Georgia is one of the simplest and most romantic countries in the world to get married in. Citizens of any country can marry here, including two foreigners; the marriage is registered at the House of Justice quickly — in a single day if you wish — and all of it costs a symbolic sum compared with Europe. Below is who can marry, what documents you need, how registration works, what it costs, how to have the marriage recognized at home and where the most beautiful place to do it is.
Why foreigners get married in Georgia
In recent years Georgia has become one of the main "marriage tourism" destinations for couples worldwide — and especially for those who find it hard to marry at home because of bureaucracy, different nationalities or long waiting periods. There are several reasons, all of them practical.
Speed. In most countries weeks or even months pass between filing and registration. In Georgia, with the expedited service, you can marry the same day, in an hour or two. Arrive in the morning — by lunch you are spouses.
Openness to foreigners. No residence permit, long stay or citizenship is required. Two citizens of other countries who came to Georgia as tourists can marry. A couple of different nationalities (sometimes a quest at home) is registered here without extra obstacles.
Cost. Registering a marriage in Georgia is very cheap, and the expedited service adds only a small amount. Compared with the cost of wedding bureaucracy in Europe, it is pennies.
Beauty. And, of course, the country itself: mountains, vineyards, ancient towns. Marrying against the backdrop of the Caucasus and heading straight into a honeymoon tour of wine country in Kakheti is the scenario couples fly here for from dozens of countries.
Who can get married in Georgia
The requirements for marrying in Georgia are liberal, but there are basic conditions common to most countries:
- Adulthood. Both future spouses must have reached the marriageable age (18).
- Free will. Marriage is entered into by the free consent of both parties, present in person at the registration.
- Not being in another marriage. Neither partner may be officially married at the time of registration. This must be confirmed with a document.
- Citizenship. Can be any. Two foreigners, an "foreigner + Georgian citizen" couple, and partners from different countries are all registered.
One frequent question to clarify: Georgian law defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so same-sex marriages are not registered here. It is important to know this in advance when planning the trip.
What documents you need to marry in Georgia
The exact list depends on your nationality and family history, so be sure to check the current requirements at the House of Justice or through a lawyer before your trip. But the basic set for foreigners is usually this:
- Valid passports for both — with a legal entry stamp into Georgia.
- Proof of marital status — a certificate that you are not married. Often requires translation and apostille in your country.
- Documents ending a previous marriage — for the divorced (divorce certificate) or widowed (spouse's death certificate), with apostille and translation if needed.
- Translations — documents in a foreign language usually need to be translated into Georgian by a certified translator.
- Witnesses — in some cases on request. Check in advance.
How registration works: the House of Justice
Marriages in Georgia are registered by the House of Justice — modern public-service centers that work on a "one window" principle. The largest and best known is the glass building in central Tbilisi, but there are offices across the country, including Batumi, Kutaisi and other cities.
The procedure broadly looks like this:
- Preparing documents. Gather passports, proof of single status, translations and apostilles in advance.
- Filing the application. Both partners come in person to the House of Justice, submit documents and the registration application.
- Paying for the service. You choose the standard or expedited tariff — it determines whether you marry the same day or in a few days.
- Registration. At the appointed time the official procedure takes place, you sign, and the marriage is entered into the register.
- Certificate. You receive an official Georgian marriage certificate.
The whole procedure is organized for convenience, and there are often English-speaking staff. But it is exactly at the document and translation stage that a newcomer can easily get confused, especially if the apostille was done at home with an error. So many couples arrive with a helper on the ground who guides them through the bureaucracy.
Timing and cost of registration
Georgia's main draw is flexible timing. You choose how quickly you want to marry, and the price depends on the speed.
| Option | Timing | Cost (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard registration | a few days | low state fee |
| Expedited | same day | + urgency surcharge |
| Document translation | in advance | at translator's rate |
| Apostille (in your country) | in advance | at your country's rate |
Exact tariffs are set by the House of Justice and change periodically — check current amounts before your trip.
It is exactly the ability to marry "the same day" that made Georgia famous. Couples fly in for a weekend, register on Saturday and immediately head off to celebrate in the mountains or at a wine tasting. But remember: the speed of registration itself does not change the fact that documents (especially apostille and translations) are best prepared in advance at home.
One more practical point is planning the date. If you are tied to a specific day (an anniversary, a symbolic date), it is best to check with the House of Justice about booking for the day you want, and to leave a buffer of a day or two in case something is missing from the documents. A flexible trip schedule is almost always better than arriving at the last minute with a return ticket for tomorrow: calmly gathering your papers, marrying without a rush and staying for a honeymoon is far nicer than panicking over a single missing certificate.
Apostille and recognition abroad
A key point many miss: a marriage registered in Georgia is legally valid, but for it to be recognized in your country, the Georgian certificate usually needs to be legalized. In most cases that is an apostille.
Georgia is a party to the Hague Convention, so you can put an apostille on the marriage certificate (this is done in Georgia itself, at the same House of Justice) and then translate the document into your country's language. With an apostille and translation the certificate is accepted by civil registries and immigration services in most states.
However, the specific requirements depend on the country where you will use the document. In some places an apostille is enough, in others a notarized translation is also needed, and for some countries (non-members of the convention) consular legalization is required. So be sure to check the recognition procedure with your country's consulate or civil registry in advance — before you marry.
Where to marry in Georgia: the cities
Tbilisi
The capital is the most convenient option for logistics: direct flights, the main House of Justice, translators, lawyers, plenty of hotels. If you want it fast and hassle-free — Tbilisi. And after registration the whole city is at your service: the old quarters, the sulfur baths and panoramic restaurants for your first dinner as spouses.
Batumi
Black Sea Batumi is great in summer: marry and be by the sea at once. A warm resort vibe, the promenade, the beaches — an excellent backdrop for wedding photos and a honeymoon stay.
Sighnaghi — the "city of love"
But the most romantic option is Sighnaghi, a tiny town in the wine region of Kakheti nicknamed the "city of love". Here the House of Justice registers marriages quickly and without bureaucracy, surrounded by tiled roofs, fortress walls, vineyards and a panorama of the Alazani valley with the Caucasus ridge on the horizon. This is where couples come for a dream wedding: marry at dawn, then head off to a Georgian wine tasting.
We wanted to marry without months of bureaucracy at home and chose Georgia. Timur helped with the whole thing: advised which documents and apostille to prepare, met us at the airport, drove us to Sighnaghi. We married in a day in that fairy-tale town above the vineyards, and by evening we were tasting wine in Kakheti. The perfect wedding for two, without stress or crowds.
What marriage in Georgia gives you: residency and more
Beyond the fact of an official union, marriage in Georgia can have practical consequences too — but here it is important not to build illusions. Marriage to a Georgian citizen opens grounds for applying for a residence permit, but that is a separate procedure with its own requirements, and it does not automatically grant citizenship.
If two foreigners marry, the Georgian marriage certificate is an internationally recognized document (after an apostille) that they use back home: for joint visas, family reunification, tax and inheritance matters. That is, Georgia serves as a convenient and fast "place of marriage", while the legal consequences arise under the laws of your own country.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Registering a marriage in Georgia is simple, but precisely because of the apparent ease couples sometimes make annoying slip-ups that cost them a day or even the trip. Here is what to watch especially carefully.
- Apostille forgotten or the wrong one. The most common mistake. The single-status certificate and divorce documents must be apostilled in your country in advance — you cannot do it in Georgia. Check exactly which document the apostille goes on.
- An expired certificate. Proof of marital status often has a validity period (often a few months). Get it shortly before the trip, not six months ahead.
- No translation into Georgian. Foreign documents usually need to be translated by a certified translator. Sometimes this is done in Georgia, but it is best to confirm the format in advance.
- Different spelling of names. Make sure the first and last names in the passport, certificate and translation are spelled the same way (transliteration). A one-letter mismatch can become a problem at the apostille stage at home.
- Arriving on a weekend or holiday. Check the House of Justice opening hours and Georgian holidays so you do not arrive to closed doors.
Most of these mistakes are tied to documents from your country, not the Georgian side. So the golden rule is to prepare everything you can at home in advance, and to double-check the list with the House of Justice or a helper on the ground before departure.
Symbolic ceremony and wedding photos
Official registration at the House of Justice is about a signature and a document, not a white dress and vows to music. But many couples want a beautiful moment too, not just a stamp. The good news: one does not get in the way of the other.
After (or instead of) the formal part you can arrange a symbolic ceremony in a scenic spot — on the Sighnaghi viewpoint above the Alazani valley, in an old Tbilisi courtyard, by the sea in Batumi or against the Kazbegi mountains. Such a ceremony has no legal force (only registration gives that), but it gives you emotion, atmosphere and photos for a lifetime.
Georgia is incredibly photogenic, and a wedding photoshoot here turns out magical in any season: blossoming vineyards in spring, golden autumn, snowy peaks in winter. Many couples plan the trip around the photos: registration takes a couple of hours, and the rest is a shoot in the country's most beautiful locations and a honeymoon stay. For where it is especially beautiful in the cold season, read our guide Georgia in winter.
Organizing all this yourself without knowing the country is not easy: you need to find locations, plan the logistics between the House of Justice and the shooting spots, and account for weather and time of day for the light. This is where a local helper comes in, who knows where it is most beautiful this season and how to fit both the registration and the dream shots into one day without crawling through traffic. In the end the trip forms a single story: a signature in the morning, a photoshoot in the afternoon, a first dinner as spouses with a mountain view in the evening.
Wedding and honeymoon in one trip
The main charm of a wedding in Georgia is that you do not have to choose between registration and a holiday. The country is small and varied: marry in the morning — and by evening you can be among vineyards, in the mountains or by the sea. Here are popular "wedding + honeymoon" scenarios:
- Sighnaghi + Kakheti. Registration in the "city of love", then tastings at family wineries, the Bodbe monastery and panoramas of the Alazani valley.
- Tbilisi + the mountains. Marry in the capital and head to Kazbegi — the Gergeti church against a snowy peak gives unforgettable wedding shots.
- Batumi + the sea. A summer option: registration by the sea and honeymoon days on the coast.
- Year-round. Even in winter Georgia is wonderful for a honeymoon — details in our guide Georgia in winter, and you can warm up afterward in the thermal springs.
I live in Georgia and help couples who come to marry: I advise on documents and apostille, meet you at the airport, drive you to Sighnaghi or another city for registration and put together a honeymoon route for you — wine country in Kakheti, the mountains, the sea. Everything is private, no groups: your day should be only yours.