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 Oudewater

Here is some information from your municipality.

Municipality of Oudewater: Applying to get married

If you want to get married in Oudewater or enter into a registered civil partnership, you can book a ceremony online. You need DigiD for this. You will then receive a link from us with which you can register the intended marriage.

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 and your partner are 18 years or older.
-You and your partner are not blood relatives.
-You are both not married.

-A copy of proof of identity for yourself and your partner.
-A copy of your witnesses' ID.
-A confirmation of the reservation of the wedding venue.

Do you not yet have a copy of your witnesses' proof of identity?
In that case, you only indicate how many of your own witnesses you are bringing. You can email the copy(s) to burgerzaken@oudewater.nl up to 1 month before your planned date.

Arrange your venue.
You can reserve 1 of the venues in Oudewater for your desired date. Or arrange your own location. Please note: discuss your own location with the municipality in advance. Call 14-0348 or send an e-mail to burgerzaken@oudewater.nl.

Choose your witnesses.
2 to 4 witnesses (aged 18 or older) must be present at the ceremony. You can bring your own witnesses. Or hire 1 or 2 witnesses from the municipality.

Choose your official
You can have your ceremony performed by an official from the municipality of Oudewater or by your own official. Please note: discuss the choice of your own official with the municipality in advance. Call 14-0348 or send an e-mail to burgerzaken@oudewater.nl.

Determine your last name.
You and your partner can use each other's surname. You can choose from: only your last name, only the last name of your partner or both last names. You arrange this yourself at the municipality where you are registered.

Book your ceremony.
You book your ceremony via the 'Book online' button. The municipality will contact you if more information is needed.

Please visit www.oudewater.nl for an overview of current costs

More information