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
Here is some information from your municipality.
enter into a registered partnership
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 Oldenzaal.
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 Oldenzaal 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 Oldenzaal. 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.
name usage
If you are (or have been) married or have registered a partnership, you can indicate which name you want to be addressed by the government by means of a written 'request for designation of name use'.
Just to be clear: your own surname remains unchanged. It is only a choice about the method of registration. You can choose between your own name, the name of your (former) husband/wife/partner or both names.
After receipt of your request, the indication of your name use in the municipal administration (GBA) will be changed. The request to change the designation of the name use can be made online, at the public desk or in writing.
Example:
Suppose your surname is Jansen and your (former) husband/wife/partner is called de Vries. When choosing the name to use, you have the following options:
- own family name (Jansen);
- own surname - surname partner (Jansen-de Vries);
- surname partner (de Vries);
- surname partner - own surname (de Vries-Jansen).
From 1 September 2015, you do not have to register a marriage with the municipality where you are registered. You only need to report intended partner registration in writing or in person. You do this at the municipality in which you want to get married.
By law, the notification of intended partner registration must take place at least two weeks and at most one year before the partnership registration. It is recommended to do this about two months before the partnership registration, because of the planning and preparation of the registry office.
You can also e-mail the notification of the registered partnership using one of the forms below to burgerlijkestand@oldenzaal.nl.
Form intended registered partnership of which the partners meet the following conditions:
- The partners both have Dutch nationality or
- the partners are Community nationals (EU nationals) or
- the partners have a regular residence permit or asylum for an indefinite period.
Form intended registered partnership of which the partners meet the following conditions:
- One of the partners does not have Dutch nationality;
- one or both partners are not Community citizens (EU nationals);
- one or both partners do not have a regular residence permit or asylum for an indefinite period;
- one is permanently resident abroad.
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.
The municipality of Oldenzaal has designated six locations where marriages or partnerships can be solemnized or registered. It is also possible to designate a location as a one-time location for partnership registration. More information about this can be found at wedding locations. Would you like to enter into a registered partnership in the City Hall? This can be done in consultation with the Civil Registry. For the other locations, consultation is required with the owner of the location and the registry office staff.
town hall
- Monday to Friday from 08.30 to 15.30, costs €415
- Saturday from 08.30 to 15.30, costs €1,000
- Sunday from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm, costs €1,425
Other locations
- Times in consultation with the location and municipality
- Costs on weekdays and on weekends €415. This only concerns the fees for entering into a registered partnership. For the costs of renting your location, please contact the relevant location.
- You can enter into your registered partnership free of charge on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. The ceremony is then very sober. The ceremony will take place in a consulting room in the town hall. This takes place with only your witnesses (minimum 2, maximum 4 people).
Additional costs
- Registered partnership booklet: €35
- Processing the application designate a one-time registered partnership location: €100
- Processing the application Designating one-time BABS: €150
- Processing an application to cancel a served date for the registration of the partnership within a period of 28 days prior to that reserved date: €80
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Oldenzaal