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.
Announce marriage or registered 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 of Eindhoven.
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 of Eindhoven;
- wedding registrar from another municipality;
- family member or acquaintance.
If you choose a wedding registrar from the municipality, a registrar from the municipality of Eindhoven 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 someone you know to conduct the ceremony? Or do you want a wedding registrar from another municipality to conduct it? If so, you must contact the municipality yourself by calling +31 40 238 6000
Location of the ceremony
You can hold the ceremony to enter your civil partnership at various locations in the municipality of Eindhoven. 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 by calling +31 40 238 6000
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.
You need:
- DigiD of both partners;
- Your preferred date and time;
- Your preferred ceremony;
- Your preferred location;
- Your preferred wedding official (wedding registrar);
- Names of your witnesses and copies of their ID;
- Your payment details.
Registering an intended civil partnership
You register your intended civil partnership with the municipality in which you wish to enter the civil partnership. Provide the details of yourself, your partner and your witnesses. This can be done up to 2 weeks before the ceremony date. You can do it online or at the Residents' Square (Inwonersplein).
Online: Login (eindhoven.nl) with DigiD
Make an appointment: Een afspraak maken | Gemeente Eindhoven (mijnafspraakmaken.nl).
Call us: +31 40 238 6000
You pay a fee for this service. For more information, please go to Choose the type of marriage or partnership | Eindhoven municipality
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Eindhoven