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Your way to civil marriage

There are three steps to a civil marriage.

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

The place where you register the marriage does not necessarily 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.

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

• 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 registered in Germany:
  • current certified excerpt 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 registered abroad:
  • current birth certificate
• if you were already married or living in a civil partnership, you also need
  • Marriage certificate and final divorce decree or
  • Proof of the establishment and dissolution of the civil partnership or
• 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 final 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 have custody of children from previous marriages, you also need
  • Birth certificates of the children
• with a partner from abroad 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
• Notes:
  • For partners from countries where 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 Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Bremen. The registrar takes the application and forwards 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. In such a case, the registry office will draw your attention to this.
• further documents:
  • The registry office may request additional documents, such as the naturalization certificate.

Marriage registration takes place at the registry office of the place of residence. If the spouses have different places of residence, it is possible to register the marriage at one of the registry offices.

The place of registration must be distinguished from the place of the civil marriage ceremony. Marriages can be solemnized at any registry office in Germany.

The following can register a marriage

• persons of legal 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 European Union (EU) countries. A previously established civil partnership must also be dissolved.

Step 1: Pre-registration

The registry office where the marriage is registered checks whether there are any obstacles to the intended marriage.

Take advantage of this opportunity and enter your data in the data collection form if you intend to get married. You can find the data collection form under "Forms". Please return it to the registry office.

This can be done in person and without an appointment during our opening hours, by post, by dropping it in your letterbox or by e-mail to standesamt@magistrat.bremerhaven.de.

After an initial inspection, we will contact you again and provide you with information about the documents you need for a marriage. If it is necessary to check the marriage requirements, the registry office may request further documents.

You can then register for the marriage by making an appointment in advance.

In the case of foreign nationality, the respective national/foreign law must be observed. This can also lead to longer processing times depending on the intensity of the check.

The processing times depend on the individual case constellation.

For cases with a foreign connection, the average processing time (initial contact until information is provided) is approx. 8 weeks.

Documents must always be submitted to the registry office in the original. The translation of foreign documents must be carried out by a sworn translator in Germany and submitted together with the original document.

Step 2: Registration of the marriage

Marriage registration is only possible by prior appointment with the registry office. When registering the marriage, the documents to be submitted will be checked. You will receive information, for example, about the name and the procedure for the day of the marriage. Once it has been established that the requirements for marriage have been met, the marriage registration is valid for 6 months.

If one of the fiancées is unable to attend the marriage registration appointment at the registry office in person, a power of attorney must be presented by the registering fiancé(es). You can find the power of attorney form under "Forms".

Step 3: Marriage

The marriage is concluded when the couple declare to the registrar that they wish to marry each other. The spouses must make the declaration in person and in the presence of each other. The marriage is notarized in the presence of the spouses.

Witnesses are no longer required, but can still be involved.

Weddings at the Bremerhaven registry office take place in the wedding hall or wedding room.

You can find our external wedding venues and the respective contact details under "Wedding venues" on this website.

The registry office will be happy to provide information about the possible wedding days on which marriages can take place.

Please note that you should first find out about available wedding dates at the Bremerhaven registry office before making appointments at external wedding venues.