Getting married in Ghana

I got married to a Ghanaian in Feb 2010. We arrived in the country on 13th Feb and went to the Registrar's office with our passports and then arranged our marriage for the 16th Feb. Arrived at the due time and the marriage was carried out with few formalities apart from the need for two or three witnesses.
It is a fairly simple process but have no idea if it is different if both parties are non-Ghanaian

I'm debating if i should go to Ghana to get married. Can someone tell me what i would have to do, how long it takes and is it safe?

If you read my post that will tell you what you have to do. I don't know what you mean by is it safe? Ghana is a pretty safe country for doing most things. The certificate they issue is accepted in other countries as a valid document.

Is the Man living in the US with you or he is living in Ghana?

Hi, getting married in Ghana is very safe and fun. but how fun it becomes depends on whether you are getting married to a Ghanaian or not. if its a Ghanaian, you will have to go through a very interesting customary rites provided your partner has an extended family here. then after you can do the wedding or signing to register you marriage. if you not of Ghanaian origin then its kind of straight forward like hkann said ...

Holy matrimonial comes in diverse ways and forms and in many traditions in accordance to individual tribal beliefs and rituals in Ghana.

Mainly amongst these are:
1.    Christian Marriages
2.    Muslim marriages
3.    Traditional Marriages
4.    Forced Marriages: http://www.modernghana.com/news/215389/ … woman.html
5.    Trokosi: http://www.irenees.net/bdf_fiche-experience-755_fr.html

The less said about the type of marriages as in clause 4 and 5, the better as the link provided make good reading for those who are vaguely interested.

On Christian Marriages, it is very common and is much practiced and the ceremony is as common as practiced in any country.

Let's delve a little on traditional marriages in this installment.

Traditions vary vastly among the different tribal set-up and I can only describe one of these in which I have participated and within this tribal set-up to be discussed, it too has different spectrum of interests.

The Akan:
As far as I could remember, the below-mentioned is as close to it except that the ceremony that I went thru incorporated some Muslim rites such as the girl gifts. The gifts are usually in the form of money, handkerchiefs, towels, etc. If she accepts the gifts, then they become lovers.

Occasionally, the man presents gifts to the girl's family, especially the mother. The gifts usually differ from community to community. They can be yams, meat, cola, tobacco, drinks, and sometimes money. Sometimes, items like leather bags, calabashes, and combs are given. These gifts could be given out on behalf of the man by a relative. The presentation of the gifts is to make the girl's family recognize the man as a would-be son-in-law.

When the man is ready to perform the marriage rites, he informs the girl's parents and a day is fixed for the ceremony. On that day, the man's father sends the bride price. In some communities, kola nuts and money would be sent to the girl's parents. She is then called and asked three times whether she likes to marry the man. If she agrees, then, the kola nuts are distributed among those present. Each of them takes a bite to show their approval. The money is shared among members of the girl's family. The sharing of the money indicates that they are all witnesses to the marriage ceremony.

The above was conducted in conjunction; as in my case; with the traditional rites of the Akan tradition based on Assin set-up as below.

A man who wishes to marry, first discusses the intentions with the girl concerned. He has to make sure the girl will agree to marry him before he informs his parents. I need not as I am an expat. Finding out through secret meetings if they will marry each other is known as “kasasie.” The man then tells his mother or an elderly person about his intentions. His mother or the elderly person will in turn inform his father. If the mother feels that the marriage will not be possible for some reason, she will discourage him. When the father agrees, an investigation will immediately start into the girl's conduct and family background.

When the boy's parents are satisfied the father, through a delegation, informs the girl's parents about his son's intention. This information is known as ‘abowmu bodze' or ‘opon-akyi bo' (knocking ceremony). The announcement is made with a pot of palm wine or a bottle of schnapps. Some amount of money is added to the drink. The amount paid differs from community to community. The man may add some extra money to whatever custom demands. This is usually to impress his in-laws that he can really look after their daughter. In some communities, this money is regarded as a “token gift” for the girl's mother.

The girl's parents ask them to go back and come later for an answer. This enables them to find out if their daughter agrees to the marriage. They also investigate the boy's conduct and family background. When they are satisfied, word is sent to the man's family to come forward. It is the custom for a father to pay for the marriage expenses of a son. But these days, most young men give the money to their fathers for the marriage rites.

The father sends a message to the girl's parents to inform them of the date for the rites. Both parents inform their maternal relatives to send their representative to the ceremony. On the appointed date, the man's father sends a delegation to perform the rites. The important part of the ceremony is the offering of drinks known as “tiri nsa” (head drinks). In the past, it used to be palm wine, but now it is schnapps. The “tiri nsa” traditionally seals the marriage. Some money is added to the drink. The amount of money given differs from community to community. There is also a customary fee charged to be given to the girl's mother. Her brothers too are given some money known as “akontagye sekan.” Before the payment of the customary drinks and the fee, the girl is formally called before the gathering to give her final consent to the marriage.

After accepting everything, the girl's family head pours libation asking for protection and blessings for the new couple. He also prays that the marriage should be blessed with children. The rest of the drink is shared among all the people present to signify that they are all witnesses to the marriage. Pieces of advice are then given to the couple. The man can then fix a day to take his wife home.

There is another important rite which can be performed on the same day or at any time in their married life. It is an amount of money which is known as ‘ti-aseda' or ‘ti-ade' paid to the girl's family. This is what might be termed ‘bride wealth.' Nowadays, ‘ti-aseda' is usually to show the man's appreciation to the girl's family for giving their daughter away. In the past, the girl's family used this amount to pay any debt in the family. They believed that using that money to pay such a family debt would give her the peace of mind to enjoy her married life. Where there was no such debt, it was used to buy some property, e.g., a land or a farm for her and her future children. If there was a divorce, the husband could claim the ‘ti-aseda' or ‘ti-ade' from the wife's family.

A day is fixed for taking the bride away to her husband. The bridegroom sends a pot of palm wine or a bottle of schnapps to the bride's father for permission to take away his wife. The head of family pours libation with it and blesses the couple again.

On reaching her husband's home, the husband provides her with food items to prepare a special meal for relatives, friends, and himself. This special meal is known as ‘osenka' or ‘aduane kese' (wedding feast). It is a marriage feast which is followed by jubilation. Traditionally, the “osenka” was prepared in the bride's home and sent to the bridegroom's house where it was shared among relations and friends.

Some of the above is based on extract from Ghananation.com

Marriages in Ghana is bespoke with an interesting fact i.e. the marrying couple must be ready to embrace the entire clan as an single family unit, in good times and in bad.

Yikes, forgot to mention the following.

I arrived in Ghana in January of 1990 and married my wife (from the Assin District) in 1998. We finally left Ghana in 2007 to our current location and will be returning to Ghana soon.

So when we got married, the traditional concepts were still very much alive and practiced.

I hope it has not changed much and people need not have to go into I-marriages. lol

what if both parties are not ghanains ???

As long as you have all the necessary paperwork you can get married in Ghana if you are both non-Ghanaians but be prepared for the bureaucracy.

Hello,

I am planning to get married to my love in November of this year. I am was looking forward to the day but, he is not answering questions so I can understand. What documents do I need to obtain a Marriage License in Ghana. How many days do we need to wait  before we are allowed to marry? I am from the US, will the marriage be considered legal here?

Thank you for any help you can give me.

biography info..passport.. yes it takes 21 days and u can get marry within three months time  if the three month is over without ceremony then certificate is then void

Not sure if they have changed the rules in the last 7 years but we arrived in the country on 13th Feb and got married on 16th! Your passport will be enough. I also needed my divorce papers as it was my second marriage.
The marriage is recognised in the UK and also in Hong Kong for tax and pension purposes.

If an American citizen went to visit their friend in Ghana and decided to get married there, would that give them dual citizenship? In other words,  if an American man wed his wife in Ghana, could she come back to the states with him and be legal...what is the procedure for this?

It doesn't confer citizenship but will allow your spouse easier access to the US as long as you can prove it is not just a marriage of convenience.

Bureacracy?

I was going to do exactly that, and I may still, but I'm not leaning toward the fiancee visa. Getting married is a huge hurdle, but anyone who thinks a spousal visa is theirs for the applying, is deluding themselves. There are things you must prove. You must be able to show that you have a home in the States to bring your new wife home to. You must prove that you have enough income to support her (tax returns required). Before you will be granted a spousal visa, you must show that you have obtained health insurance for her, valid in the United States. You must be able to prove that your new wife will not use one penny of public assistance once in this country.
You will be required to sign acknowledgement that you will be responsible for 100% of her support, even if she does not stay with you after your arrival in the U.S. That means that if she dumps you after she enters the U.S., you will be legally responsible under Federal law to support her until you can get her back to her country of origin, or until I.C.E. can deport her.
There are so many hoops you must jump through I can't remember them all. After you are married, you must start the immigration process by filing forms in the American Embassy in her country, and waiting for them to be processed before you can proceed with anything.
You'll be a whole lot better off traveling to Ghana, getting lots of proof that you and she have met face to face in her country, return home and apply for a fiance visa, and getting married here in the good ole U.S. of A. That way you can have the opportunity to see what life with her will be like. And, you'll have the chance to get her a full physical examination by an American doctor. What if she has a bun in the oven? Or, a communicable disease? Or a terminal illness that she neglected to tell you about?
Try imagining  what it would be like to have married a Ghanaian beauty, only to find that the government will not allow her to come to this country. In that case, you will either have to divorce her, or move to Ghana to be with her which will defeat her purpose in marrying an American, or maybe you can visit your wife when you can by traveling to Ghana for a couple of months at a time.
Better to get the fiancee visa so you can be damn sure that your new wife will be welcomed into her new country.

My first reply to this was getting a bit long. Here's another little something you may consider - Belize.
Belize is a former Crown colony, and Ghana was a possession of the U.K. and as such, Belize allows citizens of Ghana to visit without a visa.  All she needs is a valid passport and an amount of cash equal to $50 per day for the the number of days she says she will be in Belize. $1500 will get you 30 days of bliss to get married and submit immigration forms in the U.S. Embassy in Belize, and also to apply with the government of Belize for an extension of time to stay in Belize. American citizens also are not required to obtain a visa to enter Belize. Just a valid passport and $1500 cash for 30 days. Why 30 days? I think, but I'm not positive, that 30 days is the maximum time allowed under this circumstance.
This way, if you can't get her a visa to enter the U.S., at least she'll be a short plane ride away so you can play house until you can get her into this country. Marriage in Belize is recognized as valid for your purposes, you can rent her a place to stay while you work on that all important visa, and, if she has ulterior motives, she will be cut off from partners in Ghana while you and she sort it all out.

Hi

I have heard that the people are most generous in Ghana and if you're not so careful you may get married more sooner than you think. I am heading to Accra, Ghana myself soon.
Bon Voyage

Do you have to go to Ghana or can she come to the states for the visit

Do you have to go to Ghana or can she come here

I know the States has visas that allow people to come to America to get married so you can look into the conditions that apply to that type of visa

America has a visa that allows a fiance to come to get married. You need to look into the terms and conditions

I will be visiting soon but I'm confused are you required to wait the 21 days for marriage? I will only be visiting for two weeks.

I'm not sure of your circumstances but we arrived in Ghana at the weekend, went to the Registry Office with our documents on Monday and got married the next day. I am British and my husband is Ghanaian. We had been together over 20 years at that time and were able to prove it as they ask questions about your relationship.This was in 2010 so not sure if things have changed.

Thanks I will find out soon for sure when I visit

Thank you for the information hkann. I'd really appreciate it if you could throw more light on the documents need the for the foreigner to get married at the registrars office. I am a Ghanaian currently living in Ghana after spending 6 years in Ukraine studying. I've been dating a Ukrainian girl for almost three years now and we would like to get married here in Ghana. The problem is we have no idea what kind of visa she needs to come here in Ghana for that purpose and which documents she may need to bring along for the process. I would be grateful for any information you could provide regarding your experience.

She just needs a visitor's visa. She will need her passport. If she has been married before you would also need proof of divorce. You might also need proof that you have known her for the 3 years eg photos. After you are married you can apply for a resident's permit. Usually the first one is for a year.

Thank you! How long does the whole process take from the first contact with the registrars office? And can we immediately begin the process when she arrives or must she have stayed here in Ghana for some period of time before we can begin? Also from your previous posts you spoke about witnesses, mine won't be a problem but she can't travel here with witnesses. How did you deal with that?

anthony, when she arrives in ghana, just go to your cities registry office be it kumasi or accra, tell them your problem thats you guys wants to marry, they will give you more insight on it, but with my experience, when your girlfriend is in the country, all you people need to do is goto the registry office, then they will tell u or give u every info, your gf necessary doesnt have to bring anyone from ukraine,you have a family here in ghana so they can do all the witnesses

I appreciate the reply, thank you.

There are various time frames in the answer to your question about the length of the process. For my Ghanaian husband and I it took 3 days. We went to the Registry Office on the Monday to complete all the paperwork and submit our documents and pay the fee and we were married 2 days later. There are always people outside the registry office who will act as witnesses. Ours were a little late but we were told not to worry as someone would stand in if they didn't make it. Also there are people outside with flowers to hire! This was 2010 so not sure if the information is current.

That's good to know. I appreciate the response.

What are the papers will be required for the registry because I'm from Nigeria and my woman is from the US

Your passports should be OK but suggest you go to the Registry Office and enquire.

Hello, please do you know how much marriage in the registry in Ghana cost? My fiance and I want to get married in Ghana by July. We are both foreigners. He is from Finland and I am from Nigeria. I will be grateful for your response. Thanks

I googled it and think it costs 350 cedis. If you are both foreigners you must have either a resident's permit or be prepared to stay in Ghana for a minimum of 15 days.

Will it be recognized by english law having married in the registry in Ghana?

Mine is. I submitted it to social security in the UK and it was recognised by them.