Civil Ceremony

Foreigners can legally be married in Mexico as long as they present all the necessary documents and comply with all the requirements.  The civil ceremony is the only ceremony legally recognized in Mexico.  A justice of the peace performs this ceremony.  It is crucial to know that if you are planning to have a church wedding here in Puerto Vallarta, or any other part of Mexico, you must be married civilly first.  The civil/legal marriage can be perfomed here in Mexico or at your local city hall.

If you want to be legally married in Mexico, it important you know this procedure will take some time out of your vacation and is quite a bit more complicated and time consuming than getting married at your local City Hall.  It is required that you be here at least five days prior to the wedding day to take a Marriage Course and have bloodtests done.  You will also need to begin the paperwork at least four months in advance.

The vows in a civil ceremony are set and cannot be changed.  Some do not agree with the traditional Mexican Catholic wordage, believing it is very out of date.  Some couples opt to have a romantic, spiritual ceremony in Puerto Vallarta and get married legally in their hometown.

With that in mind here please download our document that outlines the requirements for a Mexican Civil Ceremony.  Click HERE to download.