Arlington parishioners marrying in another diocese

As you prepare for marriage with your pastor, he will put together a marriage file with you. This will include a pre-nuptial investigation for the bride and the groom, sacramental records, four sworn and notarized affidavits (two for the bride, two for the groom) establishing the parties’ freedom to marry, a certificate of completion for a marriage preparation course, and a completed FOCCUS survey. 

Your pastor will send it here, to the Office of Canonical Affairs, where it will be reviewed. Once it is confirmed that everything is in order, it will receive a visum est (assent) and be forwarded to the Chancery in the diocese where you are to be married, with a letter granting permission for the marriage to take place in the diocese. The Chancery there will check through the file, attach a nihil obstat (no objection), and send it to the parish where the marriage will take place.

Please get your paperwork together and send it in to the Office of Canonical Affairs not less than six weeks before the wedding date if your wedding is domestic, and not less than eight weeks if your wedding is international.  This allows enough time for us to review the information, send it to the diocese in which the marriage is to take place, and for that diocese to review the file and send it to the parish of the wedding. 

The Office of Family Life has full details. Please be aware that you will need to start the marriage preparation process at least six months before the wedding.