Marry by special licence (without the 21-day notice)
Registrar of Marriages · sources read 2 Oct 2026
Apply on eCitizen, then both of you go to the Registrar for an interview and pay: KSh 9,700 for a civil wedding at the Registrar's office (KSh 16,700 elsewhere), or KSh 7,200 for a church or temple wedding (KSh 14,200 outside a licensed place of worship). It's for couples where one or both are foreigners, or the wedding is at a venue like a garden or hotel.
- Fee
- KSh 9,700Civil marriage, wedding at the Registrar's officeKSh 16,700Civil marriage, wedding at a venue outside the Registrar's officeKSh 7,200Christian or Hindu marriage at a licensed place of worshipKSh 14,200Christian or Hindu marriage outside a licensed place of worship
- How long
- Civil wedding: within 14 days of approval
- Where
- Online on eCitizen (Registrar of Marriages). Regional Registrar of Marriages offices: Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Embu, Meru, Kisii and Machakos.
What you need
- Copy of your national ID, valid passport, or alien card (refugees)
- Copy of your birth certificate
- A sworn affidavit of your marital status (a foreign partner in a church or temple wedding gives a Certificate of No Impediment instead)
- If divorced: the divorce decree absolute
- If widowed: the death certificate
- Foreign nationals marrying in church or temple: a Certificate of No Impediment
- Foreign nationals: air ticket and visa, or work permit if working in Kenya
- Church or temple weddings: copy of the Minister of Faith's licence and the marriage book serial number
Steps
- Fill in the special licence application on eCitizen and upload your documents. A foreign partner first creates a visitor eCitizen account.
- Both of you book an appointment on eCitizen and go to the Registrar with your original documents for checking and an interview.
- After the interview, pay the fee on eCitizen. It depends on the type of marriage and where the wedding happens.
- Civil wedding: book your wedding date after paying. It happens within 14 days of approval.
- Church or temple wedding: the special licence is issued within 3 days of approval, for your Minister of Faith to marry you.
Watch out
- Both of you must have been in Kenya for at least 7 days before you apply, so a foreign partner can't apply on arrival day.
- Your names must be the same, in the same order, on your birth certificate and ID or passport, or you will be delayed.
- The licence is at the Registrar's discretion. Have documents that show why you need it.
Who can apply
- Couples with a good reason to skip the usual notice, backed by documents. The Registrar decides.
- Civil, Christian or Hindu marriages where one or both of you are foreign nationals.
- Weddings outside a gazetted place, like a garden or hotel wedding.
- Both of you must have lived in Kenya for at least 7 days before applying.
Official sources (3)
- Registration of Marriage by Special License statelaw.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Getting Married in Kenya statelaw.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- eCitizen ecitizen.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026