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If you want to get married, you must register the marriage in advance.

You must register your intended marriage in person at the registry office in whose jurisdiction you have your place of residence or habitual abode.

To speed up the procedure, you can send the registry office both your preferred date for the marriage and the data required to check your eligibility for marriage by pre-registering.

The place where you register your marriage does not have to be the place where your marriage is to take place. In principle, you can get married at any registry office in Germany.

A civil marriage and a church wedding are independent of each other.

No witnesses need to be present at the marriage ceremony. However, if you wish, you can appoint one or two people as witnesses.

You can decide at the wedding or at a later date whether you wish to have a joint or separate surname.

When applying, you must submit:

If you have German citizenship and are entering into your first marriage:

• Valid identity card or passport
• Certificate of residence from the registration office (not older than 4 weeks)

If your birth was certified in Germany:

• current certified extract from the (electronic) register of births or current certified copy from the register of births (in paper form) from the registry office of the place of birth.

If your birth was certified abroad:

• Current birth certificate

If you were already married or in a civil partnership, you will also need

• Marriage certificate and final divorce decree or
• Proof of the establishment and dissolution of the civil partnership.

If your former partner has died in the meantime:

• the marriage certificate or
• proof of the establishment of the civil partnership and
• the death certificate of the former partner.

If your divorce took place abroad, you should ask the registry office in advance whether a recognition procedure is required. Please bring the following with you

• all marriage certificates
• all legally binding divorce decrees (with facts and reasons for the decision)
• a complete translation by a sworn translator in Germany.

If you and your future spouse have children together or if you have custody of children from previous marriages, you will also need

• Birth certificates of the children.

For a partner from abroad, the following are required

• Valid identity card/passport or other proof of identification
• Proof of nationality, if this is not evident from the identity card or passport
• Certificate of residence from the registration office (not older than 4 weeks)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Foreign language documents

Please note:

For partners from countries in which no certificates of no impediment to marriage are issued, it is advisable to seek advice from the registry office about exemption from the obligation to present a certificate of no impediment to marriage. This is issued by the President of the Higher Regional Court. The registrar will record the application and forward it.

For foreign-language documents, the registry office generally requires complete translations into German, prepared by a publicly appointed and sworn translator in Germany. Foreign documents often also require certification by the competent foreign authority. Your local registry office will be happy to provide you with information in advance.

Further documents:

The registry office may request additional documents, such as the naturalization certificate.

The following may register a marriage

• persons of full age

Further requirements:

• A marriage may not be entered into before the age of majority.
• Marriage between relatives in a direct line (e.g. parents and their children) and between siblings and half-siblings is not permitted. This also applies in principle if the relationship was established by adoption.
• Double marriages are not permitted in Germany. A previous marriage must have been dissolved by death, divorce or other legally binding court judgment before a new marriage can be entered into.
• If a previous marriage was divorced abroad, the divorce must generally first be expressly recognized in Germany in order for it to take effect here. There are exceptions to this principle, particularly in most countries of the European Union (EU). A previously established civil partnership must also be dissolved.

A basic fee of 50 euros is charged for checking the marriage requirements when registering the marriage.

This amount may increase further.

If, for example, foreign law is to be examined, a further 40 euros must be charged for each law to be examined. The amount is also increased by a further 40 euros per foreign decision to be examined in marriage or civil partnership matters. A further 40 euros will be charged for each application for recognition of a foreign decision in matrimonial matters to be submitted to the State Administration of Justice and/or a preliminary examination of a decision in matrimonial or civil partnership matters for the submission of an application for exemption from the requirement to produce a certificate of no impediment to marriage if a determination by the State Administration of Justice is not required. Your registry office responsible for the registration will be happy to provide you with information.

Further costs may be incurred in connection with the marriage, e.g. if the marriage takes place outside the registry office's offices, at a so-called external wedding venue, and/or outside the registry office's normal office hours. The registry office performing the marriage will be happy to provide you with information.

You must apply to register your marriage in person at your local registry office.

• To register the marriage, you usually visit the relevant registry office together with your partner or fiancé/fiancée. You will receive all the necessary information there.
• If one of you is unable to attend, the other can register the marriage alone. The registry office requires written authorization from the partner who is unable to attend.
• If the registry office finds that there are no obstacles to the marriage, you will be informed that the marriage can take place. The notification can be made verbally, in writing or electronically.

The processing time varies depending on the amount of work involved in each individual case.

If, after completing the examination, the registrar determines that the requirements for marriage have been met, you can get married within 6 months. After that, the marriage must be registered again.

Marriages can also be performed at a registry office in another location. However, registration is always carried out at the responsible office.

If the registry office refuses to register the marriage, you can apply to the competent court to order the registry office to accept the marriage registration.

Marriage registration

The place where the marriage is registered does not necessarily have to be the place where the marriage is to take place.

Marriages can be registered at any registry office in Germany.

The following can register a marriage: persons of legal age

Information from: competent registry office

Registration must be made in person at the registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) has his or her residence (main or secondary residence) or habitual abode. In exceptional cases, written registration is possible.

Responsible:The registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) has his or her residence (main or secondary residence) or habitual abode.

In the case of residence or habitual abode abroad: the registry office that is to conduct the marriage.

Registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) has his or her residence (main or secondary residence) or habitual abode.

In the case of residence or habitual abode abroad: the registry office that is to conduct the marriage.

Registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) has his or her residence (main or secondary residence) or habitual abode.

In the case of residence or habitual abode abroad: the registry office that is to conduct the marriage.

Forms available: Yes

Written form required: Yes, unless the application is made verbally.

Personal appearance required: In principle, yes.