An interpreter for a marriage registration with a foreigner: common hitches

A couple filed at the registry office: the bride from Russia, the groom from Tunisia. By the date of registration the groom had arrived but there was no interpreter — they decided they would "manage in English". The registry office refused to hold the ceremony: the official is required to make sure the foreign citizen understands the substance of the act being registered, and their rights and obligations, and without an interpreter they cannot. The date was pushed back two weeks — to the next free slot.

What exactly is required from the interpreter at the registry office

The interpreter is present both at the filing of the joint application and at the ceremony itself. They render the official's questions, the bride's and groom's answers, and the text read out at registration, and they sign the documents. As a rule an interpreter with an education document in the relevant field and a passport is required; some registry offices ask for the interpreter's details in advance so they can be entered into the file.

A common hitch is the language. The interpreter is needed for the foreign spouse's native language or a language they speak fluently and that is stated in their documents. "An interpreter from English" will not do if the groom is a native Arabic speaker who knows English at a conversational level: the registry office is entitled to point this out and postpone the registration.

How to prepare

Check in advance with your registry office: at which stage the interpreter is needed (filing, ceremony, or both), whether their details must be provided in advance, and whether a notarised written translation of the foreigner's passport and other documents is required for the package. Book the interpreter for both dates at once.

And check that the groom's name in all document translations matches his international passport character for character. A discrepancy here is a classic cause of delay after the ceremony, at the stage of issuing the marriage certificate and legalising it further.