The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade may issue a civil letter of freedom (Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta) to an Irish citizen for the purposes of a marriage abroad.
This is not an Irish requirement, but a requirement of the country where an applicant might want to get married. All applicants should check with the registry office where they are getting married in order to ascertain whether or not a civil letter of freedom is required.
We recommend that applicants submit their applications no later than 4 months, and no earlier than 6 months, before their intended date of marriage. Once an application has been approved, we will aim to issue the letter of freedom 2 months before the date of marriage, as it has a limited validity.