Georgian Marriage Certificate: Apostille, Legalization, Translation and Use Abroad

United Kingdom: UKVI, HM Passport Office and no overseas register

A marriage valid under Georgian law is recognised in the United Kingdom, provided both partners were free to marry and had capacity under the law of their domicile. The UK keeps no register of overseas marriages, and the General Register Office will not record a Georgian marriage, so the Georgian certificate with a certified English translation is the permanent evidence. Keep the original safe; there is no British document that replaces it.

The main receiver is UK Visas and Immigration. For a spouse or partner visa under Appendix FM, UKVI requires the marriage certificate and, because it is in Georgian, a certified translation that includes the translator's or translation company's confirmation that it is accurate, the date, and the translator's contact details. An apostille is not a UKVI requirement. We still recommend getting it in Tbilisi, because HM Passport Office, HMRC, pension providers and banks may ask for evidence that a foreign certificate is genuine, and the apostille can only be issued in Georgia, not by any UK office.

For a change of surname, HM Passport Office accepts a foreign marriage certificate with a translation. The British Embassy in Tbilisi plays no part in the registration or in the authentication of the certificate. The translation itself is usually best done by a UK translator who signs the statement UKVI expects; see the GOV.UK guidance on marriage abroad for the current position.

United States: USCIS, Social Security and state recognition

The United States has no federal registration of marriages and does not register marriages performed abroad. A marriage valid under Georgian law is generally recognised by every US state, and the Georgian certificate is the permanent evidence. To avoid an obvious confusion in a US file: the certificate comes from the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus, not the US state of Georgia.

For immigration, USCIS accepts a foreign marriage certificate with a certified English translation in a spouse petition on Form I-130 and in adjustment of status or consular processing. The standard USCIS format is a full translation with the translator's signed certification that it is complete and accurate. Consular officers examine the originals at the visa interview, so keep the original certificate, its apostille and the translation together.

An apostille is not a USCIS requirement. The Social Security Administration, state DMVs and some employers do ask for evidence that a foreign certificate is genuine, and an apostille from the PSDA is the simplest way to provide it. It can only be issued in Georgia, so order it while you are in Tbilisi or leave the certificate with us to complete and courier after you fly. US Secretary of State offices apostille US documents only; they cannot authenticate a Georgian one.

The translation is usually arranged in the US, with a translator who signs that certification and translates the apostille page along with the certificate. The US Department of State marriage abroad page sets out the general position.

EU member states: apostille, sworn translation and transcription

Every EU member state is a Hague party, so the Georgian certificate needs a PSDA apostille and a translation into the national language. Most EU registries want a sworn or certified translation made in their own country; some accept a translation notarized in Georgia and then apostilled. Ask the registry which it prefers before ordering either, because a translation it will not accept has to be paid for twice.

A marriage valid under Georgian law is recognised throughout the EU. Several states also record foreign marriages of their citizens in the national register, and that step is what unlocks a national marriage certificate, a family record book, a surname change and, in some countries, the spouse's residence application. EU family reunification files need the apostilled certificate with a sworn translation and, in some states, the transcription itself. Requirements change; the registry or consulate has the final word.

French partners should start the certificat de capacité à mariage before booking Georgia; without it the transcription is delayed and may involve a hearing. The European e-Justice Portal links to national family-law information.

Russia: recognised without ZAGS registration

Under Article 158 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, a marriage between Russian citizens, or between a Russian citizen and a foreigner, concluded abroad under the law of the place of celebration is recognised in Russia, provided none of the impediments in Article 14 applies (an existing marriage, close kinship, legal incapacity). No separate registration at a ZAGS office is required. The apostilled, translated Georgian certificate is the marriage document.

There is no Russian embassy or consulate in Georgia. Russian consular matters are handled by the Russian Federation Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi, which does not register marriages and is not part of the certificate route. Everything on the Georgian side is done by the PSDA.

For Russia the certificate needs a PSDA apostille and a notarized Russian translation. Two practices are accepted. The translation can be prepared and notarized in Georgia, and the notarized translation itself apostilled; or a translator in Russia translates the apostilled certificate and a Russian notary certifies the translation. The second is often simpler if you will be in Russia anyway; the first suits couples who want the whole file finished before they leave Tbilisi.

With those documents the couple can change a surname in the internal passport, update records at the MFC, and rely on the marriage for inheritance, property and migration matters. If the foreign spouse later applies for a Russian residence permit on the basis of marriage, the migration authority asks for the same apostilled and translated certificate.

Ukraine: recognised without DRACS re-registration

Ukraine recognises marriages between Ukrainian citizens, or between a Ukrainian and a foreigner, concluded abroad under the law of the place of celebration, provided there were no impediments under Ukrainian family law. No re-registration at a DRACS office is needed. The Georgian certificate with a notarized Ukrainian translation is used at the State Migration Service to change a surname in the passport, for inheritance and property matters, and for a foreign spouse's residence application in Ukraine.

Ukraine is a Hague party, and our advice is simple: take the PSDA apostille on the Georgian certificate. It is available the same day as the registration, so it costs no extra time in Tbilisi, and the same apostilled certificate also works in a third country, for example in Poland or Germany where many Ukrainian couples now live. The rule runs both ways: a Ukrainian divorce or death certificate brought to Georgia before the wedding needs an apostille too.

The Ukrainian translation can be notarized in Georgia or in Ukraine. Couples who will not be in Ukraine soon usually have it done in Tbilisi so the file is complete when they leave; couples heading home can have a Ukrainian notary certify it there.

Lebanon: legalization and the Personal Status Directorate

Lebanon is not a Hague party, so an apostille is not accepted. The Georgian certificate is legalized in the reverse of the direction Lebanese couples know from their own documents: legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, then legalization by the Lebanese embassy or consulate accredited to Georgia, then certification by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beirut. A sworn Arabic translation is attached after the last stamp.

Unlike the UK or India, Lebanon does register the marriage. The legalized, translated file goes to the Personal Status Directorate (Directorate General of Personal Status), and the marriage is entered in the family civil record as a civil marriage. Lebanon recognises civil marriages contracted abroad and applies the civil law of the country of celebration to them, so later questions of divorce, custody and inheritance for the couple are decided under Georgian civil law by Lebanese civil courts. That is often the reason Lebanese couples choose Georgia; the interfaith guide explains the civil and religious side.

Lebanese practice expects foreign marriages to be reported within a set period after the ceremony; late registration is possible but involves an additional procedure. Confirm the current requirements with the Lebanese mission before you travel. Lebanese residents of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait usually register through the Lebanese mission in their country of residence rather than in Beirut, with the same legalization chain. Ask for two originals: one stays in the Lebanese file, and a Gulf residence visa needs its own Gulf route. The individual civil status extract (ikhraj qaid fardi) is useful to have at hand because the Directorate refers to it.

India: apostille, certified English, no registration needed

India has been a Hague party since 2005 and accepts apostilled foreign public documents. For India the Georgian certificate normally needs a PSDA apostille plus a certified English translation. The translation can itself be notarized and apostilled in Georgia as a separate document, so that Indian offices see a complete chain from Georgian original to English text; this is the version we usually suggest for India.

India has no mandatory registration of marriages performed abroad, and the Indian mission accredited to Georgia does not re-register a Georgian civil marriage. The apostilled certificate and translation are used directly: for a passport name or spouse-name change, for OCI or visa applications where a foreign spouse is involved, for bank and insurance nominations, and for property or succession matters.

The marriage is a civil marriage, not a Hindu Marriage Act or Muslim personal law marriage. For most administrative purposes that makes no difference. Some couples hold a religious ceremony in India afterwards; it does not need to be registered again if the Georgian marriage is already recognised. Questions about inheritance, succession or a future divorce follow Indian law, and for those we recommend a lawyer in India.

A large share of Indian couples live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha or Riyadh. They need the certificate twice: legalized for the UAE or Qatar, apostilled for India. That means two originals, ordered at registration, because the legalized copy is tied up in the Gulf chain for days. MEA in India apostilles Indian documents only; the Georgian certificate is apostilled in Tbilisi.

Pakistan: apostille since 2023, NADRA case by case

The Hague Convention entered into force for Pakistan on 9 March 2023, so the Georgian certificate now needs a PSDA apostille for use in Pakistan rather than embassy attestation. Pakistani authorities work in English and Urdu; a certified English translation is normally attached, and it can be notarized and apostilled in Georgia as a separate document. Pakistani missions abroad can also attest the certificate for domestic use if a local office asks for it. Documents attested under the old embassy route before March 2023 remain valid.

Registration at home is not automatic. A marriage valid where it was performed is generally recognised in Pakistan, but NADRA registration of a foreign civil marriage and the issue of a Marriage Registration Certificate depend on the Union Council and on Pakistani personal law. Couples who need a NADRA record should confirm the local requirements early, ideally before the trip.

Recognition has a limit that the stamp cannot fix: Pakistani personal law does not recognise every marriage that is valid in Georgia, for example some marriages between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man. A Georgian civil marriage also does not replace a nikah for religious purposes. If the certificate must be relied on in Pakistan, ask a Pakistani lawyer before you travel; we handle the Georgian side and the document chain.

Most Pakistani couples we help live in the UAE or Saudi Arabia. For the UAE the certificate is legalized, not apostilled; for Riyadh, Manama and Muscat the apostille is enough; Doha and Kuwait City use the embassy chain. A couple using the certificate both in the Gulf and in Pakistan needs two originals.

Philippines: the Report of Marriage

A marriage abroad between a Filipino and anyone else is valid in the Philippines if it was valid where celebrated and neither partner was still married. To have it recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the couple files a Report of Marriage at the Philippine embassy or consulate with consular jurisdiction over Georgia. The Philippines joined the Hague Convention in May 2019, so the Georgian certificate takes a PSDA apostille, not embassy legalization.

The Report of Marriage is what later lets the Filipino spouse change the surname in the passport, have the marriage appear on a CENOMAR or advisory on marriages, and support dependant visas. The embassy usually asks for the Georgian certificate with its apostille and an English translation, both passports, and PSA documents for the Filipino spouse; a recent CENOMAR is commonly requested. Check the current list and the mission that covers Georgia with the Department of Foreign Affairs before you file, because jurisdiction can change.

Most Filipino couples we help are OFWs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Kuwait. Filing the report after returning to the Gulf, through the Philippine mission there, is possible if that mission accepts reports for marriages celebrated in a third country; confirm this in advance. The Report of Marriage and the passport surname change are separate from a UAE spouse visa, and both need a certificate, so ask for two originals at registration: one apostilled for the Philippine side, one routed for the Gulf state where you live.

A Filipino who separated but never obtained an annulment, a declaration of nullity or a court recognition of a foreign divorce cannot register a new marriage in Georgia, and a certificate would not be recognised in the Philippines in any case. That is a pre-wedding question handled on the divorce documents page.