What documents do you need to get married abroad?
These are the documents you need to get married abroad
Whether it’s a sun-soaked dream wedding on the beach or a quick ‘I do’ because you just can’t wait to get married – sometimes a wedding abroad is the best solution. The good news is you can get married in any country you want, even as a foreigner. And for a wedding, foreign authorities often require certified translations of different documents.
But: What documents do I need to apply for the wedding ceremony? Is the original sufficient for the registry office abroad or do I have to submit a certified translation of the required documents? Will the wedding be recognized in Germany? There is a lot to organize and clarify for the most beautiful day in life.
To give you an overview, we've put together a checklist of the top 10 documents you need to get married abroad.
Our tip in advance: Find out in good time from the relevant registry office abroad which documents you need to submit for the wedding - and for which of them you need a certified translation. Only then can you be sure that you have all the important papers for the most beautiful day of your life in your luggage.
Table of contents
- What documents do I need to get married abroad? (Checklist)
- Which country is easiest to get married in?
- In what form do I submit the (translated) documents?
- Do I need my wedding abroad recognised in Germany?
For a wedding abroad, in most cases you will need to present these documents to the foreign authority:
1. identity document with photo
Whether it’s a travel passport, personal ID card, national passport or identity card, you usually can’t marry abroad without an official ID document. If needed, you can have your personal ID card translated or order a certified translation of your travel passport in our online shop. Driving licences, however, despite having a photo, do not count as ID.
2. birth certificate
A must-have for every wedding is your birth certificate. For marriages abroad, you usually have to present it at the relevant registry office, together with a certified translation in the relevant national language. You can get the latter from us: At Beglaubigung24 you can have your birth certificate translated with just a few clicks - at a fixed price and including certification.
3. certificate of marriageability
For every marriage you have to prove that you are entitled to get married. You normally do this with a certificate of no impediment, which you can get from the local registry office. If necessary, we can produce a certified translation of your certificate of no impediment for you in no time at all.
4. Certificate of unmarried status
Under certain circumstances, you must present a marital status certificate. You can also get this from your local registry office in Germany (or in your home country).
5. Certificate of registration
You may need proof of your current residence. Most of the time, all you need is a certificate of registration, which you can get from your municipal authority. It can often be issued within a few minutes, but you’ll need to sort it out sooner rather than later. If you need to submit a certified translation of it, you can have the certificate of registration translated.
Have your documents translated now – at Beglaubigung24:
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Translate
personal ID cardNormaler Preis Ab 53,90 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 53,90 € -
Translate passport
Normaler Preis Ab 53,90 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 53,90 € -
Translate birth certificate
Normaler Preis Ab 56,50 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 56,50 € -
Have certificate
translatedNormaler Preis Ab 56,50 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 56,50 €
In certain cases, the local registry office abroad needs these documents:
6. divorce and marriage certificates of previous marriages.
If it is not your first marriage, you must prove that A) you were already married and B) that the previous marriage is legally annulled. You do this with the marriage certificate and the divorce certificate. If you have been married and divorced several times, you must present these documents from all previous marriages. You can get the certified translation of the divorce certificate in our online store and we will also translate and certify your marriage certificate within a few days.
7. death certificate of former spouse:inside
Widows or widowers must present a death certificate of their deceased spouse. This must be submitted together with the relevant marriage certificate. If necessary, you can have the death certificate translated at Beglaubigung24.
8. Marriage contract
Especially in Islamic countries, the marriage contract is one of the most important wedding documents. If this is relevant for the foreign registry office, you can have your contract translated by us.
9. Baptism and communion certificates
Rarely, but every now and then you will be asked for baptism and communion certificates. You can get these where you were baptized or where you had your communion.
10. visa, accommodation proof, air ticket ...
What can happen – but is pretty rare – is that some authorities want to be sure that you are only in the country for the purpose of getting married and don’t intend to emigrate there for good. They’ll want to see a temporary visa, proof of accommodation or your tickets for the return flight. Here you should always ask at the registry office in the foreign country which documents are needed for proof and which are not.
Have your documents translated now – at Beglaubigung24:
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Get marriage certificate translated
Normaler Preis Ab 56,50 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 56,50 € -
Have divorce certificate translated
Normaler Preis Ab 53,90 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 53,90 € -
Have death certificate translated
Normaler Preis Ab 53,90 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 53,90 € -
Translate contract
Normaler Preis Ab 69,90 €Normaler PreisGrundpreis proVerkaufspreis Ab 69,90 €
Which country is easiest to get married in?
If you want your wedding to take place as quickly as possible and without a lot of red tape, you don't have to fly to Las Vegas to see Elvis. There are also beautiful places in Europe where you can say "I do". Denmark in particular is a popular destination for uncomplicated destination weddings and is also known as the "Las Vegas of Europe". For Germans who want to get married abroad, the towns of Ribe and Tönder just over the German-Danish border are particularly popular.
A wedding abroad is easy when there is as little paperwork as possible. Therefore, we have listed for a few European countries, which documents you need for your wedding abroad:
| Denmark |
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| Italy |
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| Austria |
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| Switzerland |
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Attention! In some countries, such as Spain, marriage is only possible if one of the two fiancées has Spanish citizenship and has registered their first residence in Spain. In the Netherlands, for example, one of the two conditions must be met. If this is the case for you, you will need the following documents:
| Spain |
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| Netherlands |
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* Of course, you only need a marriage certificate, divorce certificate and/or death certificate if you are already divorced or widowed. If you have been divorced more than once, you must submit documents from all your previous marriages.
In what form do I submit the (translated) documents?
If you want to get married abroad, you almost always have to present the originals of the necessary certificates and documents, and often you also need the certified translations of them. Only in rare cases are certified copies of the original documents sufficient. Here, too, the following applies: Ask the responsible registry office abroad in good time in which form you have to submit which documents (with or without a certified translation).
Do I need my wedding abroad recognised in Germany?
No, provided you have complied with all the legal regulations in the country you are getting married in, a marriage abroad is legal and does not need to be recognised or validated in Germany. However, it does make sense to register your marriage in Germany as well – the key words in this case are: change of tax class. You can register at your local registry office (i.e. near your place of residence). You can find more information about this at the Federal Foreign Office.
Order certified translations
We at Beglaubigung24 would like to help you organize your wedding abroad. Our sworn translators will provide you with certified translations of all necessary documents in just a few days - and you can concentrate on the more beautiful preparations.
Have your documents translated now – it’s really easy and quick – photograph, upload and you’re done!
