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.
Registering a marriage
You must register your intended marriage at the municipality and simultaneously submit all records of yourself, your partner and your witnesses. You may do so until 2 weeks before your date of marriage. You can do this online or at the town hall.
If neither of you lives in the Netherlands you must register your marriage at the municipality of Den Haag. More information is found at melding doen van huwelijk voor Nederlanders die in het buitenland wonen / registering an intended marriage by Dutch citizens living abroad.
For more information, go to delft.nl. Any questions? Call 14015 (0031 15 260 2222 for foreign calls).
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Delft