Short notice for destination weddings is now available in the Grenadines.
Minister of Tourism Carlos James stated on February 27 that the government has published the Marriage Delegation of Powers Notice 2022, which is now in effect and essentially will allow for the facilitation of obtaining a marriage license in the Grenadines.
In 2022, the government in parliament moved the legislative amendment under the marriage act to facilitate the process.
James said that over the years, the issue of destination weddings has been a very challenging part of SVG’s tourism product, and over time, the cost of coming to the Grenadines and then spending two days on the mainland to obtain the licenses proved prohibitive for a lot of people.
“Let’s say you’re using PSV, Mustique, Union Island, or Palm Island. You’ll have to book your hotel, get to the destination, and fly to the mainland and spend a day or two, and the process involves going to the registrar’s office, then from the registrar’s office, going to the Attorney-General’s chambers, and from the Attorney-General’s chambers waiting for the processing of the license.”
“Now, with the amendment that we passed last year, the Marriage Amendment Act, and with the marriage delegation of powers notices, it now empowers revenue officers and district officers in the Grenadines to issue this license on behalf of the Governor-General, so there’s not a requirement now for persons to fly to the mainland to fill out the forms for short notice weddings,” he said.
James stated that the revenue officers have gone through a series of trainings and are now fully aware of the process for issuing short notice marriage licenses, and that this process is not only for visitors but also for locals.
“I want the people of the Grenadines to take advantage of this opportunity. It’s not just visitors; you can also go to the revenue officers in your respective locations and apply for a short notice license for marriage”.
