Getting married

What is it?

How wonderful that you are getting married. To do so, you must register at least two weeks in advance with the municipality where you wish to get married. In the past, this was called 'giving notice of marriage'.

How does it work?

Together with the municipality, you will discuss topics such as:

  • the wedding date
  • the wedding venue
  • which wedding official you want
  • who your witnesses will be during the ceremony
  • whether you want a marriage certificate
  • what the costs are

It is important that:

  • you and your partner are both 18 years of age or older
  • you are unmarried and do not have a registered partnership with anyone else

Difference between marriage and registered partnership

There are three differences between marriage and registered partnership:

  • When you get married, you say "I do." This is not mandatory for a registered partnership.
  • If you do not have minor children, a registered partnership can be terminated without going to court. In the case of a marriage, you must always go to court in order to get a divorce.
  • There is nolegal separation in a registered partnership.

What should I do?

You must register in the municipality where you will be getting married.

  • Submit the notification no later than 14 days before you get married.
  • Indicate who your witnesses will be during the ceremony. These individuals must be of legal age. You may have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 witnesses.
  • If you and your partner have a registered partnership and wish to convert it into a marriage, you must request a 'certificate of conversion'.

Marrying a non-Dutch citizen

If your partner does not have Dutch nationality, he or she must first submit a 'Declaration of no sham marriage'. This is a declaration that your partner is not marrying you for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit. The IND will check this declaration.

You do not need this statement if you:

  • have the nationality of one of these countries  
  • both have a permanent residence permit
  • both have an asylum permit for an indefinite period
  • want to register a foreign marriage that took place more than 10 years ago in the Netherlands
  • want to register a terminated foreign marriage in the Netherlands.

What should I bring?

  • Valid proof of identity for you and your partner
  • Copy of your witnesses' valid identification documents

Additional information

  • Do you both live outside the Netherlands and does at least one of you have Dutch nationality? Then you must register with the municipality of The Hague.
  • A foreign marriage will not be recognized if you or your partner is younger than 18 years of age.

Other terms and conditions

  • You may not marry your own child, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, grandchild, half-brother, or half-sister.
  • You cannot be forced to marry.
  • Are you under guardianship? Then you need permission from the guardian or magistrate.

If you do not meet the conditions, the Minister of Justice and Security may still grant permission. For example, if you are brother and sister by adoption. This is called a marriage dispensation.

Marital property rules

New matrimonial property rules will apply from January 1, 2018 . The general community of property has been replaced by a limited community of property. As a result, less will be shared between spouses in the event of a divorce.