The United Synagogue

Overseas Marriage

• We are getting married abroad. What documents do we need to take with us?

• My parents weren’t married in an Orthodox synagogue. How do I proceed?

• I don’t have an Orthodox Rabbi who has known me that long. How can I proceed?

• When should I contact the Beth Din?

• Is my foreign marriage recognised in England?

• Will the Rabbi marrying us expect anything else from us?

We are getting married abroad. What documents do we need to take with us?

The Rabbi who is marrying you will expect your local Beth Din to authorise you as an eligible person to get married. The Beth Din will issue you a letter to take with, which states that you are eligible to get married.


To get this you will need to provide the following evidence

Your Parents’ Ketubah
Your full birth certificate showing your mother’s name
A letter from an Orthodox Rabbi stating that you have been single since marriageable age or since your divorce or widowhood.

My parents weren’t married in an Orthodox synagogue. How do I proceed?

If they were not married in an Orthodox synagogue, you need to go further back in the maternal line, bringing a Ketubah from your grandparents or great-grandparents on the mother’s side, together with full birth certificates, showing the direct connection to you.

I don’t have an Orthodox Rabbi who has known me that long. How can I proceed?

You can give the names and contact details of two friends (Jewish and not related to each other) that have known you that long. They can be witnesses and attest to your single status. Please ask them before submitting their names.

When should I contact the Beth Din?

The Israeli Rabbinate do not accepts certificates more than three months before the date of the marriage. So if everything is going to be straight-forward and easy, apply to your local Beth Din four months before. If you expect any complications at all, allow much more time (5 - 6 months).

Is my foreign marriage recognised in England?

Is my foreign marriage recognised in England?

Other than the UK and Israel, where religious and civil ceremonies are recognised as such, anybody marrying abroad will need a civil ceremony. This can take place before or after the religious ceremony.

Will the Rabbi marrying us expect anything else from us?

The Rabbi will ordinarily require proof that the couple have had marriage lessons and that the bride has gone to the mikvah. It is strongly advised that anyone planning a marriage contact the MEP (Marriage Enhancement Programme) well before the marriage.

Latest US News