A marriage license Germany (or marriage license in Commonwealth spelling) is a certificate that authorizes a couple to marry and granted by a religious institution or a state authority. The process for acquiring a license differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and has evolved. Marriage licenses in Germany were first distributed in the Middle Ages to provide for marriages that would have been illegal otherwise (for instance, if the necessary period of notice for the marriage had not been given).
In certain countries, they are now a civil prerequisite, and if signed by the couple and witnessed, they will even act as the marriage record. A license is not required in other jurisdictions. A “pardon” can be granted in some jurisdictions for marrying without a license, and common-law weddings, marriage by cohabitation, and marriage by representation are also recognized in some jurisdictions. There is no need for a marriage license in Germany for this. Marriage licenses are not required in some states, and the couple is granted a marriage certificate after the wedding.
How do I get a German marriage certificate?
Marriage would not immediately modify the identity of a German resident. As a result, before a German passport can be an issue under the new name, a name declaration will require as part of the marriage register.
The name declaration is found on page 3 of the marriage registry application document. If all partners are German citizens, the name can only be used according to German law. When one of the two partners is of a foreign race, the legislation of the spouse’s country of birth will be used instead.
What is the procedure for applying for a marriage certificate?
The application will be processed by the Registrar’s Office in Germany, which was one of the spouses’ last places of residence. If none of the partners has ever lived in Germany, the marriage registry should be processed at the Registrar’s Office I in Berlin.
The German Consular Missions in the United States, on the other hand, do not process the applications; instead, they forward them to the proper Registrar’s Office in Germany upon request. However, you have the choice of sending your application to the relevant Registrar’s Office directly. This will not be detrimental to you. It may sometimes result in the faster data processing.
Both partners must be present at the appointment if you wish to apply your application through a German Consular Mission, as both of their signatures on the form must be notarized.
What papers are we going to need?
If you want to email your marriage license application directly to the Registrar’s Office in Germany. Please send one completed application form along with the documents mentioned below as notarized copies or originals. The German Consular Mission or a Notary Public will notarize copies.
If you want to apply through the German Consular Mission, please bring two completed application forms and the following documents as notarized copies (plus one set of simple copies) or in the original (plus two sets of simple copies):
- The partners’ marriage license (issued by the “Registrar/Clerk of the Court”)
- both spouses’ passports; for non-US residents, a residency permit (visa or Green Card)
- all wives’ birth records
- U.S. Naturalization Certificate of “Beibehaltungsgenehmigung” in case of dual citizenship
- a German Naturalization Certificate or “Staatsangehörigkeitsausweis” if necessary
- Divorce order or death certificate, if necessary
- Deregistration from Germany (Abmeldebescheinigung) if necessary
Apostilles and translations of all international documents can request by Registrar’s Offices in Germany. If the records are approved with or without an apostille and translation is up to the discretion of the competent Registrar’s Office.
According to the German Missions in the United States’ perspectives. The standards for the paperwork that must be sent differ greatly depending on the actual Registrar’s Office. This extends to both the method of certification (notarization by a US Notary Public or a German Consular Officer). The type of documentation that must submit. Certified copies or originals, with or without an apostille, with or without a translation into German. We suggest that you contact the relevant Registrar’s Office in Germany before sending your application to speed up the review of your application. Inquiring about the prospect of submitting the marriage license in Germany straight to the Registrar’s Office without involving the German Missions would also be part of this.
How much does it cost to register a marriage in Germany?
Initially, you just pay the charge for notarizing your marriage license Germany signature(s) and notarizing the copies of the supporting documentation during your appointment at the Embassy. You can pay the fee in cash (at the latest exchange rate in US dollars) or by credit card (Visa or Mastercard, with the balance paid in Euros):
| Notarization of the submission type signature(s) | EUR 25.00 |
| notarization of up to ten copies of the required supporting documentation
every additional duplicate |
EUR 10.00
EUR 1.00 |
The fees for both registering the marriage and issuing the marriage certificate(s). Fixed by each German Federal State and thus can differ. The following fees are paid in the majority of cases. However, this is just a suggestion:
| Adding the marriage to the public record (regardless of the outcome of the processing)
If an international rule includes, there may be additional costs. |
EUR 80.00
EUR 45.00 |
| The marriage license in Germany release.
every additional duplicate |
EUR 12.00
EUR 6.00 |
The payments must agree with the respective Registrar’s Office and cannot charge at the German Consular Mission. After receiving your letter, the Registrar’s Office will give you a payment order.
How long would the marriage certificate in Germany take to arrive?
The length of time it takes to process a document determines the Registrar’s Office in charge. marriage license Germany varies considerably from city to city.
Please be aware that registration at the Registrar’s Office I in Berlin takes at least three years due to the ever-increasing volume of applications. If a name declaration requires, the Registrar’s Office I in Berlin confirms the spouse’s last name separately, which normally takes two to three months. A German passport with the new name will be given after the last name has been confirmed.