Outline of The Ghana Court Marriage Procedure

The Ghana court marriage procedure seems to be a subject that many want to understand sufficiently well. Among them are persons planning a marriage and students prepping for a test. In this write-up I present an outline of the Ghana court marriage procedure, simple and easy to understand. ordinance-marriage-ghana

First, let’s define what court marriage is. In Ghana, some people use the term court marriage when they mean to say a marriage contracted under the Marriage Ordinance. That’s the term many ordinary folks call it, probably because it’s marriage made in the law court. Wedding, for them, is marriage officiated by a minister in church.

For the purpose of this article on the Ghana court marriage procedure, court means the marriage registry or any place authorised by the law, other than a place of worship, for the purpose of contracting and registering marriages.

Where court marriages are made

The places where court marriage is made include the Registrar General’s Department, Magistrate’s Courts and Circuit Courts, and District Assembly offices so designated under the law. Some popular marriage registries in Accra are located at the Registrar General’s Department, the head office of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Madina Circuit Court.

Here in this article, the Ghana court marriage procedure is outlined under the following subheadings:

  1. Meet the requirements for a court marriage
  2. File notice of marriage
  3. Notice of marriage to be published
  4. Get the registrar’s certificate
  5. Marriage ceremony at the registrar’s office
  6. Consummate the marriage
Preliminaries
  1. Meet the requirements for a court marriage

The first step to after you find a partner to marry is to check how well you meet the requirements to marry under Ghana’s marriage laws.

  • Partners must be members of opposite sexes, [as in a woman and a man].
  • Each partner must be 18 years old at least;
  • Partners must be of sound mind;
  • They must be single, or not in any existing marriage except in the case where the partners are customarily married as husband and wife;
  • At least one of the parties has been resident within the district in which the marriage is intended to be celebrated at least fifteen days preceding the granting of the registrar’s certificate;
  • Partners must not be related by kin or by affinity: Couple must not be closely related by common parentage or by reason of marriage.

 

  1. File notice of marriage

Go to the marriage registry in the district where you plan to have your marriage ceremony, and file a notice of marriage. There the couple submit biographical information about themselves to the registrar of marriages.

  1. Notice of marriage to be published

Official notice of the intended marriage is displayed publicly. Normally, this is done in by posting the notice on notice boards at the registry for 21 days.

  1. Get the registrar’s certificate

The couple or either of the partners may return to the marriage registry to be issued the registrar’s certificate. This must be done anytime after the 21 days’ but not longer than three months from the day of filing of the notice.

That registrar’s certificate authorises, on one hand, a couple to continue the marriage process, and also authorises the duly licensed marriage officer to officiate the marriage ceremony.

Again, the certificate is issued only when nobody files a valid caveat against the proposed marriage, and where there’s no lawful objection concerning the proposed marriage.

The Marriage
  1. Marriage ceremony at the registrar’s office

The partners may make arrangements to contract a marriage before a marriage registrar, anytime, but not longer than three months, after receiving the registrar’s certificate, and here’s what to expect for the procedure.

Time for marriage procedure

The law requires that the marriage contract procedure is done between the hours of 8 am, in the forenoon and 4 pm in the afternoon on any weekday not being a public holiday. Also, it must be done with the doors to the office kept open during the procedure, and in front of witnesses, so the law prescribes. This final procedure at the registry is a short one, and last for a couple of minutes only [about 10 minutes].

People involved

Persons involved here are the marriage registrar, the couple, and normally, two witnesses for each couple. The registrar, either directly or through an interpreter, asks the parties: “Do I understand you [mentions name of one partner] and you [name of the other partner] that you come here for the purpose of becoming man and wife?”

When the partners answer in the affirmative, the registrar proceeds, by saying to the partners: “Know ye that by the public taking of each other as man and wife in my presence and in the presence of the persons now here, and by the subsequent attestation thereof by signing your names to that effect, you become legally married to each other, although no other rite of a civil or religious nature shall take place, and that this marriage cannot be dissolved during your lifetime, except by a valid judgment of divorce, and if either of you before the death of the other, shall contract another marriage while this remains un-dissolved, you will be thereby guilty of bigamy, and liable to the punishment inflicted for that offence.”

Next, each of the parties then says to the other: “I call upon all persons here present to witness that I, [mentions own name], do take thee, [mentions partner’s name], to be my lawful wife (or husband).”

After that exchange, the registrar fills up, and he and the parties and witnesses sign the certificate of the marriage [in duplicate]. Then the registrar delivers one certificate to the parties, now duly married as husband and wife. That’s all for the marriage registry.

  1. Consummate the marriage

Here’s the final validation that the couple must give their marriage; a form of official seal, if you may. The new husband and wife are required to make the marriage complete by having sexual intercourse, and that, certainly, is not for the marriage registry, but just as important.

This is outline of the Ghana court marriage procedure, and I expect that helps you to see in your mind’s eye what the procedure is, and also you know what to expect if you’re going for a court wedding. I’ll be glad to answer your questions on the subject and equally happy to read your comments. So post one in the comment box below.

177 thoughts on “Outline of The Ghana Court Marriage Procedure

  1. hello George AgboKlu,
    I have followed you a while on issues of marriage, thank you very much for your effort to enlighten the public especially us the upcoming youth.

    But i want to ask is it required of you to have your own apartment before the marriage by ordinance. or people can live separately after marriage.

    1. Hi Stephen, many thanks for your strong interest in my posts. Now to answer your question: I haven’t seen any requirement for a marriage by ordinance that obliges anyone to own apartment before marriage. But any two people who are married are expected to live as husband and wife, as valid grounds for divorce may arise where the parties to a marriage have not lived as man and wife for a continuous period of at least two years.

      1. This is a question ?my son is a United 5tates citizen ,presently texting a young woman that says he is from Ghana,and wishes to get married.He has applied for a passport to try get over there,here’s the thing she sent him some type of information about marriage ,and saying money,xxx amt.is involved ,she quoted ;$4.000 and i think she wants money from him she says she wants to come over here ,does she expect him to pay

    2. Please which one should be done first. Is it the traditional marriage before the court wedding or Court wedding before traditional marriage????

  2. Hi George,

    As marriage is a form of contract under the law, in case after the marriage one party discovers some deception or vitiating factor on the part of the other partner prior to the marriage contract which is deem detrimental to the successful co-existence of the couples, does the laws of Ghana provides protection or means of escape for the victim if proven valid?

  3. Please sir,after the customary marriage,can one decide to go sign at d court also?if yes,does it go through the same outline u mentioned? Thank you

  4. Hello George, I am curious about Ghana marriage laws and the procedure you have put forth here is quite helpful. My finance and I were engaged during my visit with her in Ghana last summer.
    We are planning the wedding ceremony for this summer in Ghana and I wish to bring her back to America with me. So Thank you for your efforts to inform those who wish to know about marriage in Ghana

    Pete Peterson
    U.S.A.

      1. Hello Mr. George, I want to know if it’s possible to have both the customarily/traditional marriage ceremony and civil/court marriage together but and different days. Like how the traditional wedding and white weddings are don’t here in Ghana?
        Thanks you

      2. Hello, does my spouse needs some documents from his country to prove our marriage my ordinance, he said country Austria requires that he brings some supporting documents to support our marriage in Ghana since, there is no apostille in Ghana. Please i need your help

  5. Hello Georges how can i get married in Ghana even though not living there and either my fiance … I am from west Africa and my fiance as well but i live in US

      1. i live in united states looking on getting married to my girl friend she live there do i have to be there to get married to her

  6. Dear George,
    please I have a question. I am from Austria, my boyfriend from Ghana. We already have a son together and want to marry in Ghana. Do I need special documents or only my passport? or also a document to proof that i have not married before? do I also have to bring along my birth certificate? if yes, do I have to legalize them before so that Ghana will accept it?I am looking forward to your answer. Thank you so much.

  7. please can someone go with our details and fill the notice of marriage forms for us because both of us are not around now butbwe will be there for the wedding

  8. Hello,
    I want to know is there a website that you can check to see if the person you plan marrying never been married and is there way I can do a back ground check on my fiancé. Me and my fiancé had meant 2 years ago and we are planning to get marry in July I want make sure we are doing it correctly. He currently lives and Ghana and I live in USA but I want make sure he is telling the truth.

  9. Hello…..Please who are the witnesses? Should they be your parents or any other family members can be your witnesses?

    1. Ada, you may choose your parents or family members or close friends to be your witnesses.

  10. Am being forced to marry a woman I don’t love because of pregnancy. Plz how do I get out of that marriage. We got married by ordinance

  11. Dear George,
    thanks for this structured and informative post. I wanted to know two things please:
    1) Does it mean that if my fiancé is a Ghanian and living in Chiraa but we want to marry in Accra, he first needs to live in the district Accra for some time (‘at least 15 days’) before the registrar’s certificate is granted ?
    2) Is it possible to marry faster than after the 21 days, because I can only stay for 2 weeks (am from UK). If yes, do you know the fees for a faster track please.

    Thank you in advance and God bless u.

  12. I am a US citizen and want to marry a Ghanaian man living in Ghana. I am going to Ghana for a week in january. Can he file the paperwork for the marriage certificate now and then when I go to Ghana in January we can marry while I’m there?? Also, how much does it cost to marry in Ghana?

  13. I am a US citizen living in USA, and I want to marry a Ghanaian man living in Ghana. I am going to Ghana in January but can only stay 7-10 days max. We want to marry then. But do we have to wait 21 days after I get there to marry, or can he file for the paperwork now without me being present, and by the time I get there in january it will be well past 21 days and we can marry then?? There is no possible way I can stay for 21 days. Please help! I also need to know the cost of the marriage. We are just going to marry at the court. Thank you

    1. Yes, he can do the preliminary paperwork. Fee for the usual 21 days procedure is about 220 Cedis. There’s the 1or 2 days procedure now, its fee is much higher, but I’ve not confirmed that amount.

  14. Hi George,

    Thank you for this informative post. I have a question. I live in the USA. My fiancé lives in Ghana. We plan to marry next year August and have an ordinance marriage. Can he file the notice of marriage and submit the biographical information needed on my behalf to the registrar of marriages without my presence?

  15. Please when you file the 21 days notice and its over, can you send a close relative to go to the court to help fix the date for the court wedding if you are in an inconvenient situation and cannot go yourself? Thank you.

  16. Hi sir i want to get married and my wife to be is in US and I am in Ghana but she can’t make it to the marriage ceremony can we still get married when she is not here or is there any other way Pls i want to know

  17. Thank you for your help in advance.

    My fiancé lives in Kumasi but we want to marry at AMA Accra. How will they see that he has been living in Accra for a while before our marriage, What do we need to show as a proof? I hope you can help u on that.
    Some relatives of mine live there, so could he mention their adress as his adress at AMA and stay there for a month?

    1. I live in UK, I’m a non-Ghanaian citizen. He will have to do the registration etc before I actually come to Accra.

        1. Hello thanks for help but my question is
          Am not a Ghanaian neither is my husband (traditionally) but we both live here in Ghana and we have a baby.
          Is it possible to get married here in Ghana as we both are not citizens?

  18. Hello I’m a uk citizen and im going to marry my Ghanian man in April over in Ghana he has registered for the wedding so we have to wait 21 days I was just wondering do you know what paperwork I will need to take with me to allow this for it to happen thankyou for any advice you can give me

  19. Hi please i am Abena. My boyfriend is already married by ordinace but again wants to marry me. His parents have approve of but my point is how do i make mine valid too. Pls help on what i can do . Thanks

    1. Abena, you can’t have a valid marriage with your boyfriend when he’s not divorced. He must be divorced first before you could contact a valid marriage with him.

  20. Can a woman who has stayed with a married man and have had children with him sue the man for damages if the man decides to quit from the relationship?

  21. Please my fiance is in UK but he want someone to represent him do the wedding,is it possible and if yes,is it recognised by the UK embassy in Ghana

  22. Hello George,
    Is counseling a prerequisite for a court marriage? I’m not against it but I’ve been to the marriage registrar and we’ve been directed to go for counseling and she has to speak with the marriage counselor before posting the notice.

  23. Hi George,

    Were do I check the kind of marriage my husband has in Ghana. He says they are married only traditionally and that there is no marriage certificate. Am in South Africa and need to ascertain this

  24. How much does it cost to have a court marriage in Ghana.
    If any of the spouse is a foreigner with no relatives in Ghana can he/she get married in Ghana with his/her Ghanaian spouse?

  25. Hello
    I’m a Ghanaian and my fiance is an American,we want to marry coming this April and I want to know if it legally recognized in the States if we marry in Ghana or if we marry in the states,is it legally recognized in Ghana. And also if we’re legally married and I have a passport,do I still need to get a visa to live with him in the States?

  26. If there should be a knocking ceremony, will that still qualify for the ordinance marriage? My father-in-law somehow insists on it.

  27. Please, I am a Ghanaian and my fiance is a German, we want to marry here in Ghana …please, how can I start this and which kind of documents will be needed from my fiance?

  28. AJ, that is the wisest thing to do. I found out that my husband of ten years has left a wife and children in Ghana. Though it might not be conclusive as in my case, his parents wrote a letter to my parents to request for my hand in marriage

  29. Some parents, really. Does the wife approve of this marriage? How will you feel if he wants other women after you?

  30. Hello I am planning to get marriage next year. I have gone through the marriage procedure right. I want to know how I can get a wedding planner to host it…and catered food for our reception, and a place to held the reception.

    Thank you.

  31. Hello, thank you very much for the enlightenment. Can one do the court marriage before the customary marriage?

  32. Thanks you for the enlightenment, please I want to know if you can do the court marriage without going through the customary marriage

  33. Hello George, thank you for your enlightening posts.
    My bf an I are planning to get married end of this year. I am ghanaian but he is beninois and we want to get married in benin. As part of the documents to be submitted in his country i am asked to provide a document attesting that i am not already married. How do i get this document. And do i need the notice of mariage from the registerer general’s office or a certificate of no impediment?
    Thank you for your reply.

  34. Hello George,
    Is it true that the court does not recognize any court wedding when a customary marriage isn’t done prior to it?

    1. Hello George,
      Thanks for the education,please can I go through the court marriage without doing the customary marriage?
      Thank you and hope to hear from u soon

  35. I was wondering how can a woman prove that the court marriage was not consummated? A friend of mine went to Ghana and married but husband did not get intimate with her after the ceremony. One week later she returned to the U.S. Can she have an annulment?

  36. Hello,
    How many witnesses do you need on your marriage certificate?
    And is it a law in Ghana which states that, the witnesses must compulsory be blood related?
    Thank you

  37. Hi George, im in Australia and i need to view a notice of a marriage registration in Ghana so i can put in place a caveat to stop my mum getting married & leaving me and my 3 siblings. I have looked and cannot source an online notice link anywhere. Were can i find help could you be so kind as to direct me?? This event will be happening in the next few weeks.

  38. 1.Please I want to know if you can do court marriage without customary marriage ?
    2. Can you do court marriage and do customary a year or 2 years after? Thanks

  39. 1 . Please can I do court marriage without customary marriage?
    2. Can I do customary marriage a year or 2 years after the court marriage?

  40. hello George, thanks for the information.

    1. if i marry my lady with the customary marrigae do i still have to come to court or go to church for another ceremony, if yes the why is it that the process is not done 1cs due to waste of funds.
    2. does the law court plan to include their signatory in customary marriages. i see these process as marrying the lady twice.

  41. I have done the registration of court and have receive my certificate pls is there any registration i have to do again at District Assembly incase my husband want to take me abroad

  42. Hi ,
    Pls Thanks for the enlightening, I want to know why the registry takes both names of the parents of the partners but only puts the fathers name on the marriage certificate, does the mothers name appear anywhere?
    Why don’t they use the mothers names but the fathers only pls ?
    Or is there a record that shows the mothers names ?

  43. Hi George

    I am living in South Africa, married with a Ghanian in 2014, we got married in my country, and we are staying together and he normally visit his home without its been 5years now, &i am suspecting his married in his country because there is no interest of him taking me to his parents. 2014 he brought the papers that his not married in Ghana, please i wanna findout is it possible one can marry in Ghana then leave his country to come & marry another nationality, pretending his not married but signs are there he might be married but his hidding from me?

    Please help if there is a way to find out let know

    1. The easiest way to find out is to place an ad in a newspaper in Ghana, for anyone who has info on his marital status to respond to you. These are hundreds of marriage registries and their data is not shared. Moreover, there is no functional national ID to find the info you are searching for.

  44. Hi George, will the marriage still be valid of the ceremony is conducted outside the premises of the court or church?

  45. Hello George, I got married to a woman in Ghana may 20, she works for the red cross and is a american. I got a marriage certificate but not sure if it is real, any way i can send you a copy to see if it is real for me?? thanks Paul

  46. My Girlfriend and I are both Nigerians, but plan do a court wedding in Ghana this summer for our vacation. do you think that would be possible?

  47. Thanks George. You are doing a great job. I have a personal issue and would like to discuss with you privately

  48. Hello Mr Judge, thanks for this information, its so helpful. Please I did my engagement last November and am not financially okay to do wedding, I have obtain a marriage certificate form just last Friday so as to get a marriage certificate, please do I need to buy ring for the court marriage? My wife already have an engagement ring in her hand but I don’t know if is a must to exchange ring at the court marriage. Please I wait your response sir

  49. Hi.
    This a great piece and I have a lot of insight. My fiance and I have planned on having a court wedding. But we aren’t sure if the family will demand a customary rites to be performed even with our decision of having a court wedding.

  50. Hi, George. Thank you for the very informative article. I understand it’s a few years old now. I’ve scrolled through and read other’s questions along with you answer and most of my own questions were answered that way…except for one…

    For the marriage at the Registrar General’s…would it be customary or “okay” for the couple to go in their wedding attire? Are there persons on-site who can act as witnesses? I’m from the US and he is there so I wouldn’t have anyone for me and I really wanted this ceremony to be just the two of us (plus the officiant) since my own family can’t attend? Also, is there a photographer there or would we need to hire one to bring with us? I’ve picked out a beautiful dress and I really want for us to have nice photos commemorating the event that we can hang in our home, share with our families, etc. Is the photo attached to the article where the ceremonies take place? Not a nice garden or something? Thanks for all of your help.

  51. Hi George
    I got married in Ghana 2018 it was to be an ordnance marriage. I am from America, as I got home I see the certificate says customary.
    I am confused because the request was for ordnance and we placed the notice on the door and waited the 21 days and we married in court.
    I feel deceived so at this pint what is my options?

  52. Is your marriage valid if the pastor who blessed the marriage is not registered and did not issued any married certificate

  53. Do we have to pay any amount to the court, state or the lawyer, before marriage. Or is there any fee to be charged

  54. Hi George, thanks a lot for your educative article.

    Can some one file for marriage while your partner is yet to arrive from abroad?

    He wants me to file so that he can join me later for the marriage please is it possible?

  55. Hi George, assuming I want a divorce from the court, I did both customary and the ordinance. Will the court ask me to go and start the customary divorce process before the ordinance or court one? Or straight away I can go ahead with court one?

  56. Hello Mr.George, please I would like to discuss a private matter with you, conerning my plans to get married. Thank you.

  57. If we legally married in USA first … then we travel to visit my in-laws & or relocate our residence’s to Ghana second is our USA marriage legally binding in Ghana when we arrive?

  58. Hello George I’m from Lebanon 2012 October i get married ordinance marriage cap 127 act 389 of 1971. How can i have divorce law of my married and i have 1 kids since 2013 October till now my husband want divorce but me i refused now i will check what is divorce law

  59. Hello George

    I’m a Citizen of The United States I just got married to a Ghanian lady.. and I wish to take her along with me to the US.. how long will the Visa process take to be ready?

    1. It takes a while!! Call ur nearest consulate office in America and ask questions!!! Or u can contact an immigration lawyer!! Good luck

  60. Please after the 21 days can I get marry any day or until I wait for the 3 months comes before I can do that.

    1. You have to perform the marriage and sign the certificate of marriage before the before the end of three months. if you don’t, the registrar’s certificate which has been issued to you becomes invalid, and you’ll have to start the entire registration process all over.

  61. Wanted to know if my two witness need to be present with me for the court wedding to sign or if my Husband and his witness can sign their part then the certificate to be given to me to get my mum and dad to sign later as they might not be able to travel with me?

  62. My wife to be have nobody here in Ghana witnes and it’s too expensive to fly then here so what alternative is there for us?

    1. You can have 2 of ur family members or 2 of ur friends be her witnesses!!! I’m American and went to Ghana alone!!! So my husband had to do that for me wen we got married at the registrar in accra

  63. Hi! Can I get married without the groom (my husband) being there physically? (Like an online marriage)

  64. Hello, Please I plan to do court marriage with my partner so that I can stay with him abroad for now before we arrange for traditional and church wedding after.. Is it possible to do the court marriage and also do the church wedding?

  65. Hi I’m American and I married a man from Ghana when I went to Ghana in 2018!!!! We got married on September 20 2018… Is our marraige only considered legal in Ghana or is it considered legal in America also????? Or do I have to do something to make our marraige legal in America also?? Please let me know thank you

  66. Hello Sir, well I met a lady last year and have done knocking but her parent are forcing me to marry her..I am 26 years old and don’t have any active job at the moment. The girl also works with his mother but doesn’t earn that much so I normally give her money. But i think the knocking is okay for now as I am not working and also thought of this, if we believe each other why must we involve the court to our marriage. And also I want to know that is it by force to get a marriage certificate?

  67. Please can you tell me if my marriage is valid if my husband,i and those involued never signed the marriage lisence?

  68. Hi George, I want to know if register’s certificate is the same as marriage certificate? We started the process by registering the marriage and it was published, we went ahead with the traditional marriage and had a wedding at a church and never returned to the registrar department to complete the process since 2014. We are currently having the registrar’s certificate, are we legally married?

    1. The registrar’s certificate and the marriage certificate are separate documents. A registrar’s certificate is issued to you when you file a notice of marriage. It permits you to go on with your marriage registration. You submit that where you would sign the marriage certificate, whether you return to the marriage registry for the final marriage ceremony or you have a church wedding.
      The marriage certificate is the other and final document you and your partner and your witnesses sign during the final marriage ceremony. It is usually white in colour with a wide band of green across the middle. If you don’t have this, then what you have might not be legit.

  69. Thanks for the explanations. Looking at the duration can we still send the registrar’s certificate dated 2014 to finalize the marriage and make it legal or we have to start the process all over again? Have a blessed day.

    1. You have to start the process all over again, and take note of the timeframe stated on the registrar’s certificate within which you must sign the marriage certificate. The registrar’s certificate becomes void when you don’t complete the registration after a number of months. All the best.

  70. Hello George, I love your write up. Very clear and concise. However, I’ve read the entire comments and I see no one has asked my question. Can a man who is already married traditionally only, take a second wife and go through court marriage with her? Since traditional marriage permits extra wives.

    I understand that if he had married the first wife through court marriage, he can’t marry any other. But what if he didn’t go through court marriage with first wife hence he’s entitled to marry extra according to customs and he wishes to seal the second one in court. Is it allowed? And if it is what’s the process pls….. will the first wife be notified?

    Thank you

    1. Dear Davi Adzo, a man who takes a wife by traditional or customary ceremony is legally married. Any additional wife or wives he is able to take can only be by customary marriage. As customary marriage remains a legally valid form of marriage in Ghana, any man who is already married that way cannot take any other woman as wife by the Ordinance or Court type of marriage so long as he is not properly divorced customarily.
      A man who does what you’ve described commits bigamy, an offence before the law, and may suffer legal consequences.
      I think you should take steps to see a lawyer to help you get that court marriage declared invalid, to assert your rights.

      1. Hi George, my boyfriend is Nigerian and we’re planning on having a court wedding next month and I want to know if he needs to be present when I file for the certificate and if he will need any document to be approved.

  71. I don’t want to hide it from my family but my family keeps objecting to let my boyfriend marry me for no valid reason….
    Please can I still marry without them knowing?

  72. Hi, please my fiancé is outside of the country and I want us to do the court marriage here in Ghana, but due to her schedules and her parents, she can come down with her parents a week to the court wedding, because her mum is a government worker and can only be given a week off for that occasion, and my fiancé can’t come without the mother, so want to know if I can go and start the process on my fiancés behalf and then when it’s weekend into the week her mum has a week off, they can come down we do it, have the reception, then her mum goes back
    I am a Ghanaian by the way, thank u

  73. Pls, who gives out the marriage certificate to be signed. I’m confused whether its the church that gives it to the couple or the marriage registrar that gives it. Again, can the marriage certificate be signed at the reception rather than in church or court?

  74. Hi, please my fiancé is a Nigerian who is outside the country and am also a Nigerian who lives in Nigeria . We will like to have a court marriage in Ghana please can that be possible and do we have to do?

  75. I and my fiance want to do the court wedding before the traditional marriage,o want to know how much money is involve in court wedding and when we can do it

  76. Dear George

    I am a single Ghanaian lady and My boyfriend who is Nigerian -has come to do the knocking and we plan to do a customary marriage in Ghana this year however do we need to obtain the registrars certificate before proceeding with the customary or traditional wedding? What documents does my boyfriend need to provide prior to the customary marriage? Is the customary marriage legitimate and legally binding or doesn’t it need to be registered to make it legitimate and how do we go about registering the customary marriage after the engagement ceremony is done. Please do kindly advise me

    Thank you

    Akua

  77. Hi George, Thanks for your article. I’m british and fiance nigerian. Can we have a fast track ordinance wedding in Accra? We plan to be there for 2 months.

  78. Hi please I’ve stayed with my partner for 6 years now we have a son 5years of age and I’m recently pregnant the man wants to marry me but years ago when I was pregnant with my first one my dad revoked his proposal recently I tried calling my dad to tell him we want to get married but he’s not picking my calls can I get married without the consent of my father? Apart from my father the other family relatives are in support

  79. Thank you for the information so far, it really helps, my question goes thus, am a Nigerian based in Nigeria and my fiance is also a Nigerian but based in Canada, but we want to have our court wedding in Ghana, just myself and him and he can only stay for 15 days. Is it possible and any information on how we can go about it, will be very glad if my question is answered thank you sir.

  80. Good evening pls I am married my husband has hide our marriage certificate is there any way I can have a copy to my self thank you

  81. Hi how much does it cost to do a court wedding . And can it be done before the traditional wedding?

  82. Please responsible for choosing among court marriage and customary marriage?

    The lady’s Dad or we have to choose.

  83. Please is there anything one party can do when the marriage is under the customarily court form and can not do when the marriage is a wedding one and also signed at the court?

  84. I will be traveling to Ghana soon to marry my Fiancé, I was told to send a copy of my I.D. and write a letter stating I’m willing to marry so that he can register for Ordinace. What’s the exact process?

  85. Hi George,

    My boyfriend and I are Ghanaians. And we are planning to get married but he lives in the States. He wants to send his family to stand in place of him and marry me for him. And he doesn’t want us to have a court wedding nor a church wedding. Pls I need your advice. And is it okay to do only traditional marriage.

Leave a Reply