Visitors getting married

[ElizbethJoy]

Hi all
My Fiancé will be away for work mid next year and during that time we've thought that I travel to meet him and we get married in Finland (from Australia). I have researched the requirements, etc. and understand that we'll have to complete the ceremony again (or before) in Australia to have it valid here. My question is, because it'll be basically just us two - we'll need witnesses, etc. do you know of a company that specialises in elopements? For instance there is one in New Zealand (that we were originally going to go with), who helicopter you to a glacier with two witnesses and celebrant. Do you know of anything like that in Finland? I'd like a scenic ceremony - there's no point doing it if it's going to have to be in a room.
Thank you for any help you can provide. And if anyone wants to volunteer as a witness - I'm all for that
Elizabeth

[PJG]

The bureaucracy involved will probably be more hassle than it's worth...especially if you've to get married at home anyway.

Here's the basic stuff:

http://www.infopankki.fi/en/living-in-f ... check-list

http://www.maistraatti.fi/en/Services/m ... /#marriage 3

If you're serious about it, I'd suggest you contact the Australian consulate here in Finland and ask for their advice/assistance as they'll likely need to authenticate your documentation during the investigation of impediments to marriage stage of the Finnish process:

http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-locatio ... nland.aspx

Expect to have to prepare documentation carefully in advance of your departures from Australia, followed by a fair bit of running around trying to get a magistrate to perform the ceremony for you and be warned, they'll charge time and expenses on top of the standard fees to attend to the proceedings outside of their offices. They will also only do this when it's convenient for them, so keep it in mind when you consider venues/locations.

I think you're mad, but best wishes to you anyway!

[Rip]

I do not know Australian law, but I'm surprised if they do not recognize validity of a Finnish marriage. If you want to have the marriage here outside registrars office (and/or hours) you better enquire if you can find an official to volunteer for it. They may do that, but they have no obligation to do so. You may also check if your apostilled documentation of being free to marry fulfills the official requirements.

[leisl]

You certainly don't "need" to do it again in Australia.

Request the marriage certificate from Maistraatti here in Finland in English (they will issue it in Finnish, English or Swedish). Get it apostilled at the same time. Take the apostilled document home and advise the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your home state according to their procedure & forms.

Finland will register you both as surname unchanged, unless you ask to change (to his, yours, or combo, and there's no fee). But Australia won't recognise a change, you'll have to submit an "official change of name" as well in Australia (used to be called Deed Poll), with the associated fee, and then of course pay to replace your passport as well on top of that.

Find your celebrant in Finland and they will be able to provide the witnesses. You will need with you: An apostilled Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage issued by DFAT. Note that you can only get this WHILE in Australia, and it takes time and money, otherwise it has to be issued by Sweden as there is no Australian embassy here in Helsinki. His needs to be issued by his local embassy and again takes ages and requires paperwork, money, and time. Technically speaking you are both supposed to also have a "records search" done from the time you turned 18 proving you have never been married. NSW at least only does them in multiples of ten years meaning if you're over 28, you pay for two searches, etc.

Despite all this...
Do it in Australia.
The rigmarole is a thousand times less, not to mention the cost.
Go somewhere nice in Finland and have a commitment ceremony with nice photos.