Getting Married in Turkey

So how do you get married to a Turkish person? Read on as we follow the experiences of a couple who got married in April 2005.

What better place to get married than in one of the many picturesque locations on the coast of Turkey. So romantic and with the benefit that in the Spring the weather is bound to be good.

But there's a whole range of paper work to get sorted before the wonderful day arrives. So get planning early to avoid dissapointment.

The first place to start your planning, after this website of course, is the British Embassy website. It should have all of the up to date information and forms that you need.....but as is life there's always more to these things than first meets the eye - more walking about, more getting things stamped and, or course, money to pay out.

As a British National you will need a certificate of non impediment to prove you aren't already married - You can either get this from the UK or you can get it in Turkey from the British Embassy - we went to the British Vice consulate in Antalya but you could go to  the Consulate General in Istanbul or Izmir. BUT, wherever you get it you must be in Turkey for 21 days or more before you get married. You can get the certificate up to 3 months before you get married. This is a good idea as we left it very late........

So, off we went to the consulate in Antalya with all our paperwork and a wad of local readies in our pockets. We presented our certificates and paperwork and for this they posted a notice on the notice board at the vice consulate up for 21 days - this process cost 90 YTL.

On the 22 day we went back to Antalya to get the certificate of non impediment. This time we shelled out a further 240 YTL.

The documents must then be legalised by the Turkish Authorities. So.......still in Antalya, we went to the Governers office - Valilik - they gave us papers to stamp and a handy map of where we could find the various people who had the magic stamps within the offices. This was an enjoyable experience but best of all it was FREE!

We then came back home and went to the Kaymakams office in Fethiye. We gave them 4 photos each, 3 photocopies of passports (1 photo page, 1 of the visa page and 1 of the front page) or Kimlik. They then gave us some papers that we needed to take to the State Hospital - the big one near Calis. If you are marrying a Turkish person they must have a blood test (25 YTL) and wait 1 week at which point they will receive a certificate. You must also go to the  Merkez Saglik Ocagi near the Tuesday market. They ask a few questions about your health - oh and charge you 22 YTL each too.

OK.....then back to the Kaymakams office where you leave your medical results and the registrar agrees the date of your marriage - this bit costs 60 YTL.

Then.....a week before you plan to get married remind him so that hopefully he turns up on your wedding day! Luckily our did turn up but only after we rang him because he was late. He was having a snooze and forgot the time!

Always check with the registrar on the location of your marriage ceremony. We know that the beach is no problems but getting married whilst paragliding may not be!

Finally, a few tips and tricks:

• It really is much cheaper getting married here in Turkey despite the red tape. For example, wedding invitations cost £24 for 200 in Fethiye, in UK you'd be lucky to get change from £200!

• Buying wedding dresses is cheap too. There are shops in Fethiye specialising in wedding gear so take time and have a good look around.

• Catering and accommodation can also be much cheaper - although you do need to remember that your guests need to fly here and find accommodation. Negotiate with hotels and see if you can strike a good deal. The hotel we used was very grateful for our business outside the main season and that of our guests when we got married there at the end of April.

• And....of course......the locations and backdrops are out of this world.