How to get married at the sector (civil marriage)

What you need

• An Irembo account
• At least one partner with a Rwandan National ID. The other needs an ID or travel document
• Birth certificates and certificates of being single for both partners (PDF)
• If either was married before: divorce or widow/widower certificate
• Age 18–20: also an application letter
• Two witnesses for each partner, with their IDs, on the appointment day

Steps

1. Get a certificate of being single and a birth certificate for each partner on Irembo (see those guides).
2. Log in at irembo.gov.rw → Family → Marriage Services → Marriage Declaration → Apply.
3. Pick the wedding date (at least 23 days away) and the sector office. It must be where at least one of you lives.
4. Enter both partners' details (they load from the ID) and upload the documents as PDFs.
5. Submit. A Thursday wedding gets an application number starting with B2. Other days get a billing number starting with 88 to pay Rwf 50,000.
6. You get an SMS/email with an appointment at the sector before the wedding. Go with both IDs and your witnesses.
7. Get married before the Civil Registration Officer. Afterwards, apply on Irembo for your marriage certificate.

Tips

• Getting married abroad? Contact the Rwandan embassy early to ask about notice and documents.

Official sources

• Irembo: how to apply for a marriage declaration
• Irembo: how to apply for a marriage certificate

Last checked: 2 November 2026 against Irembo support pages. If something here is out of date, tell us so we can fix it.