CASE STUDY 1: David from England - Remarriage in Brazil

David, a private British citizen living in Brazil, had been married for a number of years to a lady living in London. They had been separated for several years already, and were on good terms, but the time and expense of travelling half way around the world, arranging lawyers and court hearings meant that they had put off getting a legal divorce.

However, David wished to marry his partner, a Brazilian citizen, in Brazil. This was necessary to obtain permanent residence status in Brazil, which in turn would grant him many local privileges. But before he could get married, he would of course need formal documents to prove that he had legally divorced his former spouse.

Having read about offshore divorces in the Dominican Republic, David contacted one of the law firms recommended in The International Express Divorce Kit. He had his wife sign the appropriate papers at the Dominican consulate in London, a simple ten minute procedure, then he flew to Santo Domingo on a cheap and convenient flight operated by Copa.

The divorce decree was issued the following day, and within a couple of weeks it had been legalized and translated for use and recognition in Brazil. This was easily taken care of by the Dominican attorneys for no extra fee. Within 14 days of starting the process, David received his divorce decree by Fedex and was able to remarry legally as he desired.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - A judge approved a divorce Tuesday for Puerto Rican salsa singer Marc Anthony and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.

The authorization for divorce will now go through other officials, including the secretary of state for external relations and then the U.S. Embassy, at which point it should be finalized.

Judge Maritza Capellan had reserved judgment Thursday after hearing the arguments of Ana Ramos, a lawyer for Anthony. Court documents revealed her decision on Tuesday.

"It's fitting to accept this divorce by mutual consent," the judge said in her ruling.

Reached in New York, a spokesman for Anthony, Gerald McKelvey, declined to comment.
Anthony was present during the hearing last week on the motion filed May 25 by both him and Torres, a Puerto Rican crowned Miss Universe in 1993.

Anthony and Torres married in Las Vegas in 2000. They split up in July 2002, but never legally separated. They renewed their wedding vows at a lavish ceremony at a cathedral in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in December 2002. They have two young children, Cristian and Ryan.
The judge's divorce ruling says Anthony is to pay Torres US$3,500 a month in alimony, plus child support of US$6,500 a month for each child.

It also says Torres is to keep homes in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, while Anthony will keep another home just outside San Juan, plus others in Long Island, New York, and New York's Catskill Mountains.

According to the document, Anthony also agreed to turn over cars - a BMW and Lincoln Navigator - to Torres within a month.