register marriage

Prerequisites

• You are of legal age.
• You are legally competent.
• You are present in person.
• They are not related in a direct line.
• You are not allowed to marry your siblings or half-siblings. Even if the relationship was established through adoption, marriage is also prohibited.
• You must not already be married. Any previous marriage must have been dissolved. If you divorced abroad, in many cases the divorce must first be recognized in Germany.
• Even if you live in a registered civil partnership, it must be dissolved before marriage, unless you intend to marry your partner.

Documents required

• If you want to register the marriage alone:
  • written power of attorney and signed declaration of accession of the prevented partner
• If you are a German citizen and are entering into your first marriage, you will need the following documents:
  • valid identity card or passport with current registration certificate
  • current certified extract from the birth register
  • A current residence permit or extended registration certificate stating your marital status. This is also called a certificate of celibacy. The certificate must not be older than six months at the time of registration. For people registered in Hamburg, you can have this issued when you register your marriage with the registry office.
• If you have been married or in a civil partnership before:
  • Marriage certificate and legally binding divorce decree or
  • Evidence of the establishment and dissolution of the civil partnership
• If your former partner has since died:
  • Marriage certificate or
  • Proof of the establishment of the civil partnership
  • Death certificate of the former partner
• If you bring children into the marriage, you will also need:
  • Children's birth certificates

For marriages with a foreign element:

• If you marry or divorce abroad:
  • all marriage certificates
  • all final divorce decrees
  • full translation by a sworn translator in Germany

• If you do not have German citizenship:
  • valid identity card or passport or other proof of identification
  • Proof of nationality if this is not evident from the identity card or passport
  • Residence certificate from the registration authority (not older than 4 weeks)
  • birth certificate
  • Certificate of no capacity to marry (case-specific advice required)
  • Certificate of marital status
  • full translation by a sworn translator in Germany

• If you do not have German citizenship by birth, you will also need:
  • Certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate (parents’ naturalization certificates may also be considered proof of naturalization).

Please note

• The civil wedding has nothing to do with the church wedding.
• You do not need witnesses, but you can choose 1 or 2 people to be your witnesses.
• Please check with your desired registry office beforehand to see if a marriage can be held on the date you wish.
• Not every registry office in Hamburg performs marriages every day.
• Some registry offices also offer appointments on Saturdays.
• When registering for marriage, you can decide which surname you want to use in the marriage. The registry office will advise you on this.
• If your partner's home country doesn't issue a certificate of capacity to marry, consult your local registry office. You can apply for an exemption.
• For documents in another language, the registry office requires a full translation into German. This must be done by a sworn translator in Germany. Foreign documents often also require a legalization (apostille) by an authority.

Deadlines

After you have successfully registered your marriage, you can get married within 6 months.


After that, the marriage must be registered again.


You can register your marriage no earlier than 6 months before the desired date.

Procedure

• You apply for marriage in person at your local registry office.
• The registry office will review your application and documents.
• If necessary, it will request further documents or information from you.
• The registry office will decide on your application.
• You will receive notification as to whether the marriage can take place.
• The notification shall be made verbally, in writing or electronically.

Processing time

The processing time of the application varies depending on the registry office and the individual case.

Fees

The cost of registering a marriage is at least €74.50.


Additional costs may apply for certificates, name declarations, marriages outside the registry office; marriages at another registry office or marriages on Saturdays.

Legal remedies

Application for a court decision and instructions from the registry office

Legal basis

§ 11-13 Civil Status Act (PStG )


§ 28 Civil Status Ordinance (PStG)


§§ 1303 ff. German Civil Code (BGB)


Section 13 Introductory Act to the Civil Code (BGBEG)