What do you need for a civil marriage in Peru, and how do you get the marriage certificate?

Who marries you

Article 248 of the Civil Code says that people who want to marry declare it, orally or in writing, to the provincial or district mayor where either of them lives. Since Ley 31643 (December 2022) they can also marry before a notary in the province where either of them lives.

The mayor can delegate the ceremony in writing to councillors, municipal officials or hospital directors (art. 260). A notary cannot delegate it.

Since Ley 31945 (November 2023), marriage under 18 is prohibited in every case.

The documents the law requires

Article 248 lists the basics:

• certified copies of both birth certificates (partidas de nacimiento);
• proof of address;
• a medical certificate «issued no earlier than thirty days» before;
• where it applies: the death certificate of a former spouse, the divorce or annulment ruling for an earlier marriage, a consular certificate of single or widowed status, and any other document needed;
• two adult witnesses for each party who have known them for at least three years (the same two can serve for both).

If a document is very hard or impossible to obtain, a judge can excuse it (art. 249).

Municipalities add their own requirements. The Lince page asks for blood tests, a chest X-ray and a counselling record, «no older than 3 months». Note the gap: the law speaks of a medical certificate no more than 30 days old. Miraflores asks for a mental capacity certificate if either party is over 70.

The «recent» birth certificate

The Miraflores page on gob.pe asks for birth certificates «no more than three months old». Decreto Legislativo 1246 (art. 5.1, literal c) bars public bodies from demanding birth certificate copies «issued recently or within a maximum period». A municipality is a public body. Both texts are live on their official pages. If you are asked, you can cite the decree, but check with the municipality first.

The public notice (edicto matrimonial) and its waiver

The edicto matrimonial is the public notice of the wedding, so that anyone who knows of an impediment can say so. Under article 250 it is posted at the municipality or notary’s office for eight days and published once in a local newspaper, if there is one. Where there is no newspaper, it goes out on a local radio station. If the two of you live in different districts, the notice is also published in the other district (art. 251).

The municipal pages count those eight days differently: Lince says 8 business days, Miraflores 8 calendar days.

If nobody objects, the mayor or notary declares that you may marry, and you have four months to do it (art. 258).

The waiver (dispensa). The mayor or notary can waive publication «when there are reasonable grounds and provided all the documents» of article 248 have been filed (art. 252). Example: the Lince page on gob.pe (updated 14 January 2022) mentions illness or urgent travel as grounds, charges S/ 19.70 and answers with a mayoral resolution.

What it costs: the law and the fee tables do not match

Article 266 of the Civil Code, as worded by Ley 31643, says no public official or employee who processes or performs the marriage «shall charge any fee». The ban does not cover notaries.

Municipalities still publish fees on gob.pe. Two examples, for reference only:

Each municipality sets its own amounts. Both pages still mention pandemic capacity limits, so confirm everything with your municipality before you pay.

If one of you is a foreigner

The municipal pages on gob.pe ask, on top of the common documents, for:

• your birth certificate, apostilled or legalised by the Peruvian consulate and the Foreign Ministry;
• a certificate of single status (constancia de soltería) from your country, legalised the same way;
• your passport or carné de extranjería;
• an official translation if the documents are not in Spanish (Lince);
• if you are divorced, the record of your earlier marriage showing the divorce, apostilled.

How to apostille or legalise is covered in apostilling documents. Marrying does not give you residency by itself: the immigration process is in marrying a Peruvian and residency.

If you are Peruvian and must prove you are single, the gob.pe page says to request the constancia negativa de matrimonio at the municipality where your birth was registered, or at Reniec if your district was incorporated into Reniec. According to Reniec’s gob.pe page (last updated 29 October 2025), a certificate of single status is requested as a constancia negativa de inscripción de matrimonio and costs S/ 4.10 (tax code 06645).

Marriage in imminent danger of death

Article 268 allows a marriage without the prior formalities when one party is in imminent danger of death. It is performed before a parish priest or any other priest. It has no civil effect if either party lacks legal capacity. It must be registered at Reniec within the following year, whether or not the person survives, or it is void. Reniec’s page says registration is free.

The certificate and its copies

After the ceremony, the marriage record (acta de matrimonio) is drawn up (art. 259). The Miraflores and Lince pages give a maximum of 15 and 30 business days, respectively, to request the record at Reniec after the ceremony. Reniec’s gob.pe page (updated 16 July 2026) sets:

It only works if the record is digitised. The online copy can be generated only once. If the record is not in the system, ask the municipality where it was registered. According to Reniec, you can change your civil status from single to married on your DNI through its website once the record is in its database.

If you married in another country

There are two routes:

1. At the Peruvian consulate in the country where you married. The Foreign Ministry page (updated 25 March 2026) says this can be done at any time, by the Peruvian spouse or their representative. The foreign spouse alone cannot request it.
2. At Reniec, in Peru, if it was not registered at the consulate. Reniec’s page says it is free and asks for the foreign marriage record, apostilled or legalised and translated, and the Peruvian spouse’s DNI. According to Reniec’s FAQ, it must be done within 90 days of entering the country, with the marital home in Peru; otherwise the route is through the courts.

Next, if you need to decide what happens to your property, see marital property regimes. If you do not plan to marry, the alternative is a de facto union. And if the marriage ends, divorce by mutual consent or for cause.