We get many calls from couples who live in Germany or are staying/visiting in Germany (or a combination of both!), as getting married in Denmark is such a great, easy and stress free option for them.
The paperwork is far less, there are no marital status documents required, no birth certificates, the marriage certificates are issued in German, the ceremony can be held in German and you can marry in as little as 2 weeks if you are flexible on venue. This venue looks at why Denmark is so appealing for German residents and citizens, and the possible venues if you are travelling to Denmark from Germany.
It is well known that one of the easiest and fastest places in the world to marry for foreign, International and same sex couples is Denmark. And as Germany has stricter and wider document requirements, and much longer timeframes (can be up to 18 months to marry, longer if you are not both German Citizens), we are finding more and more German resident, citizens and visiting partners are looking to get married in Denmark as an alternative to the process in Germany.
We work with 14 Town Halls that we consider to be perfect options for couples travelling from Germany to get married in Denmark.
Aabenraa (hear from the wonderful registrars here)
Aarhus
All of these Town Halls have good road access, bus, train, and also some of them have their own airports if you are arriving from Southern Germany.
Depending on your timeframe, whether you have witnesses or need them provided, can do same day document presentation or are able to do business day before (or longer) there are options for everyone.
The main stream Town Halls such as Tønder, Sonderborg and Aabenraa are always very full due to popularity and proximity, they are a great option if you are happy with a wedding further in advance and can be flexible with your dates. All absolutely stunning towns and locations, and we personally know the registrars there, they are very welcoming of German couples, most of the registrars speaking fluent German and having strong personal connections to Germany, they are very much in tune with the culture. Click on the individual venue names for expanded information on each venue.
The other 11 Town halls all have something to offer that is unique and different, whilst still remaining charmingly Danish and majestic but managing to be also welcoming and warm.
If you love Vikings then you may wish to consider a wedding in Ribe or Esbjerg as your venue, as this is the region that is home to the wonderful Viking museum and well worth a visit. Also a favourite for couples who wish to bring dogs to the wedding, as these venues are on the Wadden sea and you can visit the famous Mud flats whilst you are there.
Ribe and Esbjerg are particular favourites of ours, all of the staff speak fluent German (and English), so you can truly have a German/Danish experience with breakfast in Germany, a fish lunch by the sea in Denmark and then your wedding dinner back in Germany, having a wedding in German language if you wish (or English!), and International Marriage certificates issued there and then by the registrar in German, English, Danish, Spanish and French.
The entrance of the Old Town Hall in Ribe is stunning, you can also have a tour around the old building if you would like.
If you are travelling with children you may wish to have a look at Kolding, it is boasted as being the friendliest Town in Denmark, has its very own Medieval castle, and also SlotssøBadet, which is an extraordinary waterpark that is suitable for all ages and well worth a visit.
Many of the venues are on the sea or close to the sea and have working and active busy fishing ports, so you will be sure of the freshest and best seafood, and you are not short of choices of restaurants for a celebration lunch or dinner. Many restaurants in and around the area speak fluent English and German. Admiralen is the top fish restaurant in the area.
We could go on and on about the options you have if you are travelling from Germany to get married, but the best thing to do is to give us a call and we can quickly talk you through the locations and options. As depending on how quickly you wish to get married, which days of the week you have free, whether you are taking witnesses, and if you are driving or taking the train will all mean some venues are more of an option than others.
The great news is that you DO NOT NEED marital status certificates or birth certificates.
* Travel documents (passport or EU ID) (with 3 months validity from the date of the ceremony)
* Residence permits (if you are living in a country where it is required) or Visa for entry into Denmark.
* Relationship document (this is something that is made yourself and we will help you with it, just to evidence longevity and contact, it is super easy and super cute to put together!).
* Proof that you are living together if you are (absolutely no problem if you are not).
* If either of you have been previously married then Decree or Death certificates
* If you have shared children together (both of your names on the birth certificate) we will need the birth certificates
Everything is done on secured emails, or encrypted communication NOT stored on a public server or public emails (for example google), and you present the originals to the registrar before your wedding.
You contact us! Thats all!!
Once you have the documents in (as outlined above) we make the application to the Agency of Family Law in Denmark. This is the government office that approves all marriages that take place in Denmark.
Usually we will receive the approval in 5 days and your 'file' will be sent electronically to the town hall that you have chosen, as soon as they have the file, we can arrange and confirm the ceremony date. We also organise the language you would like the ceremony in (English, Danish or German), the witnesses, any extra marriage certificates, anything additional
Each town hall works in different ways some you can marry next day and some you can marry in 2 weeks, some in 2 months - but don't worry about that, it's up to us to explain all of that to you.
You will marry in the town hall that you have chosen and you will receive 2 copies of the International Marriage Certificate on the day of the ceremony - which is in English, German, Danish, Spanish and French - and you are free to leave immediately!
How quickly can we marry?
Generally if you are flexible on the venue we can marry you in as little as 10 days from when the application is submitted, anywhere up to 4 months in advance for more in demand venues such as Tønder.
Do all German offices accept the Danish International Marriage Certificate?
Yes. Every single Standesmat, Auslanderbehorde, Burgeramt in Germany is used to seeing the International Marriage certificate and they do not need translation as they are already in German. We have German Government offices and Immigration solicitors actually refer couples to us as an alternative to marrying anywhere else.
Although the marriage certificates are Legally recognised worldwide, some German offices will require the International Marriage Certificate to be Legalised with an Apostille (it looks like THIS) from Denmark (you know what German offices are like!).
We can help you with this, it is our Legalisation service, and covers the Legalisation of your certificate from the Danish Government office and the courier of the Legalised Certificate back to you.
If you would like the service we can order you extra International Marriage certificates FREE OF CHARGE, whilst yours are being Legalised, although rest assured we generally have them Legalised and back to you within 5-7 days of receiving them into our office. We can organise you a scan of the Legalised document before it is couriered out also if you wish.
The ethos of Marry Abroad Simply is that we are a company that cares, Sam and Leanne own and run the business, we look after our couples personally, and we run a tight ship! Each of our couples mean to world to us and we are so honoured to be able to help each and every one of them. If you need to send 2 emails of questions or 200, as long as you have all the information that you need then we are happy, we are here to help and want you to feel supported the whole way from engagement to marriage.
No question is left unanswered, and at the end of the day and when you are a married couple all we do is thank you for letting us be the smallest part in your largest day.
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