Sri Lankan citizens living in Brazil or other countries in South America can register their marriage at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brasilia, Brazil under Marriage (General) Registration Ordinance (Chapter 112).
In order to register the marriage at the Embassy, at least one of the parties to the marriage should be a citizen of Sri Lanka.
A ‘Notice of Marriage’ should be given by the parties to the marriage and handed it over to the Embassy in order to process the registration of marriage. The Notice of Marriage can be downloaded from the Embassy website.
The registration of marriage can take place in the Embassy at any time after a lapse of 14 days from the date of receipt of the Notice of Marriage by the Embassy and within 3 months of the receipt of the notice.
The parties to the marriage should physically be present at the Embassy along with required documents to give the Notice of Marriage, which will be published at the Embassy premises during the prescribed period.
If the marriage is not registered within 3 months, the Notice of Marriage lapses automatically.
Documents which are required for the registration of marriages are mentioned below.
Duly perfected Notice of Marriage
Original Birth Certificates of the parties to the marriage
Valid passports of the two parties
Valid Visa Card/ Valid permanent resident card of each party to the marriage
Unmarried/Single Certificate confirming the civil status (bachelor/spinster) of each party to the marriage
The Certificate for confirmation of the unmarried status of the prospective party who intends to get married must be formulated in an Affidavit signed and declared in front of an Attorney-at-Law or a Justice of the Peace (JP) by parents (mother/father) of each party to the marriage confirming that the party concerned is unmarried and has not contracted another marriage at the time of the declaring the affidavit and that the party concerned does not have legal impediment for the marriage.
If parents of the parties to the marriage have passed away, the affidavit should be issued by the siblings (brothers & sisters) of the same family of the party concerned. In such case, the original or certified copy of the birth certificate of the sibling who declares the civil status of the party concerned to the marriage should be submitted along with the original or certified copy of the death certificates of the parents.
The affidavit given to the Sri Lankan part of the marriage must be authenticated by the Consular Affairs Division of the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka. If the declarant of the affidavit (father/mother or siblings where applicable) is a foreign national, the affidavit must be authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of the concerned declarant.
It is essential to indicate in the affidavit, the national identification card number and the passport number of the prospective party to the marriage.
If any party to the marriage is divorced from his/her previous marriage, the original Divorce Certificate/Decree Absolute of the divorcee to the marriage issued by the relevant court.
The divorce certificate/Decree Absolute must be authenticated by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in where the Divorce Certificate/Decree Absolute has been issued or its respective diplomatic representation/Embassy established in the country of residence of the party to the marriage.
In case of widow/widower, the death certificate of the last spouse and the marriage certificate pertaining to the previous marriage of the party concern.
The death certificate of the previous spouse and the previous marriage certificate should be authenticated by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Sri Lanka or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in where the said documents have been issued or the respective diplomatic representation/Embassy established in the country of residence of the party to the marriage.
Valid original passports of each party to the marriage
Original National Identification Card of the two (2) witnesses
Permanent Residence Card/valid Visa Card of each party to the marriage
Prescribed fees for the Notice of Marriage and the registration of marriage.
