David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of letters of certificate or no-impediment letters of freedom that were issued in 2009; the number of such letters that are awaiting processing; the length of time it takes to process such an application; if a provision exists to expedite such letters in urgent cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9760/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Many States require non-nationals, before they can get married in their jurisdiction, to produce a certificate from their country of origin that they are free to marry. These are usually known as Certificat de Coutume, or in the case of marriages in Italy Nulla Ostas and, in effect, certify to the civil authorities of another State that a named Irish citizen is, in terms of Irish law, free to marry. In reality they are civil letters of freedom.

My Department's Consular Section, in Dublin and in Cork, issue these certificates to Irish citizens who are resident in Ireland and whose applications meet the necessary requirements. If an Irish citizen is normally resident outside Ireland, the Embassy or Consulate of Ireland in that country provides the same service.

In 2009, our Dublin and Cork Offices issued 1,249 Nulla Ostas and 2,385 Certificats de Coutume. We do not have precise figures for the number of Nulla Ostas and Certificats de Coutume issued by our Missions in 2009 - the estimated figure is approximately 1,500. Certificats de Coutume and Nulla Ostas are valid for four months and we normally issue these certifcates six weeks before the marriage abroad is due to take place. We currently have approximately 440 applications which are awaiting processing. It takes approximately two months to process an application. Provision exists to expedite applications in urgent cases.