Where to get married in Germany (2024)

FAQs

Where to get married in Germany? ›

In Germany, any valid marriage must be performed at the registrar's office – Standesamt. This is regardless of whether you intend to have a religious wedding as well. Priests, ministers, rabbis, imams, or consular officers may not perform a legally binding marriage – only an official registrar can do this in Germany.

The legal requirements for getting married in Germany

Foreigners who are not from the EU cannot usually get married in Germany on a visitor visa. Instead, they will need a visa that is valid for three to six months. If they are marrying a German citizen, they can normally obtain a residence permit.

The wedding documents required

In Germany, only 18-year-olds and above are allowed to have a legal wedding. You also need to present your passports, and a certificate that you are legally allowed to get married. These are only some of the required documents, but a full list can be provided by the local registry.

The average price of a wedding across the whole of Germany is between €10,000 and €20,000. This is also based on the average attendance of 60 guests. However, depending on where you have the ceremony the figures can be dramatically different.

Applications should be filed with the registrar's office in Germany where either party has his or her residence. If neither party has a residence in the Federal Republic of Germany, the registrar's office has to be contacted, where the marriage should take place.

The United States has no national registration of marriages, foreign or domestic. U.S. states recognize marriages performed in other states and in other countries. If your marriage was legally performed in the country or state where you got married, then the marriage is recognized in the United States.

Get approved

2 to 4 weeks after your Standesamt appointment, you get a certificate that confirms that you can get married. In Berlin, you have 6 months to get married after you get that certificate.

If you want your elopement wedding to be legally recognized in Germany, you will first be required to take part in a civil ceremony. It should be noted, to have a civil ceremony, you must be a German citizen, be marrying a German citizen, or at a minimum, have proof of residency in Germany.

Unless both persons to be wed speak German fluently, you will need to bring a translator or interpreter with you to the Town Hall when you give notice of the impending marriage. Preferably, the same translator or interpreter should also translate during the wedding ceremony.

We know from experience that couples, especially if one or both of you is non-German, often find the process of getting married in Germany a confusing and sometimes tough experience.

What are the rules for marriage in Germany? ›

The first prerequisite of marriage in Germany is that you must be single, i.e. not already married to another person. Furthermore, you must be of legal age and legally competent ("Geschäftsfähig"). In other words, you must be able to decide with free will and understand the consequences of your actions.

So thanks to a wedding, you can transfer larger assets to each other tax-free. If one of you should die, the other can inherit up to 500,000 euros without having to pay taxes. Also, if you have a joint house and the surviving partner continues to live in it, he does not have to pay inheritance tax on it.

Unlike some countries that impose strict residency requirements or lengthy bureaucratic procedures on foreigners, Denmark offers a more relaxed and welcoming approach. This inclusivity is a significant factor in why Denmark is often considered one of the easiest countries to get married for foreigners.

The application to get married must initially be filed with the registry office in the district in Germany where one of the couple resides. If neither of the couple is resident in Germany, the application must be filed with the registry office were the marriage should take place.

Anyone can marry in Germany – even someone without German citizenship, or in the case of both partners being foreigners. A marriage before a German registry office is also possible without a residence or permanent visa in Germany.

The wedding is paid for by the couple themselves, possibly with contributions from their parents. The wedding dress is paid for by the bride, possibly with a contribution from her parents. The bride's shoes are paid for by the bride along with other accessories, or might be a gift from her parents.

The basic rule is that a marriage entered into abroad will be regarded as valid in Germany if the legal provisions relating to marriage of that foreign state were abided by.

General information: If you are married or will get married to a German citizen, or if you are a parent of a German child and wish to seek gainful permanent residency in Germany (or staying in Germany longer than 3 months), you are required to obtain a residence permit in the form of a visa.