Marriage in Sri Lanka
The minimum age of marriage in Sri Lanka is 18. Americans planning to marry in Sri Lanka should be prepared to provide the following:
- Original Birth Certificate
- Valid Passport
- If either party was previously married, an original divorce decree
- If either party was widowed, an original death certificate
Americans should also be aware that Sri Lankan law requires foreigners to spend at least four days (three nights) in Sri Lanka prior to notifying a marriage registrar of intended marriage. Once the registrar has been notified of the intent to wed, there is an additional waiting period of at least fourteen days prior to the date of the actual marriage registration.
The local marriage registrar may grant special permission for same day marriages in some circumstances. American citizens wishing to marry under the special permission must still prove that they have been physically present in Sri Lanka at least four days (three nights) prior to the marriage. They may apply for the same day marriage registration at the marriage registrar’s office.
To be legally recognized under Sri Lankan law, marriages must be registered with a Marriage Registrars Office within your area of residence or the Divisional Secretariat of your area.
If after marrying, you are interested in obtaining an immigrant visa to the United States for your new spouse, please contact the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to obtain more information about filing an immigrant visa petition. Their website is www.uscis.gov . Our Embassy in Colombo can accept an immigrant visa petition only from American citizens that have been legally resident in Sri Lanka for six months or more. For more information, please visit the “Immigrant Visas” section on our website.
