Certificate of marital status, issue

Prerequisites

You are a German citizen or, as a stateless person, a homeless person or a foreign refugee, are subject to German law.

Documents required

• The documents required to apply for the marriage certificate depend on the personal circumstances of the respective couple.
• Documents are always required from both fiancés.
• A written consultation is regularly required for this.
• Therefore, contact the registry office at your place of residence in advance.
• Overview of any necessary documents. The list is not final. Which documents you have to submit depends on the individual case and the information from your registry office:
  • ID card or passport
  • New certified copy from the birth register for births in Germany
  • Birth certificate or international birth certificate if born abroad
  • If you have been married/partnered before:
    • Marriage certificate/civil partnership certificate of the last previous marriage with notice of dissolution
    • In the case of marriage/divorce abroad, foreign marriage certificates and legally binding divorce decrees from all previous marriages.
    • In the case of divorce in another EU country: certificate in accordance with Art. 39 on decisions in matrimonial matters
    • In the case of a divorce outside the EU: Declaratory notice from the Higher Regional Court on the recognition of a foreign decision in matrimonial matters
    • If widowed: death certificate of the spouse
  • Legalisation/apostille on certain foreign documents.
  • Foreign documents must be translated by an interpreter sworn in Germany.

Please note

no

Deadlines

no

Procedure

• You contact the registry office at your place of residence (main or secondary residence).
• As a rule, you must first fill out a self-assessment.
• After returning the self-disclosure, you will receive written advice on the documents you need to submit for the issuance of the certificate of uneligibility to marry.
• You submit all the necessary documents to the registry office.
• The registry office processes your documents and checks whether there are any obstacles to the marriage.
• If there are no obstacles to marriage, the registry office will issue you with the marriage certificate after payment of the processing fees.

Processing time

Depending on the complexity of the documents to be submitted, up to a few weeks.

Fees

• EUR 54.00


• If one of the fiancées has a foreign nationality EUR 89.00.

Legal remedies

no

Legal basis

§§ 1303, 1304, 1306, 1307, 1308, 1309 Civil Code (BGB)​​​

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/


§§ 12, 13, 39 Personal Status Act (PStG)

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/


Section 51 Civil Status Ordinance (PStV)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstv/__51.html