Catholic Ceremonies and Blessings in Bosnia

Having a religious wedding in Bosnia is fairly straight forward. But the first thing to know is that any religious wedding is not recognised by Bosnian law, and everyone must also have a civil ceremony as well if they want their wedding to be legally recognised.

In this guide we concentrate on Catholic Church. Anglican Churches (for example, Church of England and Church of Ireland) ceremonies can be found here. Details for other denominations are available; please call our office for details.

Catholic Weddings in Bosnia:

For Catholic ceremonies you should find a priest/minister in Bosnia as soon as possible to ensure you have your dates booked with him. Bosnian Weddings will find you a local priest as most do not speak English. You will probably also want a translator as well, which we can also arrange for you. If you wish you can bring your own priest as well. This requires inter-church communication, details of which are available when requested.

Visiting your priest before the ceremony is not absolutely necessary but that is between you and them. If you have time before your wedding day it would be advisable to visit the priest to go over your documentation, to talk through the ceremony and ask any question you or he might have. Doing everything on the wedding day is possible but not advisable.

Note: Catholics weddings cannot take place outside of a Church, Chapel or Cathedral. Civil ceremonies can take place at any chosen location.

Church Dress Code:

Gentlemen must be well dressed and groomed. Ladies must be modestly dressed, skirts not too short, and shoulders covered at all times. A veil is a very simple solution to this problem.

Documentation Required for a Bosnian Weddings:

To arrange for a Catholic Wedding in Bosnia you will have to fulfil all the requirements of the Catholic Church. You should contact your local church to find out where to enrol on a Pre-Marriage Course, from which you will end up with an Attendance Certificate.

You will also need the following:

• Baptismal Certificate
• Confirmation Certificate
• Confirmation of freedom to marry (Affidavit, Certificate of No Impediment, Certificate de Coutume)
• Pre-Marriage course Attendance Certificate
• Valid passport

If you have not received your baptismal certificate or confirmation certificate you must speak with your local parish priest and have these completed asap.

For UK citizens, your Certificate of No Impediment is obtained from your local Registrar after you register your intention to marry.

For Irish citizens, your Certificate de Coutume is obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All the above certificates may need to be translated into Bosnia.

Do remember, if you have been married by the church before you cannot be married again, unless you have received special permission or dispensation from your local Diocese in your home country. If you are in possession of such documents it is essential that you also have these translated and with you for the priest in Bosnia.

If you have been married by the church before, but have subsequently divorced, in some extreme cases it might be possible to receive a blessing by the church. You should call our office to enquire about this possibility as this will need to be discussed with the priest who will be performing the ceremony.

With your documentation in hand you must finally speak with your priest who will request the Bishop to send your documentation to the Boasnian Church for authorisation.