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

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of Deventer

Here is some information from your municipality.

Municipality of Deventer: Applying to get married

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.

When planning and registering your wedding, you will make a number of choices. These choices relate to the type of ceremony and the venue. The costs depend on your wishes and the possibilities in the municipality of Deventer.

Ceremony

The ceremony is the official part of your marriage. 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 of Deventer 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. From outside the Netherlands you can call +31 570 69 39 11. From the Netherlands the number is 14 0570.

Location of the ceremony

You can hold your wedding ceremony at various locations in the municipality of Deventer. 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. From outside the Netherlands you can call +31 570 69 39 11. From the Netherlands the number is 14 0570.

Registering a marriage

You register your marriage with the municipality in which you wish to get married. Provide the details of yourself, your partner and your witnesses. This can be done up to 2 weeks before the ceremony date.

From outside the Netherlands you can call +31 570 69 39 11. From the Netherlands the number is 14 0570.

You pay the costs of the marriage, any speech by a wedding official, and any wedding book.