Is it possible to get married without registering with the registry office in 2021?

Family law > Marriage registration > Is it possible to get married in a church without registering a marriage at the registry office?

Today, there are often couples who do not consider it necessary to register family relationships in the registry office, but at the same time, they live according to the laws of Orthodoxy and would like to get married in a church.

To curious questions from friends and relatives, they usually answer that “a stamp in a passport is a formality”, “it does not bring happiness”, etc.

In their opinion, it is the church wedding ceremony that is the sacred marriage, a Sacrament performed in heaven, and this is what they strive for.

Is it possible to get married in a church without registering a marriage at the registry office?

What is a church marriage?

A wedding, or church marriage, is a ceremony performed by a clergyman in a church.

It is believed that this sacred Sacrament unites the souls of lovers, allows them to consolidate the relationship between husband and wife in heaven and receive the approval of the Almighty for the birth of children.

Nobody obliges newlyweds to get married in church . Whether to perform this ritual or not is up to the future spouses to decide, because from a legal point of view, only the procedure of registering a marriage with the registry office is considered an official, legal marriage.

More than 2 centuries ago the situation was different. Until the 20th century in Russia, church marriage was considered the only legal one and had all the legal consequences.

The church practice of marriage was very strict: in addition to the wedding, the newlyweds went through the betrothal procedure, after which they could sometimes wait for years for the Holy Sacrament. Now these two rites are combined into one wedding ceremony.

Important! Getting married is a very serious and responsible step. The decision of the newlyweds to perform a sacred ceremony must be mutual and deliberate.

An exception

Despite such a tough position in the Russian Orthodox Church, there are still several exceptions to the general rule. A couple can get married without an official marriage certificate in the following cases:

If one of the newlyweds is terminally ill, which makes it impossible to register the marriage.
If the difference between the sacrament and the wedding ceremony is only a few hours. In this case, permission is issued upon presentation of an invitation to the ceremony to the priest.
If one of the future spouses undergoes a complex operation with a high risk to life.
When one of the couple is sent to hostilities, the diocese issues a wedding permit without officially registering the marriage.
If the guy and girl are sincere parishioners, obedient to the church and observing all its canons. In this case, all responsibility will lie with the priest who married the spouses.

A vital necessity

It is worth saying that there is no vital necessity in a wedding. One comes to such a decision only when one is deeply imbued with the commandments of Christ and church life. In other words, both future spouses must be spiritually prepared to swear loyalty to each other before God and keep their promise for the rest of their lives. Few are ready for this.

You should also know that the wedding ceremony in modern Russia and the countries of the former USSR has no legal force. This means that married spouses are not married spouses in the eyes of the state and do not have corresponding rights under the law. Such people will not have property, inheritance or other rights enjoyed by spouses who have undergone a civil marriage ceremony in the registry office.

Communion in church

The meaning of church communion is to unite with Christ spiritually, physically and emotionally. This is done through eating bread, which symbolizes the Body of the Savior, and wine, which is a symbol of His blood shed for the sins of mankind.

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This sacrament gives the believer the opportunity to be in unity with God, to feel him and serve faithfully, while maintaining spiritual purity. The meaning is simple - any food after a meal is converted by the human body into microelements, and they, in turn, become building material for organs and tissues. Communion is actually a physical connection with the Divine source and a necessity for every believer.

As for communion before the wedding, there are rules:

Before the Eucharist (communion), you need to confess and fast.
The duration of food restrictions is at least 3 days.
While fasting, you should give up not only certain foods, but also intimacy, entertainment, alcohol, smoking, TV and social networks.
They fast before confession and only then are they allowed to take communion.
The sacrament of the Eucharist itself is quite acceptable to celebrate before the wedding. In this case, you should not eat any food before the sacrament.

It is also worth saying that communion is one of the conditions that must be met in order to obtain permission for the ceremony.

Is it possible to get married without registering a marriage at the registry office?

The Orthodox religion does not prohibit a wedding in a church without registering the relationship with the registry office.

However, according to modern rules of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the wedding ceremony should be carried out only after marriage in the registry office.

That is why the initial step in creating any family is considered to be a union concluded in the registry office.

There are many known cases when married men came to church to marry fake spouses.

Since Orthodoxy does not allow polygamy, such a church union is impossible. A priest cannot check people for another marriage; the church simply does not have such information.

In this regard, there is an agreement between the state and clergy that a blessing for a wedding ceremony can be received from a priest only after the newlyweds present a marriage registration certificate.

Is it possible to get married without signing at the registry office?

As of 2021, religion does not interfere with such processes. But in addition to religious rules, there are internal church laws. According to which, a wedding ceremony without an official marriage is impossible . These measures were not taken by chance, because there are often cases when married men came to marry “fictitious wives.”

Considering that Christianity does not allow polygamous relationships and polygamy, the priest must somehow determine the seriousness of the relationship. For this purpose, the “passport stamp verification system” was introduced.

How to get married in a church without registering a marriage at the registry office?

If there are no stamps in the spouses’ passports, but the couple still really wants to get married, then this is possible, but only under one condition.

A man and a woman must prove to the clergyman the absolute sincerity of their feelings. Young people in love can get married if they are parishioners of the church where they plan to enter into a holy marriage, and the rector of the temple has known them for many years and sees their relationship to each other.

By blessing such a couple to perform the rite of the Sacrament without entering into marriage in the registry office, he thus takes upon himself full responsibility for their union.

An example of such a marriage in Russia is a celebrity couple who got married without a signature in the registry office - Anton Makarsky and Victoria Morozova. However, this case is rather an exception to the rule.

In fact, a wedding has no legal consequences and legal status in the legislative framework of the Russian Federation.

In addition, young people can get married without prior registration by the registry office if there are special, extreme conditions that threaten the life of one of the spouses.

For example, this could be a life-threatening operation or serving a life-threatening job. In such a case, the possibility of holding a church ceremony is decided on an individual basis.

If clergy of the highest hierarchy give their permission, then the wedding ceremony will be carried out without a marriage certificate. For all exceptional cases, you must obtain permission to perform a wedding from the diocesan bishop.

Note! The wedding ceremony can be held on the same day as the painting at the registry office.

In the event that the marriage procedure is scheduled later, the priest must be notified in advance, or even better, present a document from the registry office confirming this fact.

In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, a church marriage does not have legal force.

But in exceptional situations, a church certificate can prove the existence of a marriage relationship (civil marriage) in fact. This concerns mainly issues of property and inheritance nature, as well as children’s rights.

It is important to understand that from the point of view of the law, a church union is not considered a marriage, therefore the state, in particular the court, cannot guarantee compliance with the rights and obligations of members of such a family, since this “unit of society” simply does not exist according to documents.

In what cases is an exception allowed?

The stories of people entering into church marriage are unique. There are various circumstances that judicial practice interprets as a “human factor”. Priests give permission if there are factors that contribute to circumventing the prohibitions, unless they relate to family relationships and do not contradict the law.

State registration and wedding ceremony on the same day

There is a persistent misconception about the designation of marriage status. Sometimes a civil marriage is a union that is not concluded in the registry office and is not registered by law. This is wrong.

If the passport bears a government registration stamp, then it is a civil or secular union.
If the union is not registered anywhere and by anyone, then it is cohabitation.

The church conducts wedding ceremonies only for those who are in a civil marriage. The timing of the wedding after registration is important only for those who want to get married. People who adhere to the Orthodox faith often carry out registration and wedding registration in the registry office on the same day.

Information! The wedding often takes place on a chosen day years after the official registration.

Extenuating circumstances

By decision of a special commission created by the diocesan archpriest, permission can be issued in exceptional cases. It can be obtained by those who, without signing, decided to enter into a church marriage. The circumstance that will allow the bishop to grant permission for a marriage is a situation where one of the spouses is in mortal danger.

It must be understood that circumstances of this type can be different, and clergy bear full responsibility when permitting a wedding without an officially registered marriage certificate. These could be diseases with an unfavorable prognosis for one of the spouses, complex upcoming operations, trips to places where living conditions may threaten life and health. The clergyman carefully studies the materials of the case, turns to a higher priest, awaits a decision and announces it.

Obedient church members for many years

Another exception to a wedding without painting may be permission for a church marriage for those who have been visiting the parish for a long time, are an impeccable parishioner, and follow all the recommendations of the confessor. For such persons, a special exception is made and the ceremony is performed in accordance with the laws of the church.

At the same time, communion, confession, and fasting before the ceremony are increased in time when compared with a wedding after official registration. In addition, the decision can be made on the basis of positive characteristics and the petition of respected parishioners from the same parish. The period for consideration of an application for permission depends on the rules of the church and the conditions of the parish.

Information! A wedding certificate has no legal force and is not recognized by law as a civil marriage, therefore property and other types of claims in the presence of this document are untenable.

What do you need for a wedding in 2021?

According to the rules, the wedding ceremony begins long before the day of the ceremony. First, the newlyweds come to the temple for a conversation with the clergyman .

This is necessary in order to resolve organizational issues and get answers to questions that concern the future couple about family relationships from the point of view of the clergy.

First, the priest will ask several mandatory questions, which the lovers must answer as sincerely as possible.

The Holy Father will certainly ask about the availability of a marriage certificate or when the newlyweds are going to legitimize their union.

If it turns out that they want to get married without registering the marriage with the registry office, then the rector may regard this as a frivolous and irresponsible attitude towards family and marriage. If the couple wishes to get married on their wedding day, then the priest will bless them with the sacred Sacrament.

The newlyweds will also be asked whether they wished to perform the wedding ceremony by mutual consent and of their own free will . If the holy father understands from the conversation that one of the couple came to the temple under duress, he may refuse to perform the church rite.

So, if one of the spouses is baptized, but does not believe in God and agrees to the wedding only to please his other half, then this can be regarded as coercion.

Often the rector of the church asks the couple questions about their future family life, for example:

whether they plan to have children;
are they going to educate them according to the word of God;
how newlyweds feel about betrayal and divorce;
will ask you to tell about your previous marriage (if there was one), what that relationship was like, why it didn’t work out, etc.

The priest needs all this to make sure that the young people’s decision to enter into a spiritual marriage is serious and conscious.

The newlyweds can also ask the priest their questions and clarify for themselves all the unclear points.

They are often interested in how the ritual of the Sacrament will be performed, how long the wedding procedure lasts, what outfits can be worn, and whether it is possible to photograph and videotape the process.

Don't be shy or afraid to ask, because everything should be very clear.

After the newlyweds and the priest have agreed on the date and time of the wedding ceremony and have clarified all the points that interest them, they must prepare the items necessary to perform the ceremony:

marriage certificate;
candles;
towel;
wedding rings;
2 icons (Theotokos and Savior).

A few days before the Sacrament, the newlyweds must fast for some time, then take communion and confess to the Holy Father . It is believed that young people are purified in this way before entering into a church marriage.

The wedding ceremony consists of 2 parts:

Engagement.
The wedding itself.

As already noted, previously these were 2 separate rites that were held on different days. Today it is a single inextricable ritual.

At the end of the wedding ceremony, the spouses are presented with a Certificate of Church Marriage.

The wedding certificate, which is issued in the church after the Sacrament has been performed, has no legal force, unlike the marriage registration certificate issued by the registry office.

It only confirms the spiritual union of the newlyweds, concluded before God in heaven.

Sacrament of wedding: what is needed in 2021, how it happens

A wedding in a church without registration in the registry office or with an official ceremony has the same requirements for holding:

The main rule for a wedding dress is chastity. The shoulders, chest and back are covered, the length is below the knee, the cut is loose. If the style does not meet these criteria, a cape should be provided. Only an outfit with a skirt is allowed; a pantsuit will not be acceptable in this case. A veil or headscarf is required to cover the head of the bridegroom. Guests' clothing must also comply with church canons.
The bride and groom fast for a week or several days before the ceremony. It includes not only abstaining from meat, but also abstaining from attending entertainment events and intimate relationships.
It is not allowed to carry out the ceremony during all four church fasts, on the eve of great holidays, on Easter and Cheese weeks.

The first stage of the wedding ceremony is engagement. The clergyman makes the sign of the cross three times in turn over the bride and groom and pronounces certain words. Then he places rings on the ring fingers of each person’s right palm. The newlyweds exchange wedding rings three times as a sign that their intentions are serious.

The next step is the actual conclusion of a church marriage. First, each partner answers the priest’s questions. Then the couple stands under the crowns, and the shepherd reads prayers and asks the Lord for grace for the emerging family union. After this, the future husband and wife are given wine to drink from a ritual cup, circled around the lectern three times, and blessed with icons of the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

According to the rules of the Catholic Church, a certificate of official marriage is required. The engagement takes place three months before the wedding. The wedding rite in Protestantism is similar to the Catholic one. The traditions of this movement involve celebration right in the temple. Church music sounds, guests receive communion and make donations for the needs of the church. Drinking alcohol is prohibited.

A wedding, like baptism, cannot be held in a monastery: the way of life of this place involves renunciation of worldly joys and worries.

The attitude of clergy towards civil marriage

By registering their union in the registry office, young people show the seriousness of the relationship, which cannot be said about couples living in a civil marriage without a signature in the Civil Status Book.

The Church respects the laws of the state and denies such cohabitation, considering such a union to be sinful. Civil couples, according to church canons, cannot be godparents, since they lead a dissolute, spiritual life and are not able to instill in their godson the correct spiritual education.

In addition, such couples are not allowed to receive communion until they repent and stop “living in sin.”

So, a wedding in a church and state registration with the registry office go hand in hand . And if entering into a legal marriage is completely permitted without a wedding, then the opposite situation is completely atypical for modern society.

In standard situations, a wedding always follows the registration in the Civil Registry Book. Exceptions are made by clergy only in rare cases.

to the article “Is it possible to get married in a church without registering a marriage at the registry office?”

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Anonymous writes:
Question. My husband and I are divorced but have been living together for 25 years. Let's say the divorce was formal. Can we get married in such a situation?
Answer
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Vlad writes:
And if a person is against a passport, and without a passport they don’t get married, and what does signing in a passport have to do with marriage in the face of our Lord, and in the future passports will be replaced with chips, and then everyone should be given chips to sign in order to confess and take communion. I I think the main thing is to get married, but for some reason there is no church.
Answer
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Roman writes:
Hello. We got married and are citizens of Belarus. Can we get married in Russia?
Answer

Church and civil marriage

A marriage registered in a church does not have legal force when legal issues arise, as does a union concluded in a government body with a church blessing. But a wedding without registering a marriage in the registry office is negatively assessed by the clergy due to the excess of the moral and ethical requirements put forward by the church on a number of key positions presented in the table:

Position	Society's view	Church opinion
Allowable number of marriages	Not limited	Maximum – 3 marriages, including death of previous spouses
Grounds for divorce	The divorce process serves for the division of property even in the presence of minor children, in other cases: wanted - got married, wanted - freely acted	Allowed only for physical infidelity. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that whoever divorces his wife for any other reason causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5:32).
Family hierarchy	Theoretical emancipation, but society’s opinion about an unmarried man is based on the idea that he didn’t want to, and about an unmarried woman - they didn’t take her	The wife's recognized submission to her husband, who takes responsibility for her according to God's standards. The head of the husband is Christ, and the head of the wife is the husband (1 Corinthians 11:3)
Intimate relationships	Premarital relationships have been elevated to the level of the norm, and the presence of intimate relationships “on the side” gives a peculiar charm	Relationships with a virgin require marriage without the right to divorce (Deuteronomy 22:29), and only looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to adultery (Matthew 5:28)
Respect and deference	Theoretically not denied, but no specific demands are made	A call for husbands to treat their wives prudently, “as to the weaker vessel, and to show honor,” for wives to be examples to follow “in the incorruptible beauty of the spirit, and not in the outward braiding of hair” (1 Peter 3:1- 7)

The church understands a civil marriage as having a stamp in the passport without a church blessing. Relationships without appropriate registration, according to the laws of the country of residence, are equated to fornication, are considered sinful cohabitation and lead to exclusion from the sacrament. Question: is it possible to get married without painting, in fact, does it mean you can live in fornication?

What does the certificate of such a union affect?

The wedding certificate, which is issued in the church after the ceremony, has no legal force . Unlike a marriage registration certificate issued by government agencies. It only confirms for the spiritual newlyweds themselves that they have entered into an alliance before God in heaven, with the exception of certain cases (one of which is described above).

In the following video, the clergyman talks about the possibility of entering into a church marriage without official registration:

Legal consequences

In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, a church marriage does not have any legal force . But, in exceptional cases, it may have legal consequences for proving the existence of a de facto marital relationship (civil marriage). This concerns problems of property and inheritance nature, as well as children's rights.

Let's take the following situation as an example. A certain clergyman married a couple who were not in a marriage registered with the registry office. After the death of one of the spouses, the legal heirs evict the second from the apartment, since he (she) is not legally a spouse. However, if the living spouse proves that the marriage relationship took place (based on the wedding certificate), then he automatically becomes the heir of the first line.

But the case considered is a rare exception to the rule; basically, the wedding has no legal consequences, as well as no legal status in the legislative framework of the Russian Federation.

Is it possible to get married without painting at the registry office?

Serafima3 weeks agoReply

It would seem that not getting married without a registry office receipt is a guarantee of “legality.” The fact that “no one will be saved by the law” is somehow inconvenient to remember in our century.

But nevertheless, incidents such as Ks’s wedding also happen. Sobchak. Legally, with a receipt from the registry office? Yes - but... You understand...

Why not do it differently? From what? Only those who have experience in church life can be married, go to church, receive communion regularly, and a receipt is not required. Will income decrease (as one priest I know, who also does not approve of the current practice, told me)? But the fact is that a stereotype has developed that Wedding = Sacrament of Marriage (in fact, these are slightly different concepts). And taking payment for the Sacrament is a sin of simony. Take money for teaching the Holy Spirit! “We only take donations”? But what kind of donation is it - voluntary or compulsory? In the latter case, it is not a donation... And in general - a Sacrament for the Church, church people. Otherwise, it turns out that we marry just anyone, as long as they have a receipt...

But really, income will decrease, everything will go wrong, not only in the case of Marriage, but in general, if you start to be stricter about church life (and yourself). More demanding. Take care first of all about spiritual needs, and not about how to put on all the masks (there is such a thing). But there are few who are zealous...

But why wouldn’t I go to the registry office myself? After all (according to a crafty question in the institute): “If the stamp doesn’t mean anything, then why don’t you want to put it?” Means. And that's why...

So the point is that - yes, the State will protect me “if anything happens.” But I love my fiancé (let’s assume that I have a fiancé), which means I shouldn’t expect any accidents. I trust him, not the state. After all, it was not the state that gave me the happiness of love, it was not it that filled my heart with joyful trembling. It's a matter of trust. And the question of love.

Then who - WHO - can take upon themselves the right to “legitimize love” (and even for a “state fee!!!)??? Rave! Whose vile invention is this – as if some leftist individuals can write down our last names next to each other and this will only make love “legal”?? The Church is a different matter, where the blessing of God is called upon those getting married (Although God may not send a blessing). But standing in front of a tired auntie, who may be “getting married” for the hundredth time, is somehow even embarrassing. Insincere. And shame on those “hierarchs” who force this humiliating procedure to be done, on those who issued such a decree.

In general, a marriage can only be “legal” with the blessing of God. Maybe (I’ll say a terrible thing now) this blessing will come to people even without a wedding. Or maybe it won’t work for a wedding. Therefore, we must seek God's will first of all. Otherwise, even if you sign ten times, you will still live in fornication if God has not blessed you. Get married at least a hundred times!

In 19th century literature, many did not understand this. Therefore, all these Tatyanas, Mashas (“Dubrovsky”), Liza Kalitinas are non-Orthodox people. The latter went to a monastery because her beloved turned out to be married (to a woman who was cheating on him, whom he abandoned)... But she did it willfully, without asking God, but decided on her own. But they don’t go to the monastery. They come to the monastery. Like Mother Nonna in the monastery of Varlaam Khutyn - “with joy.” From love for God, and not from dislike for man.

So what conclusions do we come to? No one but God can take upon himself the privilege of “legitimizing” love. Yes - “to Caesar what is Caesar's.” But the area of love is not a Caesarean, not a state thing. But only God's.

So not having a wedding without painting is nonsense. Blasphemy. Distortion of Divine norms. And this is just illegal. Let's not be lukewarm. Let us truly love God and people. Let's trust God that HE decides whether we want to be married - or not. And believe me, it’s much easier to live by trusting God. There is no fear of being abandoned. There is no fear of death. After all, the issue of our lives is also decided by God, and not by WHO or Rospotrebnadzor.

And one more thing: let's rely less on earthly authorities in church matters. After all, the Church is the Bride of Christ. And there is no place in it for fear and the idols of “legality” and “bodily health.” It's better to take care of your mental health. The body will die, but the soul will still live and live!