Apply for a marriage certificate

Do you need a marriage certificate? You will receive your marriage certificate at the registry office that certified the marriage. The registry office issues the marriage certificate from the marriage register.

If you have married and need a new marriage certificate, you can apply for it at the registry office. To do this, please contact the registry office in whose jurisdiction you got married.
The marriage certificate proves the marriage of you with your spouse. It contains the first and last names at the time of the marriage and at the time of issue, the place and date of birth of the spouses, the place and date of the marriage.
You can obtain the marriage certificate in the following forms:

• Marriage certificate
• International (multilingual) marriage certificate/multilingual extract from the marriage record
• Certified register printout from the marriage register

A certified printout from the marriage register (previously family book) reproduces all data that the registry office has entered in connection with your marriage.
You will receive the certificate, including any marginal remarks, either as

• new printout from the electronic register (if already kept at your registry office) or
• Copy or verbatim copy of the marriage entry from the family book.

The registry office,

• before which the marriage was contracted, or
• who has certified a marriage contracted abroad

To apply for a marriage certificate, you need:

• Your identity card or passport (if you apply in writing, a copy, you must authenticate yourself electronically online with the new identity card)
• in the case of application or collection by a representative: written power of attorney of the authorised person, their identity card or passport and the identity card or passport of the representative
• for other persons, proof of their legal interest
   

Forms/online services available: Yes
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance required: No
 

Marriage certificates contain personal data, so their issuance is subject to data protection restrictions.
You are entitled to apply under the following conditions:

• You are at least 16 years old
• You are the spouse to whom the document is to refer
• They are the parents of the spouses
• You are a child of the spouses

Other persons, including close relatives such as siblings, aunts and uncles, only receive a certificate if they can credibly demonstrate a legal interest (for example, by writing from the probate court).
If the marriage was contracted abroad, you must first have it certified in a marriage register in Germany.
 

Instruction by the civil register court pursuant to § 49 PStG
 

Personal application:
The personal application is made as follows:

• For a personal application, an appointment at the registry office may be required.
• You will need to present your identity card or passport.
• You pay the fee directly when applying at the registry office.

In addition to yourself, a person you trust may also order and pick up the certificate for you. In addition to a written power of attorney, you will present your identity card or passport (original or copy) and your own identity card or passport.
 
Application by post:
The written application is made as follows:

• Send an informal letter to the competent registry office with the request to issue you with a marriage certificate.
• Your letter should contain the following information:
  • Surname, first name
  • Your registration address
  • Place and date of marriage
  • if known: registry office and certification number
  • the reason for the application
  • if applicable, further evidence, e.g. for legal interest
• Attach a copy of your identity card or passport to the letter.
• You will then receive a fee notice and the marriage certificate.

 
Online application:
You can also apply for the issuance online and will then receive the marriage certificate by post.

 

The processing time depends on the individual case.

The costs vary depending on the state. Your local registry office will be happy to provide you with information.
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If the civil status data of the spouse changes, for example due to a change of name or a divorce of the marriage, the marriage entry is supplemented by a subsequent certification. Upon request, a new marriage certificate can be issued.