Ślub w Niemczech: dokumenty, Standesamt i ceremonia
Ślub w Niemczech dla cudzoziemców: który urząd stanu cywilnego (Standesamt), jakie dokumenty, zaświadczenie o zdolności do ślubu, tłumaczenia, terminy, opłaty.
Zespół Eventadore11 min czytaniaZaktualizowano 26 października 2026
In Germany, only a civil marriage at the registry office (Standesamt) makes you legally married; a church wedding or a symbolic ceremony can follow, but has no legal effect on its own. You don't need to live in Germany: you give notice of your marriage (Anmeldung zur Eheschließung) at the Standesamt where one of you lives, or where you want to marry if neither of you lives here, no earlier than six months before the date. A foreign partner usually brings a passport, a birth certificate and a certificate of no impediment from home, or an exemption granted by a German higher regional court.
The rules below are general, and they change: the registry office handling your file decides what it needs, so ask it before you order anything.
How marriage works in Germany: civil first, everything else optional
German law recognises a marriage only when both of you declare, in front of a registrar, that you want to marry each other. A religious ceremony is optional.
Who can marry: both of you must be at least 18. Same-sex couples have been able to marry since October 2017, with the same process.
The order: the civil wedding comes first in practice. Churches usually want to see your marriage certificate, and a symbolic ceremony can be the same afternoon or months later.
Many couples keep the Standesamt small — the two of you, witnesses, close family — and hold the big celebration with a celebrant. Our guide to the symbolic ceremony in Germany covers that part.
Which Standesamt, and when to give notice
Where: the registry office of the town where either of you has a main or secondary residence. If neither of you lives in Germany, the one in the town where you want to marry.
When: no earlier than six months before the wedding. Once the office confirms that nothing stands in your way, you have six months to marry, at any registry office in Germany; after that, you give notice again.
How: usually both of you in person, by appointment. If one of you cannot come, the other can give notice alone with a written power of attorney.
With a foreign partner: some offices, Berlin's among them, ask for a personal consultation first, because the documents depend on your nationalities, your marital history and where you were born.
Documents for the Standesamt: what foreign nationals usually need
The registry office gives you the exact list. These are the documents most foreign partners are asked for:
A valid passport or national identity card.
A birth certificate. It should show your parents' names, and many offices want one issued recently; a baptismal certificate does not replace it.
A certificate of no impediment (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis) from your home country, or the exemption described in the next section.
Proof of where you live: if you are registered in Germany, an extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung).
If you were married before: the marriage certificate and the final divorce decree, or the death certificate of your late spouse.
If you were naturalised: your naturalisation certificate.
A German partner usually brings an identity card and a certified copy from the birth register (beglaubigter Ausdruck aus dem Geburtenregister).
Originals, translations and apostilles
Originals only. Documents must not be altered, perforated or laminated.
Translations must be made by a translator sworn in Germany; one from home is often not accepted.
An apostille or legalisation may be needed, depending on the country that issued the document.
From another EU country, birth, marriage, marital-status and capacity-to-marry documents need no apostille, and a multilingual standard form can replace the translation, as the EU's page on public documents explains.
Names in another script — Arabic, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew — are transliterated to international standards; check the spelling.
A divorce granted outside Germany
A foreign divorce may first have to be recognised by the justice administration of the German state (Landesjustizverwaltung). That step is not needed when the court of the country of which both former spouses were citizens granted it, nor for divorces from other EU countries except Denmark. When it is needed, it can take weeks to months, so start it first.
The certificate of no impediment and the exemption
Whether a foreign national may marry is judged by the law of their own country. So under § 1309 of the German Civil Code, a foreign partner should bring a certificate from their home authorities confirming that nothing in that law stands in the way. It is valid for six months from the day it is issued, or less if it says so.
Many countries issue one, at home or through their embassy or consulate in Germany. Some, such as the United States, issue nothing Germany can accept. Then the registry office applies for an exemption (Befreiung) to the president of the higher regional court (Oberlandesgericht) for its area:
You apply through the Standesamt, as part of giving notice, never directly to the court.
The court checks your home country's law in place of your home authorities, from your original documents and their translations — often with a sworn statement of your marital status.
It takes time: one court gives about six weeks from a complete file, longer for complicated cases. Your date is not certain until the exemption is granted.
The fee is set by your income, between €15 and €305 at the time of writing.
It is valid for six months, like the certificate.
Some people need neither: recognised refugees and stateless people who live in Germany, who show their German travel document instead; anyone who also holds German citizenship; and usually same-sex couples, because German law governs the conditions of their marriage. The registry office confirms which applies to you.
How long it takes: a timeline that works
9 to 12 months before: choose the town, email its Standesamt, book the venue for the celebration.
6 to 9 months before: find out how to get the certificate of no impediment, or what the court will want instead; start any divorce recognition.
5 to 6 months before: order fresh certificates, with apostilles where needed, and have them translated in Germany.
4 to 6 months before: give notice — at the start of that window if you need an exemption.
Once the office confirms: your date is fixed. Tell the registrar about witnesses, an interpreter and your married name.
A worked example
Lena is German and lives in Hamburg; Jonas has never lived in Germany, and his country issues no certificate of no impediment. They want to marry on a Friday in June.
October: Lena emails the Standesamt in Hamburg, which sends a list for Jonas's nationality.
December: Jonas orders a new birth certificate with an apostille and makes a sworn statement that he is single.
January: a sworn translator in Hamburg translates both. Lena gives notice alone, with Jonas's power of attorney, and the office sends the exemption application to the court.
March: the exemption arrives and the office confirms. The date is theirs.
June: Jonas lands with his passport; they marry at ten, and the party starts at six.
The ceremony at the Standesamt
The Rotes Rathaus, Berlin's red-brick town hall, against a blue sky
Where: the registry office's wedding room, or a place the town has set aside for weddings — a castle, a museum, a ship, depending on the town. A garden of your choice usually isn't one.
When: at a slot the office gives you. Saturdays and times outside opening hours exist in some towns, at extra cost.
Language: German. If one of you does not understand enough German, a sworn interpreter must be there; you book and pay them.
Witnesses: optional — none, one or two, usually with an identity document.
What happens: the registrar speaks a few words, asks each of you separately whether you want to marry the other, and declares you married once you have both said yes. You sign, and you can exchange rings. Ask how many guests the room holds and whether music and photos are allowed.
Afterwards: order the marriage certificate (Eheurkunde), and an international one if you need it abroad. Check whether your home country wants the marriage registered too.
If you plan to live in Germany afterwards, or one of you needs a visa to come, that is a separate process: ask the German embassy or consulate early.
Your married name in Germany
You decide at the wedding:
A shared surname: the birth name or the current surname of one of you.
A double name: since 1 May 2025, you can both take a double name made from both your names, with or without a hyphen. Two parts at most.
Keep your own names: if you choose nothing, each of you keeps the name you had.
You can still choose a shared name later, with a certified declaration. Since May 2025, a person's name follows the law of the country where they usually live, not their nationality, and spouses can choose the law of a country whose citizenship one of them holds. Check that your home country will put the same name in your passport.
What the registry office costs
Each state and town sets its own fees. As an example, Berlin's registry offices list, at the time of writing:
€45 for the notice and the check, plus €45 for each partner whose foreign law has to be applied
€12 for a marriage certificate, German or international; €30 for a sworn statement
€40 to marry at a registry office other than the one where you gave notice
€80 outside opening hours; €75–€150 outside the registry office
For two foreign nationals at the office during opening hours, that is roughly €150, plus up to €305 for an exemption. Translations, apostilles, certificates from home and an interpreter come on top, and a special location often charges its own rent. For the celebration, here is what a wedding in Germany costs.
After the Standesamt: church, symbolic ceremony and the party
A church wedding has its own preparation and documents, such as baptism certificates. Speak to the parish early.
A symbolic ceremony can be anywhere, in any language, with your own words. You can search celebrants on Eventadore; with your date and number of guests, each card shows what that day costs, all in.
The venue: with the Standesamt in the morning and the party in the evening, choose somewhere close. Here is how to choose a wedding venue, and you can search venues the same way.
The day itself: a morning ceremony leaves a long gap before dinner; a sample wedding day timeline helps you fill it.
On Eventadore, a supplier's price is locked the moment you add them to your Planning, and the checkout names who you contract with: legal name, town, country, business or private person. With an account, the free planning tools include a checklist counted back from your date, and a free wedding website lets guests from several countries read the day in their own language.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners get married in Germany?
Yes. Neither of you needs to be German or to live in Germany. You give notice at a registry office with your passports, birth certificates and, usually, a certificate of no impediment from home or an exemption.
How long does the paperwork take?
Plan on three to six months. You can give notice no earlier than six months before the date; an exemption adds about six weeks or more, and a foreign divorce that must be recognised adds more.
Do we need witnesses at a German civil wedding?
No. Witnesses are optional: you can have none, one or two. If you have them, ask the registry office what they need to bring.
Can the civil ceremony be in English?
The ceremony is held in German. If one of you does not understand enough German, a sworn interpreter must be there, whom you book and pay. Some registrars may add a few words in English; ask when you give notice.
Is a church wedding or a symbolic ceremony legally binding in Germany?
No. Only the declaration before the registrar makes you married. A church wedding or a symbolic ceremony can follow on the same day or later.
Can same-sex couples marry in Germany?
Yes, since October 2017, with the same notice at the same registry offices. Whether your home country recognises the marriage depends on its own law, so check first.
