There is a good chance that if you've found yourself reading this page, it's either because you have been asked to perform a wedding in Ireland, or because you yourself are planning soon to be wed there. In either circumstance: congratulations! Below, you will find step-by-step instructions to get ordained in Ireland to perform a wedding ceremony for friends and family, and so much more!
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Ireland
Before you do anything else, if you are feeling so-called, you should consider getting ordained online with the Universal Life Church Ministries. Our online ordinations are free of charge, and it won't take you long to complete the application at all. There are millions of ULCM ministers around the globe, including many in Ireland. We would love for you to become a minister and join our Universal family, and you can begin that process whenever you are ready by clicking the big blue button.
2 How to Officiate a Marriage in Ireland
Has somebody already asked you to perform their wedding in Ireland? Once you've applied for and received your online ordination, you should take the time to reach out to your local marriage authority (the office that issues marriage licenses in your area). As you speak to them, you should politely inform them that you are an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church Ireland Ministries, and that you are planning to solemnize a wedding ceremony. That office, if they accept your ordination, should be able to provide you with a list of documentation that you must present to them prior to the marriage ceremony to ensure it is legal in Ireland.
3 License to Marry in Ireland
If you got a long list of documents from the office of your marriage authority - don't fret! While regulations vary widely from one area to another, we've done our best to make any document you may require available in our online minister supplies catalog. Do please note that it is possible that the local marriage authority may not currently accept your online ordination in Ireland at all - we're working hard on achieving global acceptance, but the law moves much more slowly than our innovative new model. We typically advise ministers in Ireland to get an Ordination Package, which upon order will be shipped to you in Ireland from the U.S. via FedEx international shipping. While we know there are a lot of other items on your to-do list leading up to the big day, do please try to complete the order for any documents or other minister supplies you may need as soon as you are able - we always recommend you try to order at least a month before the wedding just to make sure you receive everything on time and all of the appropriate offices have the chance to rubber-stamp it.
4 How to Perform a Wedding in Ireland
Assuming your ordination has been accepted and you've been able to submit all your paperwork, now it's time for the fun part of the job! Being asked to perform a wedding for friends or family in Ireland is a special honor, and the prospect can be simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. Rest assured that you would not have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony if the betrothed didn't think you were imminently qualified to usher them through this special day. You can always request additional training literature on performing a wedding from the minister supplies section when you are making the rest of your order if you think you would benefit from deeper training, but if you'd rather just review some of the most important tips you can feel free to review our online wedding guides. And even if you aren't able to perform legal wedding ceremonies in Ireland yet, there is so much more you can do as a new ordained minister! Please take a look at the minister training section of our website while you're at it to explore all of these other paths.
Ireland Marriage Code
Ireland Marriage Code
Marriage in Ireland is governed by Ireland's Department of Social Protection, and while fairly straightforward can be burdensome. There are two types of marriage in Ireland, Civil and Religious/Secular. Additionally, there are a number of rules in place regarding each. All couples must attend the local clerk's office in-person to sign their marriage license, and any religious/secular officiant, before the marriages she or he perform are accepted as valid, must be listed in the General Register of Solemnisers. Currently, the Universal Life Church is not a recognized religious denomination in Ireland and no Irish ministers are officially registered as marriage solemnisers with the Central Office. However, we are currently working to increase our profile in the country; if you think you could be of assistance in this regard, please contact our office. Of course, while as a ULC Minister you cannot currently perform a legally binding marriage ceremony in Ireland, you are more than welcome to perform a symbolic marriage for your loved ones.2.2 MARRIAGE BY RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR CEREMONY
Marriages by religious ceremony or secular ceremony are performed according to the beliefs, rites and ceremonies of the religious body or secular body which is carrying out the ceremony and a registered solemniser may only solemnise a marriage according to the beliefs, rites and ceremony of a religious body or a secular body if he/she is a recognised member of that body.
However, all the civil requirements set out in Section 1 must first be complied with and the couple must have been issued with a Marriage Registration Form by a Registrar which they must show to the person solemnising the marriage. The solemniser must also be a registered solemniser, nominated by his or her religious or secular body, and it is the responsibility of the couple to ensure that the person they wish to solemnise their marriage is on the Register of Solemnisers.
Click here to check Register of Solemnisers
Temporary registrations of solemnisers of religious and secular marriages are possible for those who only wish to solemnise a specific marriage or to solemnise marriages for a specific period of time.
The venue for a religious or secular marriage is a matter for the authorities of the church or religious or secular body under whose auspices the marriage is being performed.
All marriages, civil, religious or secular, must take place at venues which are open to the public.
The ceremony must be performed in the presence of two witnesses who are both over 18 years of age. Both parties must make two declarations: - a) that neither of them knows of any impediment to the marriage; and b) that they accept each other as husband and wife.
At the end of the ceremony, the solemniser, the couple, and the witnesses must all sign the MRF. The completed MRF should be given to a registrar (not necessarily the registrar who issued it) within 1 month of the ceremony, so that the marriage can be civilly registered. Please note that you will not be able to obtain a civil marriage certificate until such time as the MRF has been returned to a Registrar and the marriage is civilly registered.
View the Ireland Statutes on the official state site⇓ Show the rest
