In Jamaica, a marriage must be legalised or “solemnised” by way of a document known as the licence or authority. Currently there are five types used: Marriage Officer’s Certificate, Special Marriage Licence, Minister’s Licence, Civil Registrar’s Certificate and Inarticulo Mortis. The particulars of these licences are explained in the Appendices.

In 2004, there were 7,793 (36.0%) marriages solemnised using the Marriage Officer’s Certificate, 1,032 (4.7%) using Special Marriage Licence, 12,435 (57.4%) using Minister’s Licence, 410 (1.9%) using Civil Registrar Certificate and there were no Inarticulo Mortis marriages. In the previous year, there were 7,878 (35.0%) marriages using Marriage Officer’s Certificate, 921 (4.1%) using Special Marriage Licence, 13,206 (58.8%) using Minister’s Licence, 471 (2.1%) using Civil Registrar’s Certificate and there were also no Inarticulo Mortis marriages. Due to the convenience of the Minister’s Licence, it is usually the licence of choice for tourist marriages, making its contribution relatively high when compared to the other types of licences.

TABLE 16: MARRIAGES OCCURRING IN EACH PARISH BY QUARTER AND AUTHORITY UNDER WHICH MARRIAGES WERE SOLEMNISED FOR 2004