Are you an expat and recently moved to Denmark for business or work? Do you love someone in Denmark and plan to marry here? Are you looking for someone in Denmark to get married to? Do you want to know the conditions and requirements for getting married in Denmark? If yes, you are reading the right write up, so keep reading it till the end.
Related Topic: Having a Baby in Germany
Reasons to Get Married in Denmark
You or other people may want to get married in Denmark for multiple reasons. These reasons might include the following;
- Lengthy administrative process in the home country
- The central location of Denmark
- Wish for a marriage ceremony at an exotic and exciting place like Denmark
- Go through the legal process quickly and easily as compared to your own country
- Liberal country in terms of the immigration process
- Simple documentation and a low key wedding
- Economical wedding process and marriage ceremony
- Great hospitality by people in Denmark
Eligibility to Get Married in Denmark
There is no hard and fast rule to getting married in Denmark, so people from all over the world can get married in Denmark. There are only two exceptions with which you cannot get married in Denmark. These exceptions are mentioned below;
- People currently have asylum seeker
- People who have residential refugee status
There is no issue of gender in Denmark, so couples of the same sex can also marry in Denmark as there is no restriction to marrying a same sex partner. Denmark was the first country that granted permission in 1989 to people who wished to marry the same sex. The same-sex union law is now replaced with the new same sex marriage law.
Inter-Religious marriages are also allowed in Denmark, so you would be welcome to get married in Denmark. Denmark is safe if you wish to marry someone from a different religion.
Required Document for Getting Married in Denmark
To get married in Denmark, you must have certain documents while submitting your marriage application. Below are the details of the documents you must have while applying for marriage in Denmark;
- You must have a certificate of your marital status. It is required according to the Act on the Formation and Dissolution of Marriage, usually named The Marriage Act. This document is necessary to know the marital status of both applicants.
- If you have lived in two or more countries for enough time, you must also submit your marital status from other countries.
- Below are the documents required for legal residence in Denmark;
- Visa for Denmark
- Passport or identification document (you need to submit copies of all pages, including the front, back, and empty pages of the passport)
- EU residence card from Denmark
- Visa from any Schengen country
- Valid documentation to prove the residence in Nordic countries
- Document of citizenship in EU country
- Resident permit
- Entry stamp or document to show to date of entry in Denmark
- Tourist visa
- If applicable, submit the marriage certificate issued by your country while getting married in Denmark. This certificate is to describe your eligibility for marrying in the subject country.
- You must submit a certificate with information on the periods you lived in Denmark if required.
- If you are a military personnel, you must submit a document of permission from your commander.
- If one of you was previously married, then submit proof of the dissolved relationship. This can be;
- A legal or judicial document
- A divorce document
- A death certificate
- A marriage annulment
- A revocatory action judgement
- If you were previously married in Denmark and the relationship is dissolved, there is no need to submit documents for proof.
- If you have one or more children, you must submit their birth certificates in English and German. Without a translated document, a birth certificate will not be accepted.
Dos and Don'ts While Submitting Documents
Detailed submission of documents is necessary for your marriage application's quick and smooth processing. Here are a few tips you should do and a few tips you should avoid while preparing your marriage application. These dos and don't for your marriage application are given below;
- While copying or taking pictures of your documents, no part should be excluded. Get a copy or picture while taking each corner and side of the document in the frame.
- The resolution while taking photos of your documents must be high. If the resolution of your photographs is 1600 × 1200 dpi or 1 megabyte per picture, it is perfect.
- Adjust the photo's brightness, saturation, or sharpness if necessary.
- While taking photographs, your capturing device must be straight above the document.
- The light must be even when you are taking pictures of your documents. There should not be a reflection of light or any backlighting.
- It would be best if you took coloured pictures of all your documents.
- It is much better to photograph your documents rather than scan them.
- Upload your documents in original picture format rather than in a Word or text document.
- Do not compress the file of your documents.
Requirements to Marry in Denmark
Whether you live in another country, you can get married in Denmark. This European country is a very good option for international marriages. It is because of the central location and very simple bureaucratic structure. There are a few factors that you must meet to have a marital relationship in Denmark. Here are the conditions you must meet to get married in Denmark.
- If you have a civil registration number, you do not need to submit a certificate of impediment for your time in Denmark.
- You need to go through the approval process according to the rules of the subject country.
- You need to attach the marriage certificate from the issuing authority in your home country.
- Your marriage certificate should not be older than 4 months.
- If you are a citizen of another country, the rules for getting married in your country also apply.
- Both of you must be unmarried while planning to get married in Denmark.
- If you or your spouse were married before, your previous relationship should be dissolved before you marry again.
- The minimum age requirement for males and females is 18 years before marriage.
- You cannot marry any of your close relatives in Denmark. It is not allowed by German authorities in the Agency of family law.
- If your guardians take care of you, they must consent to your marriage. Without the consent of your guardian, you cannot marry in Denmark.
- If you cannot submit your marital status document with your application, you need to sign your application with a criminal liability that you are unmarried.
- Below information is also required to know about the purpose of marriage;
- For how long are both of you in a relationship?
- Where did you guys meet?
- Do both of you have children?
- Did you live together (currently or in the past?
- Signatures are not required if you and your partner have Nem ID or Mit ID.
- If you plan to get married in Denmark, you must have legal permission to enter Denmark and be allowed to stay in Denmark. While applying for a marriage, you don't need to enter Denmark.
- Attach all documents in two forms;
- original document
- translation into another language
- All documents must be legal and should have an apostille stamp on them.
Basis of Legal Residence in Denmark
Legal residence in Denmark based on different citizenship as mentioned below;
- Citizen of any Nordic country
- Residence permit in Denmark
- Citizenship in EU and EEA countries
- Citizenship in Switzerland
- Visa-exempt country citizenship
- Visa to enter and stay in Denmark
- Visa of any Schengen country
No Permission in Denmark
Well, there is not always good news. You are not allowed for the following acts in Denmark;
- Marriages with close relationships are not permitted.
- Pro forma marriage is strictly banned. This kind of marriage happens to get the right of residence in a few of the following countries;
- Denmark
- EU country
- The country under European Economic Area
- Switzerland
Marriage Application Preparation
After all the information above, it's time to discuss the application preparation so you and your spouse can proceed to the next step. Here is the complete guide to prepare your application;
- Marriage authorities in the relevant department of Denmark will process the application after verifying all conditions and requirements to marry in Denmark.
- You must give your and your partner's personal information on the application form.
- You need to sign the document that meets all conditions and requirements.
- You need to attach all required documents with your application form. If you cannot submit one or more documents, you should mention that in your application for our information.
- Mention the reason for not submitting any required documents with the application form.
- Sign your application form by hand. E-signatures are not allowed and are not considered valid.
- If your documents are foreign, authorities will assess them to recognize them in Denmark. They will also verify if it is genuine.
- Documents from certain countries are required to have a legal stamp named apostille stamp on them.
- There is no need for an apostille stamp on your documents from the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Turkey, New Zealand, and a few European Countries. They are already valid in Denmark.
- If your documents are from a country that is a state party to the apostille convention, then an apostille stamp is a must.
- Your documents must be legalized to be approved in Denmark. The legalization process is different in different countries, but usually, the process is;
- The government ministry will legalize the person who issued the document.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will legalize the person in the government ministry.
- The concerned local office in Denmark will legalize the person in the Ministry of foreign affairs.
- Suppose you have a tight schedule or cannot submit your application for any reason. In that case, you need to give a power of attorney letter with original signatures to any third party to submit a notice of marriage on your behalf. You can choose any of your family members or a professional who will submit your application on your behalf.
- You must send a power of attorney letter to the concerned office yourself.
- If you have given power of attorney to someone and want to withdraw during the application process, you must do two things;
- Send a written notice to the family law office.
- Send the same written notice to the person you are granted power of attorney.
- The complete process, from registration to the marriage ceremony, usually takes 3 to 14 weeks.
The Process to Apply for Marriage in Denmark
If you are an expat looking for marrying in Denmark, understand the process through the steps given below;
- Fill out the application form carefully while mentioning all information correctly. If you have Nem ID or Mit ID, you can apply online through the official website of the family law office. Login to the application portal by using your Nem ID or Mit ID.
- Attach all required documents with the application form. Carefully read the instructions about your required documents, legalisation, translation, and other requirements. Get a list from the relevant marriage office so you may not skip attaching any document with your application.
- Sign your application after proofreading it carefully.
- Pay the processing fee and keep the receipt with you for proof.
- Send your application and notice of marriage to the Agency of family law. You can send your application with the attached documents by email or fax. It will save you time as well as money.
- Suppose you meet all requirements and conditions according to the rules. In that case, the family law office will issue you a marriage certificate or marital status certificate, which is only valid for 4 months. It would be best if you married your partner within this time.
- If you are not married 4 months after the marital status certificate issuance, your certificate will expire, and you will need to go through the application process again.
- For re-applying, you need to submit your application along with all required documents again. You also need to pay the case processing fee again.
- If the family law office rejects your application, you can submit an appeal against their decision. They will reassess the case.
Cost to Apply for Marriage in Denmark
As of 1st January 2022, the cost to apply for marriage is DKK 1650, which you can pay with three different options as mentioned below;
- Pay the fee after completing the online application form. If you do so, you will expedite your application process and make the processing fast.
- The second option is to pay the fee through your bank. If you plan to do so, you should deposit the case processing fee in the account of the Agency of family law.
- The third option is through your foreign bank account. If you have a foreign bank and are paying through your foreign bank account, you must mention the IBAN and other information while making the payment.
Do not forget to mention your registration number (CRP number) at the time of making the payment. This will make it easy for the Agency of family law to determine which transaction is associated with your marriage application.
If the family law agency does not receive the case processing fee in their account shortly after your application submission, they will send you a reminder for payment. If you did not pay even after being reminded by the Agency of family law, they would reject the marriage application immediately.
You will not get your case processing fee back if you do not meet the application requirements and conditions.
There is no option to pay the Agency of family law fee through cash or cheque. They do not accept fee submissions with either option.
Time for the Marriage Ceremony
Once you have received your marriage certificate, the wait is finally over. It is time to book the venue for your marriage ceremony in Denmark. You must book a town hall or marriage hall for your marriage ceremony. Still, if you want to marry at some other venue according to your liking or book a favourite place of your spouse, you can book too, but it would need additional charges. After reaching Denmark, you must show your documents where you book your marriage ceremony.
You must submit documents like a passport, resident visa, flight tickets, or visa documents. Your marriage ceremony will only take 5 to 10 minutes, a quick and easy process. The registrar will say some words in the language which you requested for your marriage ceremony. After that, you and your partner will sign the documents; at the end, your witnesses will sign them. If you do not have witnesses, there is no problem at all. Your marriage hall or town can provide you with witnesses without a fee. To get witnesses from the town hall, you need to discuss with the representative before your wedding day, as there are a few days when witnesses are not available at town halls. The dressing is up to your choice; if you want to exchange the rings, you can.
Certificate after Marrying Successfully
Once your marriage ceremony ends, you and your partner will get two copies of a wedding certificate right after that. You can get your marriage certificate in five different languages; English, German, French, Spanish, and Danish. There is no need to pay any additional fee for your international wedding certificate. You can take those copies home with you, but you can also submit them for the legalisation process so you and your partner may get an apostille stamp to use them across the globe. You can also take your certificates home and post them for legalisation after a few days when you get free from your marriage and other relevant activities like wedding parties, hangouts with your spouse, and invitations from your friends and family members. Legalising your wedding certificate will take almost 7 to 10 business days.
Register for Your Wedding in Your Home Country
As you are married in Denmark, your wedding is registered in Denmark. It does not mean your wedding is invalid in your home country. The only thing you need to do is to register your wedding in your home country too. You should contact the registry office or concerned government department to register your marriage in your home country as soon as possible.
Changing Name After Marriage
You cannot change your name on the day of your marriage, but you can change it after that. If you want to change your name after marriage, you must request the appropriate office. If you are not a resident of Denmark, you cannot change your name in Denmark. Returning to your resident country to change your name would be best.
Concluding Remarks
Getting married is sometimes complicated, especially when planning to marry in Denmark. We have discussed almost everything about marriages in Denmark, including documentation, application process, costs, and legal formalities. Try to arrange all required documents well in time so you may proceed with your application without any objection. Legal formalities should be met correctly.
Read all terms and conditions and sign your application carefully so you may not disobey any rule even because of unawareness. If you have read our write-up completely, we are sure your marriage process in Denmark is easy and stress-free. Now is the right time to take the first step toward your marriage decision in Denmark. We wish you all the best for your dream wedding, and have an amazing and happy married life ahead.
