Getting Married in Tahiti?

In the past Americans who wished to wed in Tahiti were advised that while they could have a traditional wedding ceremony it would not be legally binding. The obstacle was/is the requirement of one month's residency in French Polynesia prior to marriage. (U.S. citizens need a Visa for stays over a month and obtaining one requires quite a lot of effort and paperwork.)

However, since there has been a dramatic cut back in visitors from the North American market (their largest), they are considering revising the requirements for a civil wedding.

How streamlined the process will be remains to be seen. I located these requirements for U.K. citizens wishing to marry there:

In accordance with the national civil code, one month of prior residency in French Polynesia is required. Ten days must also be allowed for the wedding banns to be published.

The following documents must be provided to the municipality where the wedding is to take place:

A custom certificate from the authorities in their country of nationality
A celibacy certificate
A wedding banns publication certificate from the place of foreign residency
Birth certificate must be translated into French by an official translator

Yikes! and stay tuned.

Photo courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme