Is it legal to get married in Jamaica?

Is it legal to get married in Jamaica if you’re a United States citizen? Yes! It absolutely is – and it’s pretty dang easy to meet the requirements, too. Here’s the low down (as of last time I updated this post in early-summer 2021). Keep reading for the juicy details.

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Here’s what you need to know to make it legal:

• Make sure the wedding planner at your resort or the local company you are using is applying for a marriage license at least two weeks in advance.
• Jamaica requires that you must be in the country for 24 hours prior to your wedding ceremony. Most resorts want to meet with you a day or two prior to your wedding on site so they can confirm details anyway. We usually advise our couples to aim for a 72 hour window in the country prior to a wedding ceremony.
• You must have photo ID. Again, it is super easy to meet this requirement because you have to have your passport to hop on an international flight!
• The Jamaican Government wants to know your occupations, so be prepared to list those on your forms.
• Your original birth certificates, specifically with your father’s name listed. This is pretty standard for US weddings, as well. If you were to get married in Wisconsin, for example, you’d need to provide this too, as your parents’ names are used in the filing process.
• If either of you were married before, you will need to provide proof of the end of that marriage – this can be done with certified final divorce papers or a death certificate of a deceased spouse.
• The fees – these tend to vary depending on your resort but in general are around $50-100USD.

A big thing you will want to note:

Blood tests prior to your wedding are NOT required in Jamaica – yay! Other countries do require one – lookin’ at you, Mexico! This makes it easy to be legally married in Jamaica so you don’t need to worry about getting married at your local courthouse before leaving for your celebration. Awesome!

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Want to research more yourself from the source? Here are the government websites you’ll want to peek at for the most up-to-date information!

https://jm.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/child-family-matters/marriages/
https://moj.gov.jm/services-and-information/marriage-licence

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