In this guide8 sections
- What the Church sets and what each parish decides
- The documents almost every parish asks for
- The church marriage file, step by step
- Witnesses and padrinos are not the same thing
- How far ahead to start
- Questions to ask before you book
- What people ask at the parish office
- Your invitation and registry on one link
In Peru, a Catholic church wedding is arranged through a parish, and every parish publishes its own list of requirements. The good news is that the core is the same almost everywhere: baptism and confirmation records, a marriage prep course, proof of the civil wedding, witnesses, and a church file that you open a few months ahead. This guide pulls together what the parishes agree on and flags where the details differ. If what you’re after is the meaning of the ceremony itself—the arras, the lazo, the sponsors—that’s in which Peruvian wedding traditions still hold, and why.
This guide is based on the Code of Canon Law (Spanish edition on the Vatican’s website), the Archdiocese of Lima’s certification office and the official pages of six Lima parishes: San Lucas (Pueblo Libre), Nuestra Señora de Fátima (Miraflores), Señor de la Divina Misericordia (Santiago de Surco), Trinitarios (Cercado de Lima), San Josemaría Escrivá and Santa María Reina, all checked on September 17, 2026. Your parish may ask for something different, so confirm with its office before you gather anything.
What the Church sets and what each parish decides
Canon law sets the framework. Before the wedding, it must be established that nothing stands in the way of a valid and lawful marriage (canon 1066), and each country’s bishops’ conference sets the rules for examining the couple and for the banns, the public announcement of an upcoming marriage (canon 1067). Catholics who haven’t been confirmed should receive confirmation before marrying, if they can do so without serious difficulty (canon 1065).
As for the place, the wedding is held in the parish where one of you lives, or has lived for a month; with permission, it can be held somewhere else (canon 1115). And it takes place before the local bishop or the pastor, or a priest or deacon they delegate, and two witnesses (canon 1108).
On top of that, each parish builds its own checklist. The six we read agree on the essentials, but not on how recent your records must be, how long your witnesses must have known you, or how far ahead you start.
None of this applies if you’re already married in the church and simply want to say the words again: a wedding vow renewal is symbolic, has no paperwork and no documents, and is arranged directly with your parish.
The documents almost every parish asks for
| Document | What to know |
|---|---|
| Baptism record (partida de bautismo) | Recent and certified. Fátima and San Lucas accept it up to three months old; Divina Misericordia and San Josemaría, up to six. |
| Confirmation record | Also certified. |
| Marriage prep certificate (charlas prematrimoniales) | Proof you took the course, similar to Pre-Cana in the US. Fátima and Divina Misericordia want it certified by the Archdiocese. |
| Civil marriage or its notice | Your civil marriage record, or the published edicto (the civil marriage notice, as the full newspaper page). |
| ID | A copy of your Peruvian DNI; foreigners bring a residence card or passport. |
| Proof of address | A utility bill (electricity, water or phone) or a signed statement of address. |
| Photo | Passport size, in color, on a white background. |
Certification (legalización) is done by the archdiocese or diocese that the issuing parish belongs to. In Lima, the Archdiocese’s ecclesiastical notary authenticates the signature on the document, and the Archdiocese notes that church records and certificates are valid for six months only.
Because the civil wedding is part of the file, get it moving early. Our guide to civil wedding requirements in Lima walks you through it. If you want to spend as little as possible on that step, a community civil wedding is usually free or a single flat fee; the fees for an individual civil wedding, district by district, are in what a civil wedding costs in Peru.
If you’re widowed, divorced or a foreigner
- Widowed: your late spouse’s death certificate.
- Married only in a civil ceremony and now divorced: the divorce ruling (Divina Misericordia).
- Previously married in the Church: San Josemaría asks, where it applies, for the document on the annulment.
- Foreigners: Divina Misericordia asks for a certificate of single status from your consulate.
- If one of you isn’t Catholic or has left the faith: San Lucas requires a dispensation from the Archdiocese. Bring it up at your first meeting, because the process changes.
The church marriage file, step by step
The file is called the pliego matrimonial. The order varies a little, but at these parishes it goes like this:
- Find your parish. It’s the one whose territory covers where one of you lives. San Lucas and Fátima require this to open the file with them.
- Book a meeting with the priest. Divina Misericordia and San Josemaría start there.
- Reserve the date. San Lucas won’t set one until you’ve started the paperwork. San Josemaría asks for 50% of the donation when you book the church; Fátima asks for 70% when you sign the contract, which is non-refundable.
- Open the file with the documents above and your witnesses to single status.
- Publish the banns (proclamas). Divina Misericordia says they’re read in each partner’s parish for three Sundays, then returned with that parish’s stamp.
- Get a transfer license (licencia de traslado) if you’re marrying outside your own parish. San Josemaría wants it 15 days before the wedding.
- Wrap up. San Josemaría wants everything complete two weeks before; Fátima wants the names of your witnesses and padrinos at least a week before.
Witnesses and padrinos are not the same thing
There are two kinds of witnesses, and mixing them up is a common mistake.
- Witnesses to single status (testigos de soltería). They vouch to the parish that you’re free to marry; at Divina Misericordia, on the day the file is opened. You need two per partner, adults and not relatives. San Lucas, Santa María Reina and Divina Misericordia want people who have known you for at least five years; Fátima, at least three. Divina Misericordia also asks that they be Catholic.
- Ceremony witnesses. They sign on the wedding day. San Lucas asks for four; Divina Misericordia and San Josemaría, one per partner. At San Lucas and Divina Misericordia they can be family.
Padrinos are the wedding sponsors, chosen for love and closeness, and the parish counts on them too: San Josemaría asks for a copy of their ID, Fátima needs their names because they sign the file at the ceremony, and Divina Misericordia invites them to the rehearsal.
How far ahead to start
| Parish | Lead time it gives |
|---|---|
| San Lucas | Three months; no date is set until the paperwork starts |
| Fátima | The file is opened three months before (the page says “at most”); dates can be booked from a year out |
| Divina Misericordia | At least three months; four with a transfer |
| Santa María Reina | Book the date a year ahead, if possible |
Plan around expiration dates
Church records expire, so don’t request them first. An order that works:
- 9 to 12 months before: get the exact checklist and ask how early you can book. Fátima and Santa María Reina allow a year.
- Several months ahead: sign up for the prep course. Trinitarios runs it once a month and San Josemaría every two months, so don’t leave it for last.
- A few weeks before opening the file: request your records and have them certified.
- Three months before (four with a transfer): open the file and start the banns.
That fits into the rest of your planning, which you’ll find in our month-by-month wedding timeline.
Questions to ask before you book
- Does this parish cover where we live, or do we need a transfer license?
- What does the donation include, how much is due up front, and is it refundable?
- How recent do our records need to be?
- Where do we take the prep course, and does the certificate need certifying?
- How many witnesses do you need, and what are the requirements?
- What music is allowed? Divina Misericordia accepts liturgical music only.
- What decorations are allowed? Several parishes ban throwing rice or petals inside the church.
- Are there rules for photos and video? Divina Misericordia doesn’t allow floodlights.
What people ask at the parish office
Do we have to have the civil wedding before the church one?
The parish file includes proof of your civil marriage or, failing that, the published edicto (the civil marriage notice) as the full newspaper page. So the civil wedding has to be done, or at least well under way, by the time you open the file. That’s why it’s worth starting it months ahead, alongside your church records and the prep course.
Can we marry at a parish that isn’t ours?
Yes, with permission. The wedding is held in the parish where one of you lives, or has lived for a month, and marrying elsewhere takes a transfer license (licencia de traslado). San Josemaría wants it 15 days before the wedding, and Divina Misericordia stretches its lead time from three months to four when a transfer is involved.
What are the banns, and who publishes them?
They’re the public announcement of an upcoming marriage, called proclamas in Spanish. Canon law leaves the rules to each country’s bishops’ conference, and Divina Misericordia explains how it works in Lima: they’re read in each partner’s own parish for three Sundays, then handed back with the stamp of the parish that read them.
What if one of us isn’t Catholic?
It’s possible, but the process changes, so say so at your first meeting. San Lucas requires a dispensation from the Archdiocese when one partner isn’t Catholic or has left the faith. Separately, canon law asks Catholics who haven’t been confirmed to receive confirmation before marrying, if they can do so without serious difficulty.
Your invitation and registry on one link
Once the date is confirmed, it’s time to tell your guests. With parati, your invitation and gift registry live on one link that you share on WhatsApp. For wording ideas, see our guide to the digital wedding invitation.
- Guests RSVP and give gifts from their phone, without creating an account, by card or Yape (Peru’s popular mobile wallet).
- Gifts in parts: a big gift can be split so several guests share it.
- El Sueño (The Dream): one big gift, with the goal and the minimum contribution you set.
- You know whom to thank: you see who RSVP’d and who gave what.
