Unfortunately, for international couples, the paperwork that follows the decision to get married can sometimes prove very complicated.
Different nationalities, residency requirements, visas and local marriage laws can turn what should be an exciting occasion into months of administration.
It is one of the reasons Denmark has developed a growing reputation as one of Europe’s most straightforward places for international couples to marry – a trend recently highlighted by both The Guardian and Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan.
Both publications approached the subject from different perspectives, but arrived at a similar conclusion: for couples facing complicated marriage requirements elsewhere in Europe, Denmark can offer a refreshingly straightforward alternative.
Copenhagen: the ‘Vegas of Europe’?
In July 2026, Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan explored the increasing number of international couples travelling to Denmark to marry, describing Copenhagen as the Nordic region’s answer to Las Vegas.
The comparison isn’t about Elvis impersonators or drive-through weddings. It reflects how much easier Denmark can make the legal process for couples who might otherwise face considerable bureaucracy.
The newspaper reported that around 20,000 international couples travel to Denmark to marry each year.
Among those featured were Rachel Haines and Paul Devitt, a British couple living in Berlin who had initially considered getting married in Germany.
They found the process considerably more complicated than expected, with documents needing to be certified and translated into German. Sweden was considered as another possibility, but again the process proved difficult to arrange around their family and friends.
Eventually, they turned to Marry Abroad Simply for help organising their marriage in Denmark.
The result was a very different experience: a small outdoor ceremony in Copenhagen’s Royal Library Garden, surrounded by family and friends, with their four-month-old son Charlie joining them for the occasion.
From searching Google to getting married in Copenhagen
Just a month later, The Guardian published another account of an international couple discovering Denmark as an alternative place to marry.
This time, the experience came directly from journalist Jules Darmanin.
Jules is French and his wife is British-Polish. With post-Brexit immigration requirements adding another layer of complexity to their plans to live together, they began investigating where they could marry.
Getting married in Britain or France presented practical difficulties, so Jules started looking for alternatives.
His research eventually led him to Marry Abroad Simply.
After speaking with Leanne from our team about the options available in Gibraltar, Georgia and Denmark, the couple chose our Copenhagen Express service.
What followed was a simple Copenhagen wedding lasting around 20 minutes.
It might not initially have sounded like the romantic wedding they had imagined. But Jules’s account in The Guardian makes clear that simplicity didn’t make the occasion any less meaningful.
In fact, he described it as the most romantic 20 minutes of his life.
Why is Denmark different?
The two stories involve very different couples, but the difficulties they encountered will be familiar to many international couples.
Marriage requirements can vary considerably from one country to another. Depending on where you live and your respective nationalities, couples can encounter requirements for translated documents, certificates proving their marital status, residency conditions and lengthy administrative procedures.
Denmark has developed a more centralised and largely digital process.
International couples first apply through the Danish Agency of Family Law. Once their application has been approved, they can arrange their ceremony at a Danish town hall or another available location.
There is also no lengthy minimum residency period simply to get married, making Denmark particularly practical for couples who live elsewhere.
That doesn’t mean there is no paperwork or that every application is automatically straightforward. Couples still have to meet Denmark’s legal requirements and provide the appropriate documentation.
Knowing exactly what is required – and making sure an application is completed correctly – is therefore important.
More than simply completing paperwork
This is where the two newspaper stories also highlight something we think is important.
Our job at Marry Abroad Simply isn’t simply to submit forms.
Every couple comes to us with different circumstances. Nationality, residency status, previous marriages, visas and the documents available to them can all affect their application.
Some couples simply want the quickest and easiest route to getting legally married. Others have spent months trying to marry somewhere else before they contact us.
For Rachel and Paul, Denmark provided an alternative after encountering difficulties in Germany and Sweden.
For Jules and his wife, it provided a practical answer to the complications facing an international couple navigating life after Brexit.
The circumstances were different, but ultimately both couples wanted the same thing: to get married without unnecessary complications getting in the way.
Helping international couples marry in Denmark
We were delighted to see Marry Abroad Simply featured in both Sydsvenskan and The Guardian, but even more pleased that the articles highlighted the experiences of the couples themselves.
International relationships are increasingly common, but marriage laws and administrative processes don’t always reflect how people live today.
Denmark offers an alternative.
And while Copenhagen might now be earning a reputation as the ‘Vegas of Europe’, the weddings taking place there can be every bit as personal, meaningful and romantic as ceremonies anywhere else.
Sometimes, making the legal side simpler just gives couples more time to concentrate on what actually matters – getting married.
