"WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS"

Mauritius is an ideal honeymoon destination. Foreign couples wishing to get married can now do so following changes in the Civil Status Act which repealed the statutory residency requirements.

The wedding is a civil legal ceremony and similar in style to that performed at a Register Office. The ceremony, in English, normally takes place on the beach at selected hotels and is presided over by the Island Registrar. The hotel management provides interpreters in cases of language difficulties and deals with paperwork and any local problems.

Weddings can be performed from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, and depend also on the commitments of the Registrar. Details of tour operators specialising in weddings and honeymoons can be obtained from the Mauritius Government Tourist Office.

Prior to travel, tour operators will need copies of the first six pages of both passports and both birth certificates which are forwarded to the authorities for processing in Mauritius. Documentary evidence is required in cases of divorce, change of name or where one or both parties are widowed.

The mechanics of getting married are quite simple. Having arrived at the hotel, arrangements are made to swear the original documents at the Supreme Court in Port Louis and a date is fixed with the Registrar. For further information, please contact:

Registrar of Civil Status, 7th level, Emmanuel Anquetil Building, Port Louis.