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.
Marry or a registered partnership
You register your marriage with the municipality, providing all the details about yourself, your partner and your witnesses. This can be done up to 2 weeks before the wedding date. You can do it online or at the town hall.
Arrange directly online
[www.meerssen.nl]
Make an appointment
[www.meerssen.nl]
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.
- a valid identity document for you and your future spouse;
- a copy of the identity documents of your witnesses.
If one of you comes from a country other than the Netherlands, the municipality will need additional information. You can call the municipality about this on 0031 (0)43-3661661.
When you register your marriage, you make a number of choices, which you communicate to the municipality. These choices relate to the ceremony and the venue. The costs depend on your wishes and the possibilities of the municipality.
Ceremony
The ceremony is the official part of your marriage. You can choose from:
- marriage free of charge;
- simple ceremony;
- elaborate ceremony.
If you opt for an elaborate ceremony, you determine who leads the ceremony. You have the following choices:
- A wedding registrar from the municipality. The wedding registrar will contact you a few weeks before the wedding date to introduce themselves and find out more about you and your future spouse. If you have a preference for a wedding registrar, inform the municipality of this.
- A family member or acquaintance. If you would like a family member or an acquaintance to be your own wedding registrar, contact the municipality.
Wedding venue
You can get married in various places. You can choose from:
- a wedding venue of the municipality;
- a wedding venue of your own choice. Notify the municipality of your venue. To do so, call [telefoonnummer] or use the contact form. You may have to pay for a wedding venue of your own choice.
A wedding ceremony in the town hall costs:
- Monday to Friday between 10am and 7pm: €281.45
- Saturday between 10am and 7pm: € 537.35
- Monday to Saturday between 7pm and 10am: a surcharge of €255.90
You can get married more cheaply on Thursday mornings at 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. This costs € 98.65.
You can get married for free on Monday mornings at 9am and 9.15am. In that case, you will not have a prior meeting with the registrar of births, marriages and deaths. The ceremony consists solely of the solemnization of the marriage.
Getting married for free
To be eligible for the free marriage/registered partnership, you must meet at least 1 of the following conditions:
- at least 1 spouse was born and/or raised in the municipality of Meerssen;
- at least 1 spouse lives in the municipality of Meerssen.
Other locations
Some locations are a bit more expensive. If you want to get married in the Gloriëtte, € 50.00 in furnishing costs will be charged. Additional costs may also be charged at the locations Synagoge, Leopoldskerk and Stationsgebouw (Meet Anna).The managers of these locations determine these rental costs.
A wedding ceremony at a different location is also possible. This is possible from Monday to Saturday, 24 hours a day.
The costs for this are:
- Monday to Friday between 10am and 7pm: € 636.80
- Saturday between 10am and 7pm: €892.70
- Monday to Saturday between 7pm and 10am: a surcharge of €255.90
Other costs
A marriage certificate costs € 33.60.
Appointing an extraordinary civil registrar (BABS) for 1 day costs:
- If the person is not a BABS in another Dutch municipality: € 148.80. Take into account an application period of 4 months
- If the person is already in another Dutch municipality BABS: € 74.30. Take into account an application period of 2 months.
Cancellation
Cancellation of your marriage/reg. partnership must be done in writing.
In the event of cancellation of your marriage/reg. partnership fees may apply.
De teruggaaf van de reeds betaalde legeskosten bedraagt bij:
- cancellation up to 6 months before the start of the marriage/reg. partnership: 75%
- cancellation up to 3 months before the start of the marriage/reg. partnership: 50%
- cancellation up to 1 month before the start of the marriage/reg. partnership: 25%
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Meerssen