How do you go about being married in Poland if you are from the UK?

The first thing that needs to be said if you have already started your research is "do not be put off by the varying information you may receive from different sources"!

If you are planning on a Catholic wedding in Poland then you will generally have two options, depending on the priest who will be marrying you.

In Poland some churches require you to have had a civil wedding ceremony prior to being married in the church. This is not because you are from the UK, it is the same for residents of Poland.

If this is the case and you have to attend a civil ceremony then you need to do the following things.

1) Contact your local registry office who will arrange your civil ceremony in the UK.

2) Contact your parish priest who will complete all the paperwork required and send to the Bishop's office in the UK. This will then be sent to the relevant Bishop's office in Poland, who in turn will send this to the priest in Poland that will be marrying you.

3A) The priest will complete a booklet which contains a number of questions and also requires some information such as your witnesses addresses who will be attend the wedding.

3B) You will need your Christening certificates.

3C) Confirmation certificates if you are Catholic.

3D) Wedding lessons certificate (This is the proof you have attended the wedding lessons generally required for a Catholic wedding).

3E)License/letter from your parish priest to allow you to be married in Poland.

3F) If one of you is not Catholic you may need a letter from your parents stating that you are free to marry.

If the church you are marrying in does not require you to hold a civil wedding then your parish priest should be able to make all the arrangements as detailed above.

You also need to ask if the documents need translating to Polish as depending on the priest this may be required.

If you do not want to have a church wedding then you need to contact your local registry office for information as they will need to produce documentation to prove you are not already married and can provide valuable advice on the process to ensure you meet all the requirements.

The Polish Consulate website (www.londynkg.polemb.net) also has information on what you need to do. We contacted them and they advised us to contact our local registry office and priest!

If you choose to enlist the services of Anna Kozlova she will act on your behalf confirming the processes in Poland and ensuring everything goes to plan. This is very useful as depending the location, venue and priest, this can be slightly different. Anna was fantastic during the whole process and spent many hours speaking to the priest's and keeping us informed at all times. It would have been very difficult without her help.