Greece vs Cyprus Wedding: Paperwork and Fees

Greece vs Cyprus Wedding: Paperwork and Fees

For this guide we've sketched a couple, Megan and Mark from Cardiff and Glasgow, who have had two tabs open for a year: Paphos and Rhodes. Same September sun, similar sea, a friend who swears "Cyprus is easier for Brits". They want to know if that is true or just something planners say.

It is partly true, though maybe not for the reason you would guess. The biggest difference between a civil wedding in Greece and one in Cyprus is language, then the waiting period, then the fee. This guide puts the two side by side using the Cyprus Interior Ministry, Limassol town hall, Greece's national register of administrative procedures and the US Embassy in Athens. Where official pages disagree or stay vague, we say so.

TL;DR:

• Cyprus: civil ceremony in Greek or English. Documents can be translated into English. €128 if you marry at least 15 days after giving notice, €281 for a special licence if you have a reason to marry sooner.
• Greece: ceremony in Greek, with a witness interpreting. Every foreign document needs an official Greek translation. The licence takes about a week, and some town halls allow the wedding only after the eighth day from issue, so count about two to three weeks. The fee is low or nil.
• Neither country has a residency rule, but the Cyprus notice route means staying about 20 days.
• Want an Orthodox church wedding? Both countries are Orthodox, so decide by where your family is and which church paperwork is easier for you.
• English-speaking guest list and a civil ceremony: Cyprus is simpler on language.

The side-by-side

Language: the difference for English-speaking couples

According to Cyprus's Interior Ministry, the civil marriage "is celebrated in Greek or English" and takes about 15 minutes. Foreign documents can be translated into Greek or English by a translator on the official Cyprus register.

In Greece, the US Embassy describes a ceremony where one of your two witnesses "will act as an interpreter". Greek town halls accept translations only from Greek official sources: the foreign ministry's translation service, a Greek consulate, an Ionian University graduate translator or a Greek lawyer. A translation from a certified translator in Manchester will be turned away.

For a couple like Megan and Mark, who speak no Greek and whose guests speak none either, that settles it. Their guests would follow every word in Paphos.

Pro tip: If you choose Greece and want your guests to follow the vows, print a short English card with what the officiant says. It costs a few euros and removes the biggest downside.

Waiting time: Cyprus's 15 days vs Greece's two to three weeks

Cyprus. Both of you give notice in person at the municipality. On the normal route you can marry no earlier than 15 days later and no later than three months. Limassol town hall says couples "should stay in Cyprus for about 20 days". The special licence route skips the wait: the Interior Ministry says you can marry "the same day of their application or less than fifteen days", for €281. The ministry describes it as the route for couples with a special reason to marry early, and Limassol as for urgent cases, so ask the municipality whether your reason qualifies before you plan around it.

Greece. The town hall generally issues the licence about eight days after you apply, according to the US Embassy, and Greece's register of procedures gives seven days. You do not need to live in Greece for those days. Rethymno's town hall then allows the wedding only after the eighth day from issue. None of this is a residency rule. Our guide to the certificate of no impediment for Greece explains what to file.

So the two are closer than they look: count about two to three weeks from filing in Greece, against 15 days from notice in Cyprus, or days with a special licence.

Fees: small numbers, real differences

Cyprus publishes clear figures. The Interior Ministry lists €128 for the notice route and €281 for the special licence, and €13 for a certified copy. Limassol's own page says €128, €282, €14 per copy, and an extra €130 if your ceremony falls on a Saturday or outside working hours. Check your chosen municipality, because the small print varies.

Greece is harder to pin down. The national register lists the civil marriage licence as free. Individual town halls add their own charges: one municipality near Athens asks foreigners for a €15 stamp duty fee each, the US Embassy notes that "some city halls require an additional fee", and US citizens pay USD 50 at their embassy for a sworn affidavit plus €30 to authenticate it. You will also pay for official translations and, in many cases, a newspaper notice of the wedding.

In both countries the official fees are the smallest line on the budget. Venue, travel and accommodation decide the real cost. Our Greece destination wedding budget guide covers those.

Documents: what each country wants

Cyprus, for foreign nationals, per the Interior Ministry:

• A certificate of family status from your home authority, issued no more than three months before.
• Passport.
• Copy of your birth certificate.
• Divorce decree or death certificate if you were married before.
• Apostille where required. Some EU public documents are exempt.

Foreigners who are in Cyprus for reasons other than tourism, or for longer than three months, also make a declaration on oath at the Family Court.

Greece: a certificate of no impediment or equivalent from your country, issued within six months, an apostilled birth certificate, official Greek translations, and for some nationalities extra embassy steps. The details by nationality are in our Greece marriage laws guide for foreigners.

Church weddings: decide by family, not paperwork

Cyprus and Greece are both Orthodox countries, so a church wedding is possible in either. The choice comes down to where your families are and which parish paperwork you can manage. In Greece it runs through the local parish and Metropolis. Mind the calendar: a parish of the Archdiocese of Athens lists no weddings during Lent, from 1 to 15 August, on 29 August, or from 18 to 24 December. Other metropolises, including the one for Rhodes, may differ, so check yours.

The guest view

Paperwork is a few weeks of your life. The trip is what 45 or 145 people remember.

A few honest points for guests. Cyprus drives on the left, which matters to anyone renting a car. Greece has dozens of islands, and island weddings add a ferry and a night, which we cover in island wedding travel: ferries and transfers. Both are seasonal, and both get very hot in July and August.

Whichever you choose, your guests need the same four things early: the date, how to get there, where to stay, and whether you need an answer by a certain day. Put them on one wedding website rather than in a WhatsApp group that scrolls away.

How our example couple decides

In our example, they choose Paphos and a Friday, and apply for the special licence, which the municipality agrees to. It costs more in fees than the notice route and saves three weeks off work. The reasoning: an all-British guest list, no church, and a ceremony everyone could understand.

Two kinds of admin pile up for a wedding abroad: the official kind, with its forms and stamps, and the human kind, with 45 people asking which airport.

The human side fits in one place: your guest list, the invitation, travel details in the wedding website's Q&A, and every reply as it arrives. Once the country is settled, build the guest list for it and send the date and the travel details together.

Frequently asked questions

Is it easier to get married in Cyprus or Greece? For English-speaking couples having a civil ceremony, Cyprus is the simpler of the two on language: the ceremony can be in English and documents can be translated into English. For an Orthodox church wedding, both work, so let your families decide.

How long do you have to stay in Cyprus to get married? On the normal notice route you marry at least 15 days after giving notice, and Limassol advises staying about 20 days. With the special licence, at €281, you can marry the same day or within days, if the municipality accepts your reason.

How much does a civil wedding cost in Cyprus? The Interior Ministry lists €128 for the notice route and €281 for the special licence. Limassol charges €130 extra on Saturdays or outside working hours. Certified copies are €13 to €14.

Do you have to live in Greece before marrying there? No. The licence takes about a week to issue, and some town halls add a wait after that, so allow two to three weeks from filing. You do not need to live in Greece during that time.

Can we have the ceremony in English in Greece? A Greek civil ceremony is conducted in Greek, and one of your witnesses interprets. Cyprus offers the civil ceremony in English.

Recommended

• Certificate of No Impediment for Greece (2026)
• Greece Marriage Laws Guide for Foreigners
• Top Greece Wedding Destinations 2026 to 2027
• Greece Destination Wedding Budget Guide
• Island Wedding Travel: Ferries and Transfers