Register marriage

If you would like to get married, you should contact the registry office where your marriage is to take place as early as possible. In principle, you can get married at any registry office in Germany.

You must register the marriage in person at the registry office in whose jurisdiction you have your place of residence or habitual abode. When registering the marriage, the marriage requirements will be checked. You can register the marriage at the earliest six months before the intended marriage.

• To register the marriage, you usually go to the registry office of your place of residence together with your partner. 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 does not find any obstacles to the marriage, you will be informed that the marriage can take place.
• If the requirements for marriage are met, you can get married within 6 months. After that, the marriage must be registered again.

If the relevant registry office offers an online service for registering marriages, you can use this to register and submit the documents.

To the registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) has his or her place of residence (main or secondary residence) or habitual abode. If you do not wish to get married at the registry office of your place of residence, please also contact the registry office that is to conduct the marriage.

If you are resident or ordinarily resident abroad, please first contact the registry office that is to conduct the marriage.

Only persons of legal age can register a marriage. In addition, the spouses must be of legal age and legally competent. If the spouses do not speak the language, an interpreter must be brought along at the request of the spouses.

• 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.
• Multiple marriages are not permitted in Germany. A previous marriage must have been dissolved by death, divorce or other legally binding court judgment prior to a new marriage.
• If a previous marriage was divorced abroad, the divorce must generally first be 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.
  

As a rule, the following documents are required to register the marriage:

• if you have German citizenship and are entering into your first marriage:
  • valid identity card or passport
  • extended registration certificate from the registration office of your main residence (usually not older than 4 weeks)
• if your birth was registered in Germany:
  • certified excerpt from the (electronic) register of births or certified copy from the register of births (in paper form) from the registry office of the place of birth
• if your birth was notarized 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 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. For this purpose, please submit
  • all marriage certificates
  • all legally binding divorce decrees (with facts and reasons for the decision)
  • if applicable, 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 will also need
  • Birth certificates of the children and
  • Proof of joint custody
• for 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
  • Extended registration certificate from the registration office of the main residence (usually not older than 4 weeks)
  • birth certificate
  • Certificate of no impediment to marriage, if applicable
  • Foreign language documents with translation, if not on an international form

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 Higher Regional Court. The registrar takes the application and forwards it.

For foreign-language certificates, 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.

The costs for registering the marriage and for the actual marriage ceremony depend on the individual case and may vary.

If the requirements for marriage are met, you can get married within 6 months. After that, the marriage must be registered again.

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Municipal Affairs

13.11.2024