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.
Applying to get married in the Netherlands
To make your relationship official, you can get married or enter into a civil partnership. In both cases, you must first report an intended marriage or intended partnership. That used to be called 'betrothal'.
- Your DigiD username and password.
- Your telephone number and email address.
- A digital file of your passport, identity card and/or residence permit.
- A digital file of your witnesses' ID.
- The personal data of your parent(s), any previous marriage partner(s) and minor children. You can also find this information on MijnOverheid.nl.
You register your intended marriage with the municipality in which you wish to enter the civil partnership. The period between the notification and the marriage must be at least 14 days before the ceremony date. The maximum period is 1 year.
The notification of an intended marriage is free of charge.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Utrecht
Visiting address
Stadsplateau 1
3521AZ Utrecht
Monday | 8:00-17:00 |
Tuesday | 8:00-20:00 |
Wednesday | 8:00-17:00 |
Thursday | 8:00-20:00 |
Friday | 8:00-17:00 |
Saturday | Closed |
Sunday | Closed |