Embassy weddings 'not legal'

Up to 3,000 foreign couples here are caught up in a diplomatic row after being told their marriages aren't legal.

The problem started when the General Register Office announced that marriages performed at embassies by diplomats aren't recognised under Irish law.

Officials wrote to the embassies saying that unless the marriage was performed by an authorised registrar, and took place in a registered building open to the public, it didn't count.

The new guidelines cover all marriages since November 2007.