Register marriage

If you want to get married, you must register the marriage in advance.

You must register your intended marriage in person at the registry office in whose jurisdiction you have your place of residence or habitual abode.
To speed up the procedure, you can send the registry office your preferred date for the marriage as well as the data required to check your eligibility for marriage by pre-registering.
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 get married at any registry office in Germany.
A civil marriage and a church wedding are independent of each other.
No witnesses need to be present at the marriage ceremony. However, if you wish, you can appoint 1 or 2 people as witnesses.
You can decide at the wedding or at a later date whether you wish to have a joint married name or separate surnames.

Registry office in whose jurisdiction one of the spouses (fiancées) is domiciled or habitually resident
In the case of domicile or habitual residence abroad: registry office where the marriage is to take place

• Forms: yes
• Online procedure possible: yes, for pre-registration
• Written form required: yes
• Personal appearance required: yes

• Marriage can only be entered into after reaching the age of majority (at the age of 18).
• 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.

• Opposition
• Application for a court decision

You must apply to register your marriage in person at your local registry office.

• To register the marriage, you and your fiancé or fiancée usually go to the relevant registry office together. 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 finds that there are no obstacles to the marriage, you will be informed that the marriage can take place. The notification can be made verbally, in writing or electronically.