Bayukjdr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting married in Dominica
Planning the day from somewhere else? I handle the licence, the documents and the travel, for you and for everyone flying in.
The Nature Island: rainforest, rivers and hot springs rather than resort strips. It asks more of your calendar than anywhere else here, and rewards couples who were going to stay a while anyway.
Timing
A week or more on the island first
Every country asks you to be on the ground for a set time before it will marry you, and Dominica 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: A long stay, an elopement, or a couple with family on the island already.
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 Dominica, start to finish
- The exact document list for your situation, checked before you fly
- Flights into Dominica 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 Dominica 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 Dominica
Somewhere to start if you have not settled on a spot yet.
Boiling Lake
The world's second-largest thermally active lake, a churning, mist-covered crater in Morne Trois Pitons National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), reachable only by a strenuous 6–8 hour round-trip hike.
Valley of Desolation
Surreal volcanic terrain of sulphur vents, steaming mud pools and hot streams, crossed on the way to Boiling Lake.
Trafalgar Falls
Twin waterfalls ("Mother" and "Father") near Wotten Waven, among the easiest of Dominica's falls to reach, with swimmable lower pools.
Emerald Pool
A forest-fringed pool and waterfall near Morne Trois Pitons, reached by a short, well-maintained trail.
Marrying in Dominica
How long do we have to be in Dominica before we can marry?
A week or more on the island first. 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 Dominica?
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 Dominica?
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 Dominica, so do not assume free movement covers it.
Does marrying in Dominica let us live there?
No. Marrying in Dominica, 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 Dominica, 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.