Marriage; Registration

The couple must register their marriage with the civil registry office and obtain the necessary documents. As a general rule, they must appear in person at the civil registry office. If one of them is unable to attend, the other may authorize the absent party in writing. In exceptional cases, if both parties are unable to appear for a valid reason, the marriage may be registered in writing or through a representative.

Which registry office is responsible for registering the marriage depends on the place of residence of the couple. If they have different places of residence, they may choose at which of the competent registry offices they wish to register their marriage.

Registration of the marriage is required so that the registry office can determine whether the legal requirements for marriage have been met and whether any legal impediments to marriage preclude the marriage (verification of eligibility to marry).

The competent registry office is only binding for the purpose of registering the marriage. The marriage may be solemnized at any civil registry office in Germany, provided that the registry office where the marriage was registered found no impediments to marriage during its review of the requirements for marriage and that there have been no changes in the actual circumstances (regarding the requirements for marriage) of the couple since the registration. The couple will receive notification from the registry office where the marriage was registered confirming that there are no impediments to marriage. The marriage must take place within six months of this notification; otherwise, a new registration process is required.

Only once the following questions have been clarified can the registry office determine whether the couple is eligible to marry and schedule a specific date for the wedding.

Are you at least 18 years old?
Both parties must be of legal age.

Have you ever been married or in a registered domestic partnership?

• Any previous marriage must have been dissolved by death, divorce, or other judicial annulment.
  If a previous marriage was dissolved by divorce abroad, the following applies: A foreign divorce is generally only valid in Germany if it has been expressly recognized by the competent state judicial administration. Exceptions apply only if the marriage was dissolved in the home country of both spouses and neither spouse is subject to German law. Recognition of the foreign decision is also not required if a court or authority of an EU member state (excluding Denmark) rendered the decision and the decision was issued after March 1, 2001. If recognition is required, it is advisable to file the necessary application in a timely manner, as processing takes some time and additional documents may need to be obtained under certain circumstances. The registry office where the new marriage is to be solemnized will be happy to assist with the application. If the recognition of a foreign divorce decree has been granted by a state judicial administration, it is binding on courts and administrative authorities throughout the Federal Republic of Germany, thereby establishing clear and definitive status regarding the applicant’s civil status once and for all.
• The previous civil partnership must have been dissolved by death, a court order of annulment, or other judicial annulment.

Are you related in a direct line? Or are you full or half-siblings?
In these cases, marriage is prohibited. This also applies if the family relationship has been terminated by adoption.

Are you adoptive siblings?
In this case, the family court might grant an exception.

Are you a foreign national?
Foreign nationals must, except in the case of a same-sex marriage, submit a certificate of no impediment to marriage from the authorities in their home country. If this is not possible, an exemption must be obtained from the president of the Higher Regional Court with jurisdiction in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The couple must register their marriage with the registry office. They must appear in person at the registry office. If one of the two is unable to attend, they may authorize the other in writing to register the marriage. In exceptional cases, if both parties are unable to appear for a valid reason, the marriage may be registered in writing or through a representative.

The couple will receive a notice from the registry office confirming that there are no impediments to the marriage. 

The marriage registration is valid for six months after notification from the registry office where the marriage is to be registered. Since couples usually have a specific wedding date in mind, it is therefore advisable to check with the registry office that will perform the marriage ceremony to see if the desired date is available and by when, at the latest, the registration must be submitted to the registry office where the marriage is to be registered. Keep in mind that obtaining the necessary documents can take time.

• The following documents must be submitted
  

  To get married, you must provide proof of, among other things, your civil status, place of residence or habitual residence, and nationality. If you were previously married or entered into a civil partnership, you must provide proof of both the marriage or partnership and its dissolution.

  In any case, a valid passport or national ID card must be presented: (ID: 16738)
  
  If necessary, required documents (e.g., a birth certificate) can be obtained directly from the civil registry office. The relevant civil registry office can provide further information on this matter.

• If the couple was born in Germany and previously married there, the civil registry office can obtain the necessary registry extracts for the couple itself. The extended registration certificate can also be obtained internally.
  

  If you were born, previously married, and/or divorced abroad, please contact the registry office regarding the necessary documents.

The fee for verifying eligibility to marry is 55.00 EUR.

If foreign law must be taken into account, the fee increases by 30.00 EUR per person.

Additional fees and expenses may also apply.