Eheschließung anmelden

Before you can get married, you must register your marriage. In the past, it was also said to "order the bidding". The spouses should register the intended marriage in person with the registry office where one of the spouses is domiciled or habitually resident.

In order to speed up the procedure, you can already submit to the registry office your desired date for marriage and the data required for the examination of the marital capacity by means of a pre-registration.

The place where you register your marriage does not have to be the place where you want to enter into a marriage. You can enter into a marriage in any registry office in Germany.

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

There are no witnesses present at the time of marriage. However, if you wish to do so, you can designate one or two people as groomsmen.

Whether you want to have a common or separate surname in the marriage can be determined at the time of marriage or at a later date.

1. If you have German nationality and enter into your first marriage:

• valid identity card or passport

• Residence certificate of the reporting authority (not older than four weeks)

• if your birth has been certified domestically:

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

• if your birth has been certified abroad:

  • current birth certificate

2. If you have already been married or have lived in a civil partnership, you will also need:

• marriage certificate and final divorce judgment, or

• Evidence of the establishment and dissolution of the civil partnership or

• if your former partner has since died, the marriage certificate or proof of the establishment of the civil partnership and the death certificate of the former partner

If your divorce is filed abroad, you should check with the registry office in advance whether a recognition procedure is required. Please bring along:

• all marriage certificates

• all final divorce judgments (with facts and reasons for decision)

• a full translation by a domestically sworn document translator

3. If you have children with your future spouse or are entitled to care for children from marriages, you also need:

• Children's birth certificates

4. For a partner from abroad, it is necessary to:

• valid identity card/passport or other proof of identification

• Proof of nationality if this does not result from the identity card or passport

• Residence certificate of the reporting authority (not older than four weeks)

• birth certificate

• Certificate of Marital Capacity

For partners from states where no marriage certificates are issued, advice to the registry office on the exemption from the obligation to present a certificate of matrimonial capacity is recommended. This is granted by the President of the Higher Regional Court. The registrar accepts the application and forwards it.

Foreign language documents:

For foreign-language documents, the registry office basically requires complete translations into the German language, produced by a translator publicly appointed and sworn 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.

Other documents:

The registry office may be able to request further documents, such as the naturalisation certificate.

• Coming of age (current legal situation)

  • In principle, marriage should only be entered into after the age of majority (at the age of 18) has been reached.

  • As an exception, minors may also marry if they are at least 16 years old and the future spouse is of age. This requires an exemption by the family court. In this procedure, the court hears not only the future minor spouse but also his or her legal representatives (usually the parents).

• Coming of age (planned legal situation)

  • Marriage may be entered into only after the person has reached the age of majority (at the age of 18).

  • Minors cannot enter into marriage.

• Marriage between relatives

  • Marriage between relatives in a straight line (for example, parents and their children) and between siblings and half-siblings is not permitted. This also applies in principle if the kinship relationship was established by adoption.

• Double marriages/double civil partnerships

  • Double marriages are not permitted in Germany. A previously entered marriage must have been dissolved by death, divorce or other legally binding court decision before a new marriage can be entered into.

  • If a previous marriage was divorced abroad, the divorce must usually first be expressly recognized in Germany in order for it to take effect here. Exceptions to this principle apply above all to most EU states. A previously established civil partnership must also have been dissolved.

• In order to register the marriage, both partners (fiancée) usually visit the competent registry office together.
• If one of them is prevented, the other can register the marriage alone. The registry office requires the written authorisation of the prevented partner.
• If the registry office does not find a marriage obstacle, you will be informed that the marriage can be carried out.

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

Before you can get married, you must register the marriage. In the past, this was also called "ordering the banns".

The spouses should register the intended marriage in person at the registry office where one of the spouses has his or her residence or habitual abode. The place where you register the marriage does not have to be the place where your marriage is to take place. In principle, you can conclude your marriage at any registry office in Germany.

• registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancée) has his domicile (main or secondary residence) or habitual residence
• in case of residence or habitual residence abroad: competent German diplomatic mission (embassy/consulate) or registry office to carry out the marriage

• registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancée) has his domicile (main or secondary residence) or habitual residence
• in the case of residence or habitual residence abroad: registry office to carry out the marriage