planning a wedding in Cook Islands? Here's how!

Hi,
I just got back from getting married in the Cook Islands. I asked a few questions on here before I left and didn't get too much information, so I am going to provide you with it!

When you arrive, you have to go to the Ministry of Justice building in Avarua on Rarotonga. You start by filling out an application and paying $50. You must know the celebrant's name and the location and expected date of your wedding and have your passports as well. Hopefully you are planning to have your wedding at least 3 days after you arrived in Cook Islands; if not you have to pay an extra $40 to waive this waiting period. The next day (or later), you can go back and pick up the license.

If for any reason, some detail of your planned wedding changes, like the date, name of the celebrant, or whatever, you can pay $20 to have it changed. I had to do this on Aitutaki because a storm delayed our plans. The owner of the guesthouse where I was staying was kind enough to take the license in to the local office (local MoJ office is at the end of the long building behind the Westpac bank) and fax it to the MoJ in Rarotonga who then couriered it back to Aitutaki. It was faxed on Thursday, and I picked it up on Monday morning. It sounds incredible, I know. Maybe because it was the off season.

After the wedding, you have to return the marriage license form with the signature of your celebrant, signatures of you and your spouse, and the signatures of two witnesses to the Ministry of Justice. You can mail it in if you are on an outer island, but I was told it takes two weeks to come back to you, whereas if you go into the MoJ in Avarua, they can do it on the spot and there is no more waiting. You will have to pay another $15 for a marriage certificate.

You then have the option to take your marriage certificate over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, which is right across the street, and up 3 flights of wooden stairs. This Ministry will provide you with an Apostille for $20. I have no idea what this is, but they said that it might be useful for registering our marriage in our home country. I figured it would be easier to pay $20 and do it there, then wish at some later date that I had done it.

Lots of people ask me if my Cook Islands wedding is legal in Canada. I don't know- I'll let you know when I get divorced! Anyway, from what I can tell, there is not any way to register a foreign marriage here in BC.

Have fun!

Edited by: skippy11116