Marriage in the Netherlands

Only civil marriages are legally recognised in the Netherlands. 

The civil marriage takes place at a Registry Office (Burgerlijke Stand) and is performed by a Registrar of Marriages (Ambtenaar van de Burgerlijke Stand). A religious ceremony may follow the civil event, but this is optional. It has no legal status and may only be held after the civil ceremony has taken place.

In order to get married in the Netherlands, one of the parties must be:

• A Dutch citizen or a legal resident of the Netherlands with a long-stay permit or asylum status
• 18 years or older (or have the permission of the legal guardian)

The couple may be same-sex or heterosexual and both parties must be unmarried.

Getting Married 

Notice of Marriage

The intention to marry (notice of engagement or ondertrouw) must be made at  the local municipality (Gemeente) or Town Hall (Stadhuis, Afdeling Huwelijkszaken) of the district of residence of one the couple wishing to marry. This is the notice of marriage and must be done no less than two weeks and no more than a year before the wedding (huwelijk) is planned to take place. 

The municipal office issues a brochure detailing the documents needed. These may vary depending on nationality, previous marriages and residence status in the Netherlands. It is advisable to have documents ready at the time of announcing the intention to marry.

Required documents for both partners include:

• A full birth certificate
• Proof of identity
• Document of authorisation from a legal guardian (if under 18)
• Extract from the municipality registry (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie, GBA) declaring marital status and nationality
• A marriage certificate in the case of a previous marriage with divorce decree in the case of a previous divorce or death certificate in the case of being widowed
• Foreign nationals complete a Form M46 (issued by Immigratie en Natutalisatiedienst IND), available from the Town Hall 
  • For information on the M46: Click here 
• Foreign nationals may also need to present a certificate of no impediment to marriage or certificate of civil status proving they are not married elsewhere. This is available from their Consulate
  Note: A certificate of no impediment to marriage is issued after a notice of marriage has been displayed at the Consulate General for 21 days, and if no objection has been made about the proposed marriage. It is issued in Dutch.

Completed witness forms for the two to four witnesses (they must be 18 or older) should be presented at this time.

Note: There may be a requirement that foreign documents (birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates) be legalised with an Apostile. This can be done by the relevant Consular office.

If the couple both live abroad and wish to marry in the Netherlands they must give notice of their intention to marry at the City of The Hague Registrar's Office

• Gemeente Den Haag
  At: Dienst Burgerzaken, Postbus 12620, 2500 DL Den Haag
  Tel: 070 353 2810
  e-mail
  Website

Marriage regime 

Dutch marriage confers community of property onto the married couple meaning that debts and assets held by each partner before and after the marriage are shared.

A pre-nuptial agreement may be made before the marriage. This must be drafted by a notary and entered in a matrimonial property register at the municipality where the marriage notice is placed. 

Before the ceremony 

Once the documents have been presented to the Town Hall a date and venue for the ceremony may be selected. There is a minimum of two weeks delay between making the notice of marriage and the day of the civil ceremony.

During this period the couple will meet with the marrying official. In some areas arrangements can be made with a marrying official for the ceremony (all but the vows themselves, which legally must be in Dutch) to be held in English.

The civil ceremony may take place in a municipal district other than that of residence but the municipal office must be informed so that arrangements for moving documents can be made.

Marriage ceremony

The civil marriage ceremony must take place before a religious ceremony. The civil ceremony must be conducted with the witnesses (who must present identity documents). The process is very brief, generally taking less than a half-hour.

The cost of the wedding ceremony can vary from city to city however in some places there are time slots when wedding ceremonies are free, for example in The Hague, it is free on Monday mornings at 09:00 and 09:30 and in Rotterdam on Wednesdays from 09:00 to 09:20. 

A Marriage Certificate (proof of the marriage) is available from the local sub municipal office of the place where the marriage was held. It may be issued at the time of the marriage.

Surnames

Married partners may use each other's surnames or a combination of both surnames if they wish. On official documents the person continues to use their birth name.

Divorce

In case of divorce the marriage can only be dissolved in court (registered partnerships may be terminated by the partners themselves). Legal separations are also possible.

Civic Integration Examination

Since 15 March 2006 nationals of certain countries (not including nationals of EU member states and most anglophone countries) wishing to settle in the Netherlands - including for reasons of marriage or partnership - are required to take a civic integration examination in their country of residence. This exam tests knowledge of the Dutch language and Dutch society. It is held orally, in Dutch, at the Embassy or Consulate General of the country of residence.

• For information on the nationals exempt, and the examination: Click here

Registry Office & Consular Contacts

• Contact information of registry offices (gemeentes) in Amsterdam and Holland North: Click here
• Contact information of registry offices (gemeentes) in The Hague, Rotterdam and Holland South: Click here

The Consular Offices of most Embassies are able to help their nationals with much of the documentation required in the preparation of a wedding in the Netherlands

• Australian citizens (general information on marriage outside of Australia)
• British citizens: Information on marriage in the Netherlands

Further Information

• Information on legal aspects of Marriage in the Netherlands from Helplinelaw.com
• See AngloINFO INFOrmation page on Registered Partnerships & Same-Sex Marriages in the Netherlands