agency. Foreign nationals need:
Foreign documents other than passports are accepted only with an apostille or consular legalisation and a notarised translation into Georgian. A certificate of no impediment (proof that you are single) is not on the list.
Under the agency’s rules, a passport with details in Latin script may be accepted without a translation. The Public Service Hall officer decides case by case. It is safer to have the passport translated by a notary in Georgia before you apply.
02Where marriages are registered and what it costs
Marriages in Georgia are registered by the Public Service Development Agency. Applications are accepted at Public Service Halls, the state service centres. To get married, a couple needs to:
- Choose where the registration takes place: without a ceremony at a Public Service Hall, with a ceremony in a ceremony room, at a Wedding House or at your own venue. The fee depends on this choice.
- Collect the documents from the list above. Every foreign document except the passport needs an apostille and a Georgian translation.
- Apply and get married. The procedure depends on the type of registration and is described below the list.
- Prepare the marriage certificate for the country where you live: get an apostille or, if the country is not a party to the Hague Convention, have the certificate legalised through its consulate.
Without a ceremony. The couple comes to a Public Service Hall with two witnesses aged 18 or over, applies and is married the same day.
With a ceremony or off-site. The booking procedure is set by an order of the Minister of Justice. First, the date is booked on the Public Service Development Agency website and half of the fee is paid straight away. Then the couple comes with the witnesses and applies: this must happen within two months of the booking and no later than one working day before the wedding. Miss the deadline and the booking is cancelled, with no refund. The marriage is registered on the booked day. For an off-site registration, an agency officer comes to the venue.
A representative with a power of attorney can file the application, but the bride and groom must attend the registration in person.
The fees are published on the Public Service Hall website:
| Option | Where it takes place | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Without a ceremony | Any Public Service Hall or agency office | free |
| With a ceremony | Ceremony room at a Public Service Hall; there are about 28 towns with one, including Mtskheta, Telavi and Kazbegi | 75 GEL |
| Wedding House, weekdays | Tbilisi, Rustavi, Sighnaghi, Kutaisi | 135 GEL |
| Wedding House, Saturday and Sunday | Tbilisi, Rustavi, Sighnaghi, Kutaisi | 225 GEL |
| Off-site registration | A place the couple chooses: a venue, a restaurant, a vineyard | 255 GEL |
Tbilisi has two Wedding Houses, and they open on different days:
- Wedding House No. 2: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday;
- Wedding House No. 3: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
03Apostille and recognition abroad
How to prepare a Georgian marriage certificate for another country depends on whether that country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Georgia has been a party since 2007. For other member countries, the certificate gets an apostille. If a country is not a member, the certificate is legalised. The marriage itself is recognised under the law of the country where the couple lives.
If the country is a party to the convention
Members of the convention include Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Israel, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. China joined in November 2023 and Canada in January 2024.
An apostille is issued by the Public Service Development Agency and at Public Service Halls. The price depends on how fast you need it:
| Ready | Price |
|---|---|
| On the 8th working day | 30 GEL |
| On the 4th working day | 60 GEL |
| On the 2nd working day | 120 GEL |
| Same day | 150 GEL |
| Remotely, by video call, in 3 working days | 55 GEL |
They also translate documents into English, Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek and Turkish. A translation costs 30 GEL per page.
For member countries, an apostille on the certificate is enough. In Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Germany a marriage concluded in Georgia is valid without registering it again. Here is what each of these countries asks for:
- in Russia and Ukraine, the certificate is presented with a certified translation into Russian or Ukrainian. In Ukraine you can register the marriage again if you wish;
- in Israel, the marriage is entered in the population register: the original certificate with an apostille is submitted in person to the Population and Immigration Authority;
- in Germany, entering the marriage in the German civil register is optional. If you do, the certificate needs a certified German translation, and the document may be checked for authenticity.
The official pages do not say whether Israel requires a translation of the certificate. It is best to check with the Population and Immigration Authority in advance.
If the country is not a party to the convention
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar, for example, are not members. For such countries the certificate is legalised. In Georgia, legalisation has two stages: first the Public Service Development Agency certifies the document, then the consular department of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You apply once, at a Public Service Hall or an agency office, and do not need to visit the ministry. Legalisation costs the same as an apostille: from 30 GEL for 8 working days to 150 GEL on the same day.
After that, the certificate is certified at the consulate of the country where you will use it. It is valid only in that country.
From Kai’s practiceSasha & EgorChateau Mukhrani · April 2026Sasha is an opera singer, and instead of a standard programme, musician friends took turns on stage with the newlyweds.See the story →Frequent questions
Is a marriage concluded in Georgia recognised in Russia?
Yes. Under Article 158 of the Russian Family Code, a marriage concluded abroad under that country’s law is valid. The certificate gets an apostille, then it is translated into Russian and the translation is certified by a notary.
Can we get married in Georgia on the day we apply?
Yes, if the registration is without a ceremony. For a registration with a ceremony, the date is booked in advance on the Public Service Development Agency website, and the application is filed no later than one working day before it.
Do we need a certificate of no impediment to marry in Georgia?
No, it is not on the Public Service Development Agency’s list. If you have been married before, you need a divorce certificate with an apostille and a Georgian translation.
Does the passport need a Georgian translation?
A passport with details in Latin script may be accepted without one, but the officer decides. It is safer to get a notarised translation in advance.
Can you get married in Georgia by proxy?
No. A representative with a power of attorney can file the application, but the bride and groom must attend the registration in person.
How much does marriage registration cost in Tbilisi?
Without a ceremony it is free. At a Wedding House it costs 135 GEL on weekdays and 225 GEL at weekends. An off-site registration costs 255 GEL.
Who can be a witness at a wedding registration in Georgia?
Two people aged 18 or over with a passport or ID card.
How much does Kai Event Studio charge to arrange the registration?
From $400. The total depends on where you register and how urgent it is.
Check your date
Tell us where you are from and when you plan to marry, and the Kai Event Studio planners will tell you which documents to prepare and where to register.
- Public Service Development Agency of Georgia: marriage registration
- Public Service Hall: places, timing and fees for marriage registration
- Public Service Development Agency: apostille and legalisation
- HCCH: Apostille Convention status table
- Family Code of the Russian Federation, Article 158
- Ministry of Justice of Ukraine: is a marriage concluded abroad valid in Ukraine
- Kol Zchut: registering civil marriages concluded abroad
- German Federal Foreign Office: marriage abroad
- Order No. 529 of the Minister of Justice of Georgia, 5 May 2020: booking a registration with a ceremony
- Berlin: registering a marriage concluded abroad (Nachbeurkundung)
