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.
Municipality of De Wolden: Applying to get married
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 of De Wolden.
Ceremony
The ceremony is the official part of entering your civil partnership. You can choose from:
- no ceremony (free of charge);
- modest ceremony;
- elaborate ceremony.
If you choose an elaborate ceremony, you can choose which wedding officiant is going to lead the ceremony.
Location of the ceremony
You can pick where the ceremony is going to take place. The ceremony can be held at the municipality, but you can also request to have the ceremony at your house, at a restaurant or in some other venue. Before making such requests please be aware that any permits must be arranged before requesting to hold a ceremony in a venue of your choice.
- You can not be forced into marriage.
- Are you under guardianship? You will need permission from the guardian or a cantonal judge.
You have to send the following documents for the marriage at least 2 weeks in advance to: Gemeente De Wolden, Postbus 20, 7920 AA Zuidwolde:
- The form notice of intended marriage or "melding voorgenomen huwelijk"
- Do you have a foreign nationality? Please make sure you take the form notice of intended marriage with you.
- Copy of valid proof of identity (ID-card, passport or a driver's license) of you and your partner.
- Copy of valid proof of identity of your witnesses (minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4). Anyone above 18 years of age is allowed to be a witness.
For notifying the municipality you can call: +31528378200.
Reporting a marriage is free of charge.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of De Wolden