Wedding in Finland: Documents for Ukraine

Wedding in Finland: How to Register Marriage and Legalize Documents for Ukraine

Finland – the land of a thousand lakes, incredible nature, and, as it turns out, a popular destination for Ukrainians to get married. If you are planning a wedding in this Scandinavian country and wish for your marriage to be officially recognized in Ukraine, you need to ensure the correct documentation. This article will help you navigate all the nuances.

The procedure for getting married in Finland for foreigners is relatively straightforward but requires preparing a specific set of documents. After obtaining the marriage certificate, the question arises regarding its legalization for submission to Ukrainian state authorities.

Documents Required to Get Married in Finland

To get married in Finland, you need to prepare the required set of documents in advance. The requirements may vary depending on the couple’s citizenship, place of residence, and marital status. The documents generally include:

• Passports or other valid identity documents.
• Documents confirming marital status.
• If either person has previously been married, a document confirming the termination of the previous marriage.
• For foreign nationals who are not Finnish citizens and do not reside in Finland, proof that the legislation of their country allows them to marry in Finland.

It is important to confirm the exact list of required documents with the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, DVV) in advance, as the requirements may vary depending on the individual circumstances.

Marriage Recognition in Ukraine: Legalizing the Finnish Certificate

Once you have obtained the Finnish marriage certificate, for it to have legal validity in Ukraine, it needs to be legalized. This is a process that confirms the authenticity of the document abroad. For Ukraine, a signatory to the Hague Convention, the most common method of legalization is obtaining an apostille.

Apostille is a special stamp that certifies the authenticity of the signature, seal, and position of the person who signed the document, and is issued by the competent authority of the country that issued the document.In Finland, an Apostille for official documents, including marriage certificates, is issued by an authorized notary of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, DVV).

Important! The marriage certificate must be a full (not an abbreviated) certificate and issued in the original.

Document Translation: Translation Requirements

After obtaining the marriage certificate with the apostille, it must be translated into Ukrainian. There are several important nuances here:

• The translation must be done by a certified translator in Ukraine. This means the translator must have the relevant education and qualifications, confirmed by a diploma.
• Notarization of the translation. The translation must be certified by a notary in Ukraine. The notary certifies the authenticity of the translator's signature.

Why not a sworn translation? Sworn translation (or translation certified by the stamp of a translation agency) is common in some European countries, but for Ukraine, according to current legislation and practice, a notarized translation by a certified specialist is required.

Legal Basis: In accordance with the Civil Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On Private International Law," documents issued by foreign states must undergo the legalization procedure (apostille or consular legalization, if the country is not a party to the Hague Convention) and be properly translated and certified to have legal force in Ukraine.

Consular Legalization: When is it Needed?

If the country where the document was issued is not a party to the Hague Convention, consular legalization is used instead of an apostille. Finland is a party to the Hague Convention, so an apostille is applied to Ukrainian documents. However, if you are obtaining documents from a country that has not joined the convention, you will need to go through the full consular legalization process via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the issuing country, then through the Ukrainian Embassy in that country, and finally, through the MFA of Ukraine.

Step-by-Step Guide for Marriage Legalization