Hi. I got married last year in Nigeria but the only certificate we got is a really long, thin piece of blue paper with all the details on it. Is this the final certificate? I know in most other countries you get more like a hard backed version so it lasts. Also on the Registrars certificate is says "the marriage must be solemnized" before a certain date, what does this mean? Is this all anyone else has? I am wondering cos we actually had to go back 2 days later to get the certificate amended as they had spelt my names wrong & they said something about having to go to Abuja (we got married in Benin) but we hadnt time as we were flying in a few days - can anyone advise me?

all this rush, rush marriage wey una dey do for benin sef, see the result now

anyway i dont know if thats the final certificate, i'm not married.

since you are going back in two days why not ask them all these questions you are asking us

congrats sha

No im not still there, this was last year, i meant that we had to leave 2 days after getting the details amended

Basically we are hoping its invalid so we can get wed again , its all to do with visas, so if anyone does actually know the answer it would be very helpful.

@ Nicole c

I'm afraid you are not yet married by the nigerian law. What you hold presently is not a marriage certificate but rather an intending marriage permit (notification) normally granted by the marriage registry to all intending couples after a 21 day formal notice at the registry and an oath taking. The paper only indicates that you (i mean you and your spouse) have both indicated your intentions to marry each other. As indicated on the notification paper, the actual marriage ought to have been solemized latest by the indicated date either in the same registry (what is called Court Marriage) or a Marriage registry licensed church (note: not all churches are licenced, will explain this later). A Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) Marriage registry Certificate is issued to you on your wedding (soleminization) day.

By Marriage registry licensed Church, i mean a church that has applied to the Marriage Registry for the FRN marriage Certificate booklets and have been granted the authority to issue same on behalf of the marriage registry for marriages that take place at it Altar. Normally, before a marriage can be done in such a church they will normally ask you to go obtain the permit (i.e what u have now cos that has to be submitted in the church ) from a marriage registry. Such institution accounts for every certificate that they issue to couples and such has to be backed up by the marriage permit obtained by the couple from the registry. The FRN Marriage Registry Certificate comes in triplicates. Normally, on your wedding day, you are given a copy, the church keeps one and the thrid copy has to be returned to the marriage registry where you obtained the permit for the purpose of closing out and to show that the marriage has been consummated. Most big time churches like the Catholic, Anglican, Methodist etc and the Head Quarter church of most pentecostal churches have the FRN Marriage Registry Certificate. Pls note that it is this FRN Marriage Certificate that is recongnised by such institutions as the Embassies etc, Also note that most churches have their personalised Certificates which are not FRN marriage Registry Certificate.

Similarly, note that FRN Marriage Registry Certifacte is the same certificate you would get if your marriage had be consummated in the Registry. This is what people call Court Marriage in Nigeria. If your intention is to have the whole marriage process completed in the registry (court) and not the church, all u need to do is to tell the Registrar and u will be asked to pick a wedding day (normally mutually agreed with the registry) after the permit has benn granted which has to be before the latest indicated date on the permit. By this, you dont need to take the permit to anyway ( i mean church) since the final soleminization will be in the in the registry.

Cos most churches or their branches do not have the FRN Marriage Registry cerficate that is why some couples do a court (registry) wedding 2 or 3 days before the actual church wedding. By this, such couple can have the FRN Marriage Certificate issued by the registry and at the same time have their marriage blessed in the church on a later day and also get the church's personalised marriage certificate. But this does not mean u must do both the court wedding and church wedding. U do not need to go take your marriage vows in the registry or court if your church has the Marriage Registry's permission to issue FRN Marriage certificates, all u need is the 21 days notice at the marriage registry to be granted the permit to be taken to ur church. In all cases, church or registry weddings u need at least 2 witnesses who will be signitaries on the wedding certificate. These can be anybody but most people use their parents.

Hope this clarifies your question.

You married and happy, that, i think is all that counts.

@mikedeoye - thank you for all your help & information. I do have the notification paper, but we did also have a ceremony at the registery office with witnesses before the date stated on the registration certificate. Am i right in assuming from your explanation that this means it has been solemnized then (sorry its just i have never heard this term before)? After this ceremony we did recieve a certificate (a long blus peice of paper) with our names & our witnesses on it also - is this the FRN Certifcate then? I apologise if these sound very stupid questions but as i explained i had never heard the tem "solemnize" before & was concerned that the certificate was unlike any other countries. Also i want to make sure everything is in order to prevent any hassle with my husbands visa. I really do appreciate all your help.

@fhemmmy - yep i am very happy with my Nigerian husband, thanks

nicola c:

@fhemmmy - yep i am very happy with my Nigerian husband, thanks

then enjoy it
Do you have other husband from other nationality, cos you said, my Nigerian husband, so only your ghanian husband, u no like

Nope 1 husband is more than enough thanks I only mentioned "Nigerian" husband as i am on a Nigeria forum

@Nicola c,

With your latest clarification, then i want to assume too that the marriage has been done legally. But you can confirm if the certificate u were given after the ceremony at the registry office has the following highlights:
- Federal Republic of Nigeria
- The Marriage Act (with the Nigerian logo)-Section 24
- Form E SCHEDULE
-Certificate no
-Marriage Celebrated in the ,
-Certificate of Marriage
-The couples details (names, date of marriage, ages, Condition, Rank or Profession, Residence address, and parents names)
-Married at,
-If the two of you signed on the certificate under the title "This marriage was celebrated between us, "
-The registrar's Signed under the title "Minister (or Registrar as the case may be), "
-If your witnesses signed on the Certificate under the title "in the presence of us, "

If the certificate you have has all those mentioned above then i think you have the right certificate.

Ok thank you for all the info

lol

@Fhemmmy - hey i know my question sounded dumb (even to me) but i just had to be 100% sure cos i couldnt work out what solemnized was, and my husband isnt the brightest button in the box to leave him to find out

nicola c:

@Fhemmmy - hey i know my question sounded dumb (even to me) but i just had to be 100% sure cos i couldnt work out what solemnized was, and my husband isnt the brightest button in the box to leave him to find out

So in the marriage, i will assume that you are the brightest one, and he is not the brightest one. ooouuccccchhhhhh
Anyhow, you doing a good job, the certificate is needed, so enjoy your marriage and be happy.

I got married in Lagos last year. Because I am a foriegner we could not get married in a church. We had to go to the local register/court to get married for our marriage to be legal. The official marriage certificate in Nigeria is green and white. It has all of your info on it and is signed by the court registrar and your witnesses. It is quite long, but it has all of the info on it.

Hi, mikedeoye. Really hats off to you friend. What a great information you have shared. Thanks for it, I like it,

Ahhhhh, so it was the d.i.c.k huh@nicola, You said your husband isn't the brightest bulb in the box and HE NIGERIAN?


Hmmm, well be happy and fruitful,

We understand how to get the certificate, BUT HOW THE COURT WEDDING procedure go? Do you recite some long arse poem and do some crazy chit before the judge pronounce you husband and wife?

Anybody that had a court wedding, WHAT THE PROCEDURE AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

@nicola, is it possible for me to call you, might need your help. Please help a brother. I live in england presently and thinking of going home to do likewise,
@Mikedoeye, nice one, only just popped in and your post was very helpful, indeed take my hats off for you!!

Look at all the nitty gritty this poster is concerned with. NO MAN ON EARTH would be bothered or least concerned with all these unimportant paper work. You are married. Move on with your life.

@Other posters

Do you see why i have ALWAYS insisted that marriage is a woman's thing? Do you see why i keep hammering that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING a man "gains" from marriage? All this woman is interested in is getting more knots to tie the man down securely with.

Why do men allow things like these to happen to them?

Please does anyone know how long it takes to actually get a marriage certificate in nigeria,
myself and hubby are planning to tie the knots soon and we have been advised it takes a month for them to stamp something from abuja
@poster,please confirm if this is true
@adeoye, that was good information sir

Hello... I need guide lines on this Marriage License Paper in Nigeria, Please Can someone tell me how to go about it? and where to obtain the marriage license Paper? My woman is coming down to Nigeria so we can get married here, but she ask me to send copy of Marriage License paper to her. require by Nigerian Embassy in USA..

Hello nairalanders,


I have something to ask. My story goes like this. I am a student in the netherlands. I have a dutch girlfriend that i would love to marry. Men no time oo!! I just want to know what i need if i am to get married to her. I have heard people talking about marriage certificate. I have never been married before and i dont know where to get this thing. could anyone with ideas tell me how i can get this certificate? Is it possible to get it from the Nigerian embassy here in the netherlands? Plz bro and sis make una throw me light!!!

Hi Nairalanders, I urgently need ur help, am engaged to a lawyer and we are supposed to get married middle of this year but unfortunately, He lost his maternal grand father and his mum's younger sister is also sick right now. He told me the wedding will have to be shifted till next year and I agreed to dat. I suggest we go do a Registry marriage pending the time dat we eventually do d church marriage but he refused saying it isn't legal to do a registry wedding and still do a church wedding as well, and since we intend doing a church wedding in d future, we shouldn't do a registry marriage. Pls I need ur opinion on this .

Elizabeth ope: Hi Nairalanders, I urgently need ur help, am engaged to a lawyer and we are supposed to get married middle of this year but unfortunately, He lost his maternal grand father and his mum's younger sister is also sick right now. He told me the wedding will have to be shifted till next year and I agreed to dat. I suggest we go do a Registry marriage pending the time dat we eventually do d church marriage but he refused saying it isn't legal to do a registry wedding and still do a church wedding as well, and since we intend doing a church wedding in d future, we shouldn't do a registry marriage. Pls I need ur opinion on this .

Tell me you are joking. So you actually believe this? Education and exposure is very important. My dear, i think the question you should be asking is if he ever wanted to marry you. Court = Legal wedding. Church wedding = Blessing of the union in the church, not legal without signing and submitting the court papers. Court wedding is the most important wedding when it comes to a union. My dear, just shine our eyes. This seems like a load of bullsh*it packaged just for the gullible.

NIGERIAN MARRIAGE NA WAYA!
Wharrrah backward society! Everything na stress!
God bless the WHITE RACE!!!

God bless H-AMERICA JARE!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyBCt-L6E_Y


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEbBizS7VYM


If you say I DON'T. . .SIMPLE MATTER TOO!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE H-AMERICA!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEbBizS7VYM

Elizabeth ope: Hi Nairalanders, I urgently need ur help, am engaged to a lawyer and we are supposed to get married middle of this year but unfortunately, He lost his maternal grand father and his mum's younger sister is also sick right now. He told me the wedding will have to be shifted till next year and I agreed to dat. I suggest we go do a Registry marriage pending the time dat we eventually do d church marriage but he refused saying it isn't legal to do a registry wedding and still do a church wedding as well, and since we intend doing a church wedding in d future, we shouldn't do a registry marriage. Pls I need ur opinion on this .

He is right to some extent. If you guys do a registry wedding, you are MARRIED. Churches like mine won't do another wedding but will do a church blessing with all the ceremony, but without the rings. But most churches don't follow the led down procedure so, it depends on the church.

Hi guys,
I am UK citizen and my partner Nigerian. We want to get married in Nija and want to know does it have to be a in a federal court like Ikoyi or can it be in court registry such as Ikeja?
Also, in Ikoyi, the registrar said that the cost is 65,000N for a foreigner to get married, is this true?
Many thanks,
V

Veeme:
Hi guys,
I am UK citizen and my partner Nigerian. We want to get married in Nija and want to know does it have to be a in a federal court like Ikoyi or can it be in court registry such as Ikeja?
Also, in Ikoyi, the registrar said that the cost is 65,000N for a foreigner to get married, is this true?
Many thanks,
V

Its classed as a special marriage, My husband and I got married in Ikoyi 25th March 2015 at a cost of 60000 naira, we married on a Wednesday, so seems it has increased.

I am also British, married a Nigerian man

I am also not sure if I am married to a Nigerian man. Last year I went over to Abuja to meet and marry a guy I met and had been speaking with over the internet for about 4 years. I arrived and we stayed in a hotel in Abuja, after about 7 days he and I along with his family went to a place, where we went through a marriage ceremony. Before the ceremony we were both taken into separate rooms, not sure what he was asked but I was asked if I was married or divorced because I was a US citizen and many years older than he is. I told them I was divorced, they asked me to produce divorce papers which was unable to because I am still legally married in the US to a US man for over 30 years. The plan for this marriage was to bring him to the US. When I was unable to produce the divorce papers, they said I had 21 days to produce them but still allowed me and him to sign the marriage book (or whatever its called) and go through with the ceremony. Since my return to the US 7 days after the "wedding" I have continued to talk with him via the phone and internet. I am still married to my US husband, I did have to tell him what I had done, and even asked him for a divorce, which he refused to give me. I am confused on whether or not the marriage I went through in Abuja is legal or not. The man in I thought I married is from Lagos but came to Abuja to get married because it was safer for me being a white female than in Lagos. After many months of talking with my husband in the US, I guess you could say I came to my senses and want to truly stay with my husband of 30+ years, he is a very understanding man (has to be after what I have done to him). Back in October of 2015 I sent this Nigerian $3000 so he would stop contacting me, he hasn't and has continued to ask for money and threaten to harass my family (children and husband) if I don't continue to send him money. I sent him another $1000 in February 2016 but now I don't have any more money to send and he keeps threatening to start harassing my family. What can I do to get him to stop, also can I talk to someone in Abuja to get him in trouble for going through with a marriage to a none Nigerian knowing they were still married, I really think his original intentions were to have me bring him over to the US and then either leave me or drain my bank account dry. When he first started harassing my family he told one of my adult children that they had to call him their father and that if I ever came back to Nigeria none of my kids or family would ever see me again. I'm scared and confused on what I can and should do.

have you alerted the security officials about this in nigeria?,and most importantly, i think you should have confessed to your husssy over there, that would have solve you lots of trouble.i also think this matter requires tactical attack maam.pls respond to my questions and i shall see next. what are the various steps you have taken so far too?

ConfusedinIS:
I am also not sure if I am married to a Nigerian man. Last year I went over to Abuja to meet and marry a guy I met and had been speaking with over the internet for about 4 years. I arrived and we stayed in a hotel in Abuja, after about 7 days he and I along with his family went to a place, where we went through a marriage ceremony. Before the ceremony we were both taken into separate rooms, not sure what he was asked but I was asked if I was married or divorced because I was a US citizen and many years older than he is. I told them I was divorced, they asked me to produce divorce papers which was unable to because I am still legally married in the US to a US man for over 30 years. The plan for this marriage was to bring him to the US. When I was unable to produce the divorce papers, they said I had 21 days to produce them but still allowed me and him to sign the marriage book (or whatever its called) and go through with the ceremony. Since my return to the US 7 days after the "wedding" I have continued to talk with him via the phone and internet. I am still married to my US husband, I did have to tell him what I had done, and even asked him for a divorce, which he refused to give me. I am confused on whether or not the marriage I went through in Abuja is legal or not. The man in I thought I married is from Lagos but came to Abuja to get married because it was safer for me being a white female than in Lagos. After many months of talking with my husband in the US, I guess you could say I came to my senses and want to truly stay with my husband of 30+ years, he is a very understanding man (has to be after what I have done to him). Back in October of 2015 I sent this Nigerian $3000 so he would stop contacting me, he hasn't and has continued to ask for money and threaten to harass my family (children and husband) if I don't continue to send him money. I sent him another $1000 in February 2016 but now I don't have any more money to send and he keeps threatening to start harassing my family. What can I do to get him to stop, also can I talk to someone in Abuja to get him in trouble for going through with a marriage to a none Nigerian knowing they were still married, I really think his original intentions were to have me bring him over to the US and then either leave me or drain my bank account dry. When he first started harassing my family he told one of my adult children that they had to call him their father and that if I ever came back to Nigeria none of my kids or family would ever see me again. I'm scared and confused on what I can and should do.

Urgent please!
For a couple already with UK marriage certificate, do all institutes in Nigeria recognise and respect the fact that someone has already married and that there are the right documentations to prove that our current UK marriage certificate is accepted in Nigeria (same date should still stand) without any need to have Nigerian marriage certificate?