Marriage in Denmark
Marriage in Denmark: what's new for foreigners in 2024
Starting January 1st, 2024, the fee for getting married in Denmark has risen from the previous 1800 DK (242 EUR) to 1900 DK (255 EUR).
Danish authorities have also stated stricter guidelines and more thorough checks in the marriage application approval process.
If you are thinking of applying yourself but are not sure if your application is 100% correct, it’s better to ask us professionals for help over risking rejection and extended waiting times.
Express weddings in Denmark
Express weddings are available in Copenhagen and on some of Denmark’s islands.
They come at an extra cost – 1500 DK (202 EUR) – and are only possible if you have at least three weeks left on your visa or residence permit, as this is the time it takes to schedule a date for the wedding.
Why get married in Denmark?
Looking for the perfect location for tying the knot with your loved one? There are many reasons why getting married in Denmark is the clear choice for international couples, regardless of nationality or gender.
Firstly, anyone can get married in Denmark. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or who you love.
Secondly, it’s a quick, stress-free process, as Danish bureaucracy requires only two documents and five working days for approval.
Lastly, Danish marriage certificates are widely accepted, being legally recognised in up to 120 countries worldwide.
News for Ukrainians looking to marry in Denmark
For Ukrainians who reside in Schengen countries under temporary political protection residence permits and wish to get married in Denmark, there have been recent changes to the documents they require.
Each individual wishing to marry must submit a valid passport and a residence permit (a card or sticker in their passport). If their residence permit is expired, they can still enter Denmark for 90 days.
For Russians looking to marry in Denmark
Russian five-year passports are not accepted by the Danish authorities, so Russian citizens need to ensure they have a 10-year biometric passport in order to get married.
For D visa and residency permit holders
If you are living in another country under a residency permit or D visa, this must be included in your marriage application and proven with documents such as a copy of your residency certificate or a home rental contract from within the country that issued the residency.
International and intercultural couples seeking a Danish wedding
It doesn’t matter where you are from, what nationality or religion you are, Denmark’s doors are open for you and your beloved to get married there.
You don’t have to be a Danish citizen or even carry a Danish residence permit to apply for a marriage certificate in Denmark – couples from anywhere in the world can do it, even on a tourist visa.
Same-sex marriage in Denmark
In the eyes of Denmark’s law, all marriages are equal, regardless of the individuals’ genders or sexualities.
Denmark has always been an LGBT+ rights pioneer – especially when it comes to marriage. As early as 1989, same-sex couples could enter into ‘Registered Partnerships’ and, in 2012, the Marriage Act was amended to grant same-sex couples in Denmark the right to get married on equal terms with heterosexual couples.
Aside from this, Denmark is also one of the world’s most LGBT+ friendly countries, with some of the most LGBT+ inclusive laws worldwide. This makes Denmark a safe haven for LGBT+ couples – especially those from countries where their love cannot be openly expressed or recognised.
Will I need an apostille to legalise my marriage?
Denmark, along with 125 other countries, is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. This is an international agreement to simplify the process of one country recognising the legal documents of another.
Whether or not you will need an apostille to legalise your Danish marriage certificate depends on the country you intend to live as a married couple within, and whether or not it is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention.
Either way, we will guide you through quickly and easily obtaining an apostille, should you require one.
What does a Danish wedding ceremony involve?
Like many ceremonies you’ll find in other Western countries, Danish weddings centre around the exchanging of rings and wedding vows.
Town hall ceremonies last approximately 10 minutes and, in our experience, the wedding registrars are always extremely caring, loving and sincere people who try to give the best wedding experience possible.
There’s no specific dress code, so it’s your choice what you wear to your ceremony. You do have the opportunity to have photographs taken, and we can organise a photographer if you wish to have one.
It is also common for couples to receive a gift from the registrars on behalf of the municipality.
What language is the wedding ceremony performed in?
Weddings in Denmark are conducted in your choice of English, Danish or German.
It’s a legal requirement that you both understand the language you choose your ceremony to be conducted in (to a level of at least A2). If this isn’t the case, you will need to bring a translator.
A translator can be anyone who speaks the language and can communicate the meaning to you. This could be a friend, a family member, a witness, a professional or even the photographer.
Why is our agency the best choice?
Because of its ease, speed and international recognition, Denmark has become a favourite destination for international couples to elope to.
The process of getting married in Denmark is simpler, quicker, beautifully straightforward and without the high levels of bureaucracy you often find in other countries. This means that couples from all over the world flock there to exchange their vows and become legally married.
Danish marriage certificates are also legally binding in the EU and, if you have an apostille on your marriage certificate, you can easily legalise it in many, many non-EU countries.
It is also affordable – and anyone can do it.
Altogether, it’s easy to see why Denmark is a top destination for foreigners to get married in – and why so many international couples choose Danish weddings.
Do you need witnesses for a wedding in Denmark?
Each Danish municipality has its own rules when it comes to witnesses.
Witnesses are provided free of charge by the state. In some locations – and often on weekends – you may be required to bring your own.
A witness can be anyone over 18 years of age. If you are not able to provide 2 witnesses, we will ensure they are present during your ceremony.
Where in Denmark can you get married?
Denmark consists of 98 municipalities – and we can organise weddings in almost every single one of them. We also actively cooperate with nine cities across Denmark, as well as many of the islands.
As to where your wedding in Denmark should take place, this depends on several factors. Where do you want it to take place? When do you want it to take place? How are the transport connections there? Can witnesses be organised? What’s the availability of the local town hall for marriage ceremonies?
Taking all of these factors into account, we’ll offer you many options and work with you to help shape your dream wedding in Denmark.
Can we get married in front of the town hall?
Many cities do offer open-air wedding opportunities – especially in Copenhagen and on the islands in the warmer months. However, this often costs extra.
Also, keep in mind that Denmark’s weather conditions are often not ideal for outdoor wedding ceremonies. The country is much better suited to indoor services.
Can we get married in a church?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer religious wedding services.
To be married in a church in Denmark, the couple must either be tax-paying residents of the country or be willing to pay large sums of money to the church in return.
Instead, we offer civil ceremonies in city or town halls and the option for wedding photos to be taken in churches afterwards.
When do we get our marriage certificate?
At the time of registering their marriage, the happy couple receives two copies of their marriage certificate.
Danish marriage certificates are highly standardised and are issued in five languages: Danish, English, French, German and Spanish.
If necessary, additional copies can also be ordered.
Do we need to book a hotel and stay there for three days?
No! This is actually a myth that has been circulating on forums for many years now.
We can arrange a one-day trip for you, although we always recommend our couples arrive a day before the wedding so they are well-rested, relaxed and ready for their wedding day.
Are tickets, hotels and photographers included in the price?
No, our price covers only things related to the wedding ceremony itself. You will have to make all other bookings yourself.
We do, however, offer our professional expertise in helping you to plan your trip. This includes everything from recommending hotels and accommodation to helping you find the best photographers.
How quickly can we get married?
From applying to marrying, the speed it takes depends on two main factors: how prepared you are, and the availability of marriage ceremony appointments in your chosen location.
The maximum period for submitting a marriage application is 4 months, the minimum is 4 weeks. On average, the whole process takes about 1-1.5 months.
It takes about one week for the ministry to receive your application, review it and give their approval. It takes 1-3 days to find and book a location and date for the wedding ceremony itself. You will then have to wait for this date to arrive and, in the meantime, travel to Denmark, coordinate accommodation and finalise any other wedding-related plans.
This best-case scenario is only when your application is 100% complete and with all needed documents present and correct, and when wedding appointment waiting times are low. We cannot guarantee you any specific wedding dates until after your application is approved.
Documents required for getting married in Denmark
The number of documents you will need depends on where you’re from and where you want your marriage recognised but, as a rule, only 2-3 documents are required from each spouse.
What documents do I need to get married in Denmark?
You’ll definitely both need valid passports or IDs. Your passport should have at least two blank pages, be issued within the last 10 years, and be valid for at least three months after you leave Denmark. Make sure to check that well in advance.
As for other documents, it varies depending on your situation. Required documents may include a valid Schengen visa or residence permit, birth certificates of any shared children, proof of single status if required, divorce papers or a death certificate if either of you was previously married, apostilles for international legalisation, and so on.
Aside from passports, visas and residence permits, all documents must be submitted in either Danish, German or English. This may involve using the services of a certified translator, something which can be done online.
After examining your case, we’ll tell you exactly what documents you will require and how to get them, omitting all non-essential ones to save you time.
In case of divorcees
For divorcees seeking to remarry, you will have to present proof of your divorce in either Danish, German or English.
If your divorce certificate was issued from within the EU, it will not have to be apostilled.
If the document is from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or Turkey, it generally does not need to be legalised or have an apostille stamp in order to be approved in Denmark.
The same applies to documents from most non-EU European countries, except Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
For documents from many other countries, legalisation via an apostille stamp may be required.
In case of having shared children
You will have to submit copies of the birth certificates for all shared children in either Danish, German or English.
In case you are in the military
You will need to receive official approval from a relevant military officer and present it in either Danish, German or English.
How to prepare your documents
As all couples are different, so are the documents they’ll need. With the wealth of experience we’ve accrued over the years, we’ll let you know exactly which you’ll need and how to prepare them.
We know what specific details and information the Danish authorities are looking for and how to present it to them in the most time-saving and efficient way.
To help you prepare, we’ll need to get some information from you. For this, we’ve created a personal document checklist that you’ll need to complete and send to us via WhatsApp (+491704504167) or email at [email protected].
Here’s the checklist:
- What are your nationalities?
- What kind of residence permit/permanent residence/visa do you have, and what are their terms?
- Have either of you ever been divorced and, if so, where?
- Do you have any children together?
- How long have you been in this relationship?
With the help of our personal managers, we will assist you in the whole process of preparing the documents for your wedding – from collecting them and getting them translated to photographing and scanning them ready to send.
Marriage in Denmark for foreigners from all over the world
I am Kira Friesen, a Russian citizen who officially lives and works in Germany.
On April 9, 2021, my German partner and I got married in Copenhagen. I myself went from having a tourist visa C to a residence permit in Germany and know exactly how the process works.
I founded Marriage in Denmark in July 2021 because I wanted to share my new-found expertise with international couples, including same-sex couples, looking to register their marriages as quickly as possible.
Currently, our team includes four women, three of whom have also married German partners and have been through the difficult path of immigration first-hand.
We provide an all-inclusive service – helping you through your whole application process, checking and preparing your documentation, getting your marriage approval as fast as possible, booking the earliest possible appointment, and building your dream Danish wedding around you.
In our three years together, we’ve successfully organised weddings for over 300 couples from all over the world.
But, our service doesn’t just end with the marriage ceremony. We help with expiring visas and residence permits, the reunification procedure for families and other important immigration-related topics.
In short, we put the extra work in so that you can best enjoy your time together.
We are so much greatful and thankful for the help of this company. Hassle free and stressless, just perfectly easy especially for foreigners. We are German- Philippinian couple, wish your team good luck and more happy couples.
Kira and her team organized our wedding in Copenhagen in July 2023 and we had an amazing experience and joy of working with Kira: she was always acting as professional, answered quickly any question we had and she was replying so quick and really exceeded our expectations, and we would recommend Kira and her team to everyone who would like to make their experience of getting married in Copenhagen easy, fast and remarkable.
Again thank you Kira and all of your team.
Thank you very much for organizing our wedding. We contacted this company on June 8th, and already on July 21st, we had our exceptional wedding in Copenhagen. Everything was planned and executed very precisely and quickly. The organization was at such a high level that we didn’t even have to worry about any bureaucratical matters. Our only task was to arrive in Copenhagen on time.
Thank you so much for making our dream come true! Your team made our wedding unforgettable and magical!
If you want to get married in Denmark and also get a further assistance with after marriage burocratic procedure in Germany, this is the team you need!
They provide super professional service ever. Very organised, helpful and fast. They can tell you everything about the process so you don’t have to worry about anything. In case you forget something, they will follow up and make sure everything goes well.
Couldn’t been happier with the service and thank you for everything.
Kira was very responsible and responding to all our queries, sending reminders and guided us throughout the entire process. Getting married in Denmark was very smooth and quick. No need to submit a bunch of dociments, you also don’t have to apostille your docs at the DFA offices in the Philipipines. I had visited many websites and contacted wedding organizers but Kira’s service is the simplest and quickest. I will definitely recommend this agency to others.
We had such a great experience with this agency. They worked extremely fast to help our dream come true as my fiancee’s visa was about to expire. They remain the best agency – very tolerant, transparent and patient throughout the process. We are now happily married and preparing for family reunification – also with the help of the agency.
