Registering a civil partnership in the Netherlands

Do you want to form a civil partnership? If so, you must first notify the municipality. You must do this at least 2 weeks and a maximum of 1 year before you want to form the civil partnership.

The registration of a civil partnership is subject to a number of conditions (in Dutch), such as:

you must be at least 18 years of age;
you cannot enter into a civil partnership with 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.

Do you want to enter a civil partnership in the Netherlands with a foreign citizen? There are other conditions that must be met.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of Laarbeek

Here is some information from your municipality.

Registering a civil partnership in the Netherlands

You make a number of choices when planning and registering your intention to enter a civil partnership. These choices relate to the type of ceremony and the venue. The costs depend on your wishes and the possibilities in the municipality of

Ceremony

The ceremony is the official part of entering your civil partnership. You can choose from:

no ceremony (free of charge);
simple ceremony;
elaborate ceremony.

If you choose an elaborate ceremony, you can choose who leads the ceremony. You can choose from:

wedding registrar from the municipality;
family member or acquaintance.

If you choose a wedding registrar from the municipality, a registrar from the municipality of will contact you a few weeks before the planned date to introduce themselves and find out more about you and your partner.

Do you want a family member or an someone you know to conduct the ceremony? If so, you must contact the municipality yourself.

Location of the ceremony

You can hold the ceremony to enter your civil partnership at various locations in the municipality of . You can choose from:

a municipal building;
a location of your own choice.

If you want to hold the ceremony at a location of your choice, contact the municipality.

If you both have Dutch nationality and both live in the Netherlands, you can report your marriage online using your DigiD.
Do you both not live in the Netherlands and do you and/or your partner not have Dutch nationality? Then you can only report your intended marriage/partnership in the municipality of The Hague.
The conditions for getting married are:

You must both be 18 years of age or older.
Both of you must not be married.
You are not allowed to have a registered partnership (except with each other).
You may not be a direct relative of each other, so no brother/sister or parent/child.
One of you must be a Dutch citizen or live in the Netherlands.
Information about wedding venues
Contact us for more information about the wedding venues.

Did you know that?
Keep in mind that a 'special' date is sometimes full months in advance.
It is possible to have a free or simple ceremony.
You are not allowed to throw rice, rose petals or confetti in front of the town hall and set off fireworks.
You are not allowed to do that in town hall and you are also not allowed to release balloons and blow bubbles
There is a difference between getting married and registered partnership. With a registered partnership you have almost the same rights as people who are married. The conditions, costs and procedure are the same.

These are the main differences between a marriage and a registered partnership:
You do not have to go to court to end a registered partnership if you agree with each other and do not have minor children. You always have to go to court to dissolve a marriage.
When you get married, you have to say yes to each other. This is not mandatory in a registered partnership.
Not all countries recognize the registered partnership. This also applies to same-sex marriages. For more information, visit the website of the Central Government (link is external).
An important agreement is:
A man who has a registered partnership with the mother automatically becomes the father of the children born after the partnership has been registered.

Registering an intended civil partnership

You register your intended civil partnership with the municipality in which you wish to enter the civil partnership. Provide the details of yourself, your partner and your witnesses. This can be done up to 2 weeks before the ceremony date. You can do it online or at the town hall.

Free wedding ceremony

Don't want a ceremony at all? Then you can opt for a free marriage or partnership registration. This is only possible in the town hall and on Monday mornings at 9.00 or 09.15. The free marriages and partnerships are performed in the consultation room of civil affairs. A maximum of 6 people may be present (the bridal couple and a maximum of 4 witnesses). This ceremony takes a maximum of 5 minutes.

Simple wedding ceremony

Don't want an elaborate ceremony but just a little more than just signing the deed? Then you can choose a simple one. This is only possible in the town hall on Monday morning at 9.30 am or at 10 am. A simple wedding ceremony is performed in the room of the mayor and aldermen. A maximum of 15 people may be present. A short speech is part of this ceremony. This ceremony takes a maximum of 15 minutes.
You can view the space here.

wedding certificates

A marriage certificate is not mandatory but can be a choice. You can then choose from different marriage certificates. A booklet consists of a cover and an insert. The covers and the inserts can be combined in any way.
You can choose from: (insert photos wedding booklets)

Day Time Costs at the municipality
Monday 09:00 and 09:15 Free
Monday (simple weddings) 09.30 and 10.00 € 222.00
Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 € 446,00
Monday to Friday (Wedding location) 09.00 - 17.00 € 764.00
Saturday + Sunday 09.00 - 17.00 € 637.00
Saturday + Sunday (Wedding location) 09.00 - 17.00 € 1,018.00
Saturday + Sunday 17.00 - 19.00 € 828.00
Saturday + Sunday (Wedding location) 17.00 - 19.00 € 1273.00
Saturday + Sunday Surcharge 7pm - 9am €364.00 (extra)
Marriage certificate € 38.00
Witness (from the municipality) p.p. € 65.00
(rates 2022)