What arrangements do I need to make before I get to Cancun?  Can a
judge be easily found once we arrive or is it imperative to attend to
these details  before I depart to Mexico?  I know we need a blood
test.  Other than that, I have no idea.  I called the Mexican
Consulate, listened to machines for ten minutes...no help at all.  I
know we will have a Mexican marrige certificate.  If I want this
marriage recorded in the USA, must I have it recorded here, or will
the Mexican authorities do that? And if we don't record the marriage
in the USA and we decide down the road to forget the whole thing, can
we just agree that we aren't married anymore and go our separate ways?
 There will never be children involved and our finances will always be
separate.  We plan to be in Mexico the weekend of November 9th.  Hope
we have enough time to get this done.  Please, just run it down for
me.  What do we need to do to get married in Cancun this weekend? 
Thanks for any light you can shine on this subject.

---

Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 04 Nov 2002 12:58 PST

How many days before the wedding do you plan to arrive?

---

Clarification of Question by kemahbum-ga on 04 Nov 2002 18:45 PST

We will arrive on Friday...this Friday...and return to the states the
following Sunday.  Three day stay.

<You will need to make the arrangements when you arrive in Mexico as
you must attend the civil registry in person. It takes at least three
working days before the wedding to sort out the paperwork.

The wedding must take place between Monday and Saturday. The minimum
age for marriage in Mexico is 18 years. If you are divorced you cannot
marry in Mexico until one year after the final decree. The ceremony
must be performed by an officer or judge of the Civil Registry. It is
also possible to have a church service but you will first need proof
that you have had a civil ceremony.

A civil marriage in Mexico is valid in any other country including the
U.S.


You will need the following documents
1. Proof of citizenship which can be any of the following:
Original birth certificate – 2 photocopies and a translation in
Spanish by an approved translator.
Passport
Driving license – 2 photocopies.

2. Tourist I.D – tourist white paper obtained at Cancun airport.

3. Medical exam including:
Blood test – HIV, RPR (social disease).
Blood type.
Medical Certificate in Spanish.
Thorax x-ray plates (chest x-ray).

The blood test must be carried out the week of the wedding.

4. Home address and occupations of the bride and groom.

5. Divorce certificates if either one of the couple is divorced.

6. Two witnesses (over the age of 18) for the ceremony with
identification showing:
Name.
Age.
Nationality.
Home address.
Occupation.

If the witnesses are not Mexican then proof of citizenship must be
shown. This can be:
Original birth certificate – 2 photocopies.
Passport
Driving license – 2 photocopies.

Arranging the wedding.
You will need to visit the Registro Civil with your witnesses and all
your documents.
You need to decide if you will be married under the system of joint or
separate property.
You will have to pay the fee of about $30-$40.

There is then a waiting period before you can get married which can be
up to 3 days.

After the ceremony you need to get a copy of the marriage certificate
(acta de matrimonio). Ideally you should get several copies.>

If you change your name as a result of the marriage you will need to
apply for a social security card in the new name. The IRS will be
automatically notified of your name change by the Social Security
office. A link is given below that lists all the other places where
you will need to change your name.


<Additional links.>


<Getting married in Mexico.>
<http://www.embassyofmexico.org/english/consulados/Servext/getting_married.htm>

<Getting married in Mexico.>
<http://www.travelyucatan.com/first-9.htm>

<Getting married in Mexico.>
<http://www.mexconnect.com/business/mex2000marriage.html>

<Notification of name change.>
<http://www.todays-weddings.com/articles/name_change.php>


<Search strategy.>

<"getting married" mexico>
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22getting+married%22+mexico



<Hope this helps.>

The answer was fine.  Exactly what I could get in a cursory on-line
search. I was hoping for a little advice on how to best work the
system and get this done in a more expeditious manner. I didn't
clearly state this, so I accept what the researcher gave me, although
it didn't help me at all. Obviously, I had to pospone the trip. Next
time I'll explain that I know the obvious, just give me some good info
that is not readily available.