Applying to get married in the Netherlands
Are you planning to get married? If you intend to get married, you must notify the municipality of this at least 2 weeks and not more than 1 year before the wedding.
There are certain requirements for marriage that everyone must meet:
- you must be at least 18 years of age;
- you cannot marry someone who is already married or in a civil partnership;
- you cannot be related to one other, e.g. grandparent, grandchild, parent, child or sibling.
Are you getting married to a non-Dutch citizen in the Netherlands? Then different conditions apply.
If you intend to marry someone of the same sex, you can get married in the Netherlands in the presence of the civil registrar. This is called a civil marriage, and you are only legally married once you have had a civil ceremony. In addition, it is possible to have a religious ceremony in some churches, but not all churches allow it. Check first with the church where you want to have the ceremony. A church wedding can only take place after the civil ceremony.
If you are getting married outside the Netherlands and are not yet 18 years old, your marriage will only be recognised in the Netherlands once both spouses have reached 18 years of age.
This is how it works for you
Here is some information from your municipality.
Marriage and registration partnership
You make a number of choices when planning and registering your intention to enter a civil partnership. These choices relate to the type of ceremony and the venue. The costs depend on your wishes and the possibilities in the municipality.
Ceremony
The ceremony is the official part of entering your civil partnership. You can choose from:
- no ceremony (free of charge)
- simple ceremony
- elaborate ceremony
If you choose an elaborate ceremony, you can choose who leads the ceremony. You can choose from:
- wedding registrar from the municipality
- family member or acquaintance
If you choose a wedding registrar from the municipality, a registrar from the municipality will contact you a few weeks before the planned date to introduce themselves and find out more about you and your partner.
Do you want a family member or an someone you know to conduct the ceremony? If so, you must contact the municipality yourself.
Location of the ceremony
You can hold the ceremony to enter your civil partnership at various locations in the municipality. You can choose from:
- a municipal building
- a location of your own choice
If you want to hold the ceremony at a location of your choice, contact the municipality.
If neither you nor your partner live in the Netherlands, you must give notice of your marriage in the municipality of Den Haag (The Hague). You can find more information on how to register a marriage for Dutch citizens living outside the Netherlands at the netherlandsworldwide.nl website.
Additional terms:
- you are 18 years or older
- you were born in the Netherlands
- you have been living in the Netherlands since the age of 18
- you are a citizen of the European Union.
- were you born abroad and/or were you married abroad? Then we need additional information from you. Please use the contact form to ask if we will call you.
- you fill in the proposed marriage or partnership registration form (pdf, 105 kB) and send it by post to the Municipality of Dordrecht, Stadswinkel Department, PO Box 8, 3300 AA Dordrecht
- do you not meet the conditions or do you want to get married for free or register a partnership for free? Then make an appointment
- do you already know on what date and where you would like to get married or register your partnership? Complete the Location and date of marriage or partnership registration form in full. You will hear from the Stadswinkel within 5 working days whether your application has been approved
You pay a fee for this service. For more information, contact the municipality.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Alblasserdam