Single Digital Gateway

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:
Informatie:

Here is some information from your municipality.

Register marriage

Do you want to get married? Then you must first report this to the municipality. You do this at least 2 weeks and at most 1 year before your planned wedding.

There are a number of conditions for concluding the marriage, such as:

  • You are both 18 years or older.
  • You have not married or entered into a registered partnership with anyone else.
  • You are not related. Such as grandparents, grandchildren, parents, children, brothers and sisters.

Getting married outside the Netherlands

Are you not yet 18 years old? In the Netherlands, your marriage is only recognized when you are both 18 years old.

Additional information for your marriage

See how this is arranged in your municipality.

In addition, see what else you should consider if you want to get married.

Marriage registration

You register your marriage with the municipality where you want to get married. Provide the details of yourself, your partner and your witnesses. This is possible up to 2 weeks before the wedding date. You can do this online or at the Municipal Office.

Arrange directly online

If you both do not live in the Netherlands and you want to get married in Enschede, you must register your marriage in the municipality of The Hague. The municipality of The Hague arranges the notification of your marriage to the municipality of Enschede. More information can be found under reporting a marriage for Dutch nationals living abroad.

When registering your marriage, you make a number of choices that you pass on to the municipality. In any case, this concerns the ceremony and the location. The costs depend on your wishes and the possibilities at the municipality.

Ceremony

The ceremony is the official part of your marriage. You can choose from:

  • Get married for free – this is only possible on Wednesday morning at 8.30 or 8.45 am at the Municipal Office
  • Marry without ceremony
  • Marry ceremony

If you opt for a ceremony, it will be performed by a wedding official (babs) from the municipality of Enschede, or another municipality.

The wedding official will contact you a few weeks before the planned date to get acquainted.

Location ceremony

You can get married in various places in the municipality of Enschede. You can choose:

  • A location of the municipality
  • A private location

If you want your own location, you can contact the municipality. Call +31 53 481 81 81.

You pay the costs with the online application via Ideal.

Overview of costs:

Monday to Friday

  • City Hall: Wedding room 1, 2 or Friedhoff room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. € 590,00
  • Outdoor location - ceremonies starting between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. € 760,00
  • Outdoor location - ceremonies starting between 6 pm and 11 pm € 960,00
  • City Hall: Mosaic Room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. € 680,00
  • Marriage without a ceremony € 295

Saturday

  • Town hall: Mosaic room, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. € 1.050,00
  • Town hall: wedding room 1 or 2, or the Friedhoff room from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. € 960,00
  • Outdoor location from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. € 960,00

Sundays and holidays

Outdoor location from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. € 1.020,00

Costs marriage booklet or partnership booklet

€ 35,00

Costs of your own wedding officiant

€ 101,00

Questions about this topic?

Contact the Municipality of Enschede

Last updated on 21 September 2022