What is a Certificate of No Impediment?

A Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage is a legal document required by many countries to marry in another country, according to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. The certificate proves that a person is not legally married or in a civil union in the country of citizenship.

When requesting a certificate, birth, death and marriage records must be endorsed by the country, and a fee must be paid before the Certificate of No Impediment is issued, according to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. The process can take approximately two to four weeks and may only be valid for a certain period of time.