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.
Marriage and partnership
If neither you nor your partner live in the Netherlands, you must give notice of your marriage in Den Haag. You can find more information here: Register a marriage for Dutch citizens living abroad.
When registering your registered partnership, 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 registered partnership. You can choose from:
- the basic ceremony;
- simple ceremony;
- elaborate ceremony.
For an extensive ceremony, you can indicate which wedding official you prefer:
- A wedding official of the municipality. The marriage officer will contact you 5 weeks before the date of your registered partnership to get acquainted. If you have a preference for a wedding official, please inform the municipality.
- A family member or acquaintance. If you want a family member or acquaintance to become your 'own wedding official', please contact the municipality.
Wedding venue
You can register your partnership in various places. You can choose:
- a wedding location of the municipality;
- a wedding location of your own choice
- The basic ceremony is free.
- There are costs associated with the simple ceremony and the elaborate ceremony.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Leiden
Visiting address
Bargelaan 190
2333CW Leiden
| Monday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 17:00 17:00 - 20:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
| Sunday | Closed |