How to Get Married in Denmark as a Foreigner: Legal Requirements, Documents and Costs
Updated: Oct 9
By Lena Hansen, Nordic Adventure Weddings. Last reviewed: 10 October 2026
Foreign couples can get legally married in Denmark without living there. You need to meet the marriage conditions, be able to enter and stay lawfully, obtain approval from the appropriate Danish authority, and attend your legal ceremony in person.
Whether you are two Americans planning a European elopement, a German–British couple living in Germany, or partners with different passports and countries of residence, the first step is to understand what applies to your circumstances.
This guide explains eligibility, documents, application timing, costs, the ceremony and using your Danish marriage certificate abroad.
Can two foreigners get married in Denmark?
Yes. Neither partner needs to be Danish, and couples living outside Denmark can apply. You can also apply if you live in different countries.
Your nationality is only part of the assessment. Your residence status, previous marriages and the countries that issued your documents also matter.
Most visiting international couples apply through Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law. Some couples, including those who both fall within the relevant Danish/Nordic citizenship or permanent Danish residence categories, apply through a municipality instead.
What are the legal requirements?
Both partners must be at least 18 and free to marry. Any previous marriage must have legally ended. Marriage between close relatives is prohibited, and additional consent requirements apply where a partner is under guardianship.
Being separated is not the same as being divorced. Do not plan a new legal marriage while a previous marriage remains legally in force.
You must also satisfy the applicable lawful-entry and stay requirements.
What documents do foreigners need to marry in Denmark?
The checklist depends on your situation. Common requirements include:
Valid passports, or qualifying EU national identity cards.
Evidence of lawful entry and stay.
Shared-address documentation if you live together abroad.
Birth certificates for children you have together.
Evidence that any previous marriage ended.
Additional information may be requested.
Do we need birth certificates?
An adult applicant’s birth certificate is not listed as a standard requirement in the Agency of Family Law’s published application checklist. Birth certificates for your joint children are listed.
This distinction is useful for couples comparing Denmark with countries that routinely request their own birth certificates. The authority can still request further documentation in an individual case.
Do we need proof of single status or a certificate of no impediment?
A separate foreign single-status certificate is not automatically required in every application. Familieretshuset may request one where it needs to verify that you are unmarried.
Do not confuse this with the Danish Certificate of Marital Status, which is the approval document issued before your wedding.
Do we need photos or messages proving our relationship?
You must answer the relationship questions accurately. Familieretshuset may ask how you met, how long you have known each other, and whether you live together.
Its guidance says couple photos are not mandatory with every application. However, it may request unedited photos, further information or an interview if necessary.
What if one of us is divorced or widowed?
You need acceptable evidence that the previous marriage ended, such as a divorce decree, annulment decision or death certificate.
Check that the documentation establishes the final legal outcome. A separation agreement or an unfinished divorce case does not establish freedom to remarry.
Translation and authentication requirements depend on the document and its issuing country.
Which documents need translation or an apostille?
Documents requiring translation must be translated into Danish, English or German by an authorised translator. Apostille endorsements and legalisation stamps must also be covered where applicable.
Authentication depends on where the document was issued, not simply the passport you hold.
For example, Familieretshuset says documents from the United States and Great Britain typically do not need an apostille or legalisation for acceptance in Denmark. Its guidance lists Ukraine and Belarus among the European exceptions where authentication requirements must be checked.
There are two different stages:
Before the wedding: authenticating foreign documents for the Danish application.
After the wedding: authenticating your Danish marriage certificate for use abroad.
Check the official foreign-document requirements before ordering translations or authentication.
Can we get married in Denmark on a tourist visa?
Yes, a valid tourist visa can provide a basis for lawful stay for marriage, provided it permits the relevant travel and stay. Visa-exempt visitors can also apply.
A valid residence permit from another Schengen country, such as Germany, can be relevant evidence of lawful stay. Living in Germany and holding a German residence permit are different facts: your actual document and its validity matter.
Marriage approval does not replace travel permission or extend your permitted stay.
Non-EU/EEA travellers should also check passport requirements, including validity beyond their stay, issue date and blank pages.
How do we document lawful Schengen stay under the current rules?
Familieretshuset introduced updated documentation guidance from 10 April 2026 following the Entry/Exit System changes.
Its instructions distinguish residence-permit holders, visa-required visitors and visa-exempt visitors. Depending on your category and travel dates, evidence can include your permit or visa, EES calculator data and result pages, and tickets or boarding passes.
Follow the current lawful-stay documentation instructions rather than relying on an older passport-stamp checklist.
If Nordic Adventure Weddings is your chosen agency, we will take care of everything.
How do we apply to get married in Denmark?
An authorised representative (an agency as Nordic Adventure Weddings) can apply for you with the appropriate power of attorney. The application is a fast part of all our wedding packages.
For couples using the Agency of Family Law route:
Establish your document and travel requirements.
Discuss your preferred municipality, timing and ceremony options.
Complete both partners’ application details and provide the required documents.
Pay the official application fee.
Respond to any requests from Familieretshuset.
Once approved, confirm your ceremony arrangements with the municipality.
Travel and attend the legal wedding, following the booking instructions.
Check any requirements for using the marriage certificate abroad.
What is the Certificate of Marital Status?
The prøvelsesattest, or Danish Certificate of Marital Status, confirms your eligibility to marry. It is not your marriage certificate.
It normally remains valid for four months, potentially less if relevant travel documents expire earlier. Your ceremony must take place while the approval remains valid.
How long does it take to get married in Denmark?
There are three separate timelines: preparing your documents, obtaining approval and securing a ceremony appointment.
Familieretshuset says a complete application meeting the conditions can generally receive approval within five working days. Additional information requests can result in substantially longer processing.
Five-day approval does not mean a wedding within five days.
Copenhagen publishes a ceremony wait of up to four months because of demand. Another municipality may have earlier appointments, but availability needs checking.
If speed matters most, consider the wedding agency help.
Avoid non-refundable travel commitments until the necessary approval and ceremony arrangements are confirmed.
How much does a legal wedding in Denmark cost?
The Agency of Family Law’s application fee is DKK 2,100 in 2026. This is an application-processing charge, not the total price of your wedding. It is adjusted annually and is non-refundable once the application has been sent.
Your budget may also include:
Agency assistance, if chosen.
Any applicable municipal, registrar or venue charges.
Translation and document authentication.
Travel and accommodation.
Photography, flowers and other personal additions.
Certificate authentication and delivery, if needed.
When comparing packages from different agencies, check whether the official fee is included. Compare the same scope of service rather than the headline price alone.
Explore Nordic Adventure Weddings’ town-hall wedding assistance for current package details.
Examples for couples with different nationalities
These are illustrative situations, not fixed checklists or promises of approval.
Couple’s situation | What to check |
Two American citizens living in the United States, neither previously married | Travel permission, lawful-stay evidence, the Danish application and certificate requirements of the US authority that will receive it. |
A German citizen and a British citizen living in Germany | Each partner’s travel documents and status, followed by any German administrative updates after marriage. |
An Indian citizen with a valid German residence permit and a German partner | Passport and permit validity, plus the issuing country and authentication requirements of any supporting civil-status documents. |
A divorced Ukrainian citizen and an EU partner | Evidence of the final divorce, translation, authentication and lawful stay. |
A nationality list alone cannot establish the documents you need. Two people with the same citizenship can have different requirements because their residence and marriage histories differ.
What happens at a Danish town-hall wedding?
You attend your booked ceremony in person and follow the municipality’s identification and arrival instructions. The registrar conducts the legal ceremony, and you sign the marriage documents.
At Copenhagen City Hall, the ceremony lasts approximately ten minutes. Rings are optional.
Do we need to bring witnesses?
Two witnesses attend the ceremony. Copenhagen City Hall provides them, so you can marry there without bringing guests.
Other ceremony arrangements can differ. Copenhagen’s private-registrar service requires couples to arrange their own witnesses. Confirm this for your booking.
Can the ceremony be in English or German?
Copenhagen City Hall offers Danish, English and German. Both partners must understand the ceremony; arrange an interpreter if necessary.
Check language options with your chosen municipality.
When do we receive the marriage certificate?
Copenhagen City Hall hands couples two multilingual certificates after the ceremony, combining Danish, English, German, French and Spanish.
Confirm certificate arrangements with the municipality conducting your wedding.
How many days should we stay?
Plan around your confirmed booking, any advance document checks, transport and post-wedding arrangements. Ask whether the municipality requires an earlier appearance.
Allow a travel buffer rather than assuming you can arrive shortly before the ceremony and leave immediately afterwards.
Is a Danish marriage recognised abroad?
A legal Danish marriage can be recognised abroad, but the receiving country’s law determines recognition and the documents needed. There is no single “valid worldwide without further steps” rule. Ask your agency who helps you to get married in Denmark.
Is it recognised in Germany?
The German Federal Foreign Office explains that recognition generally requires compliance with the applicable substantive marriage conditions and the formal law of the place of marriage.
Retrospective entry in the German marriage register is not compulsory. However, updating your marital status with relevant authorities is a separate administrative matter.
Is it recognised in the United Kingdom?
UK guidance generally recognises marriages lawfully contracted abroad, subject to applicable UK legal requirements.
Keep your official certificate and check what the authority receiving it needs.
Is it recognised in the United States?
The US Department of State explains that recognition of a foreign marriage depends on the receiving jurisdiction’s laws.
Check with the relevant state authority or other organisation that will use your certificate. Requirements can differ depending on the purpose.
See the US guidance on marriage abroad.
Do we need an apostille on the Danish certificate?
Ask the receiving authority whether it requires an apostille, legalisation, translation or additional copies. The answer depends on where and how you will use the certificate.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles apostille/legalisation of Danish documents. An apostille authenticates a document; it does not itself decide whether a foreign country recognises the marriage.
Can foreign same-sex couples marry in Denmark?
Yes. Denmark permits same-sex marriage, and foreign couples can apply subject to the relevant eligibility and lawful-stay requirements.
If you will use the certificate in a country that does not recognise same-sex marriage, check its legal treatment before making plans that depend on recognition.
Nordic Adventure Weddings welcomes LGBTQ+ couples seeking a legal wedding or a personal elopement celebration.
Does marrying in Denmark give us residence rights?
A Danish wedding does not by itself grant a residence permit or extend a visa.
If you intend to live together in Denmark, Germany or another country, the relevant immigration or family-reunification rules must be considered separately. Marriage approval and immigration permission are different processes.
Can we have a legal outdoor or castle wedding?
Some locations can host a legally binding ceremony when the appropriate authority and authorised officiant arrangements are available.
At others, couples complete the legal marriage at a town hall and hold a symbolic ceremony at their chosen venue. A symbolic ceremony alone does not create a legal marriage.
Confirm where the legal marriage takes place before booking. Nordic Adventure Weddings can explain the arrangements for the location and date you are considering.
Your legal wedding can be the beginning of a Scandinavian elopement: a quiet coastal stay, forest portraits or a celebration in a historic setting.
Can we get married without an agency?
Yes. You can apply directly and arrange the wedding with your chosen municipality. An agency is optional.
Professional assistance may be useful when documents come from different countries, you have a previous marriage, your travel window is limited, or you want help coordinating the legal wedding and celebration.
Nordic Adventure Weddings helps international couples understand their document requirements, prepare applications and coordinate ceremony arrangements. Decisions on eligibility remain with the Danish authorities.
Plan your legal wedding with Nordic Adventure Weddings
Tell us both partners’ nationalities, countries of residence, whether either has been married before, and your preferred timing and location.
We will review your circumstances and explain the next steps, package options and availability to check.
Whether you want a simple town-hall ceremony or a legal wedding followed by a personal Danish elopement, we can help you shape the experience around what matters to you.
This guide provides general planning information. Individual requirements and official fees can change; check the linked authorities and your receiving country’s requirements before applying.
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