The civil marriage ceremony is preceded by the registration of the marriage at the registry office of the place of residence.
Documents to be submitted regularly:
- valid identification document
- certified copy of the birth register (available at the registry office of the place of birth)
- extended confirmation of registration (available from the residents' registration office)
- Birth certificate of joint children, if applicable
If there are previous marriages, the marriage certificate of the previous marriage and proof of the dissolution of the marriage (usually a legally binding divorce decree) must also be submitted. It should be noted that divorces are only legally valid in the country in which they were pronounced. Therefore, they require recognition in Germany in order to be valid. This does not apply to divorces that have been granted in member states of the European Union.
In cases where one or both partners
- have a foreign nationality
- were not born or adopted in the Federal Republic of Germany,
- had their last marriage abroad, or
- joint children were born abroad
a consultation regarding the individual documents to be submitted is required prior to registration. If necessary, please also remember to bring an interpreter.
The registration of the marriage can also be carried out by only one partner upon presentation of an appropriate power of attorney.
The registry office will be happy to advise you on the names of spouses - especially in the case of foreign participation.