Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting married in Antigua and Barbuda
Planning the day from somewhere else? I handle the licence, the documents and the travel, for you and for everyone flying in.
Antigua counts a beach for every day of the year, and the Georgian dockyard at English Harbour is still a working one. Barbuda next door is quieter still, with pink sand and almost nobody on it.
Timing
Little to no waiting once you land
Every country asks you to be on the ground for a set time before it will marry you, and Antigua and Barbuda sits at this end of the range. What exactly applies to the two of you depends on your circumstances, and sorting that out is where we start.
Best suited to: Couples who want the ceremony and the honeymoon in the same place, without a long run-up.
What I take off you
I handle the legal side and the travel. The florist, the photographer and the person running the day itself are local, and I will point you to them.
- The marriage licence for Antigua and Barbuda, start to finish
- The exact document list for your situation, checked before you fly
- Flights into Antigua and Barbuda for the two of you and for guests coming from different countries
- Accommodation, including a block of rooms held together for your guests
- Airport transfers and moving everybody around on the day
- One travel page for your guests, so you stop answering the same question forty times
You don’t have to do this yourself
I can handle the licence, the documents and the travel for a wedding in Antigua and Barbuda for you. I work out what your country and your destination actually ask for, get the paperwork in order, and keep it moving, so you are not the one chasing offices and re-reading forms to figure out what happens next.
A few corners of Antigua and Barbuda
Somewhere to start if you have not settled on a spot yet.
Nelson's Dockyard
A UNESCO World Heritage site in English Harbour and the world's only continuously working Georgian-era dockyard, with a museum, restaurants and historic naval buildings.
Shirley Heights
A hilltop lookout with panoramic views over English Harbour, best known for its Sunday evening steel-band and sunset party.
Devil's Bridge
A natural limestone arch at Indian Town National Park, carved by the Atlantic. At high tide, waves force geysers of water through blowholes in the rock.
Betty's Hope
Antigua's first full-scale sugar plantation, with a restored working windmill and a visitor centre on its history.
Marrying in Antigua and Barbuda
How long do we have to be in Antigua and Barbuda before we can marry?
Little to no waiting once you land. The exact requirement depends on which licence applies to you and on your circumstances, and it is one of the first things I pin down, because it decides your flights and everybody's leave.
What do we need to bring to Antigua and Barbuda?
That depends on where you were born, where you live now and whether either of you has been married before. The form the documents take matters as much as having them, and getting it wrong is what sends couples back to a registry a second time. I work out the exact list for your situation and check everything before you fly.
We are CARICOM nationals. Is it easier for us in Antigua and Barbuda?
Getting in is easier, and staying long enough is simpler. The marriage licence itself is the same process as for anyone else who does not live in Antigua and Barbuda, so do not assume free movement covers it.
Does marrying in Antigua and Barbuda let us live there?
No. Marrying in Antigua and Barbuda, or marrying a citizen, does not by itself give you the right to remain. That is a separate immigration question. If moving there is the real plan, tell me at the start and we sort both together.
Looking at more than one country? Compare the twelve and I will help you pick.
What it costs
$100
A Move Planning Consultation covering your wedding in Antigua and Barbuda, the licence, the documents and everybody's travel, is $100, and it comes off the booking if you go ahead. Tell me what you have in mind and I will tell you what it actually takes.