Getting Married
What is it?
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. To get married, you must register with the municipality where you plan to hold the ceremony at least two weeks in advance. Please call us at 14 0487 to do so. This used to be called “giving notice of marriage.”
How does it work?
Together with the municipality, you will discuss, among other things:
- the wedding date;
- the wedding venue;
- which wedding officiant you would like;
- 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 a registered partnership:
- When you get married, you say “I do” to each other. In a civil partnership, this is not required.
- If you do not have minor children, a registered partnership can be dissolved without going to court. In the case of a marriage, you must always go to court to get a divorce.
- Registered partnerships do not allow forlegal separation, whereas marriage does.
What should I do?
You must file the report with the municipality where you will be getting married.
- You must submit the notification no later than 14 days before your wedding.
- Please list the names of your witnesses for the ceremony. These individuals must be of legal age. You may have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 witnesses. For a free wedding, you may have 2 witnesses.
- If you and your partner are in 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 is not a Dutch citizen, he or she must first submit a "Declaration of No Sham Marriage." In this declaration, your partner states that he or she is not marrying you for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit. The IND will verify this declaration.
You do not need this statement if you:
- hold citizenship of both of these countries
- both of you have a permanent residence permit
- both of you have permanent asylum status
- want to have a foreign marriage that took place more than 10 years ago registered in the Netherlands
- want to have a foreign marriage that has been dissolved registered in the Netherlands.
How much does it cost?
Costs of getting married at the town hall or at a designated location
- Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.€422.00
- Free on Wednesdays between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.€617.00
Costs of getting married at your own venue
- Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.€478.00
- Saturday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.€685.00
- For information about venue costs, please contact the property manager or owner
Costs for a private registrar
- For the appointment and swearing-in of a person of your choice as a civil registrar: €210.00 per day
- For the appointment, without oath, of a person of one’s choice as a civil registrar:€101.00 per day
Cost of a marriage license
- Faux leather wedding book with printed design€33.45
- Leather-bound wedding book, printed€43.50
- Faux leather wedding book with calligraphy€50.00
- Leather wedding book with calligraphy€59.50
- Calligraphy
- Add child(ren)€11.25
Entries in calligraphic script are made at a desk. We will send your marriage certificate to us for this purpose. Entries made by hand are done at the counter. This service is free of charge.
Witness
- Witness provided by the municipality of West Maas en Waal € 47.00 per witness
What do I need?
- Valid identification for you and your partner
- Copies of your witnesses' valid identification documents
Additional information
- Do you both live outside the Netherlands, and does at least one of you hold Dutch citizenship? If so, please register with the municipality of The Hague at .
- A marriage performed abroad will not be recognized if you or your partner is under 18 years of age.
Other Requirements
- 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? If so, you need permission from your guardian or the subdistrict court.
If you do not meet the Requirements, the Minister of Justice and Security may still grant permission. For example, if you are siblings by adoption. This is called a marriage dispensation.
Marital Property Rules
New matrimonial property rules took effect on January 1, 2018 . The general community of property has been replaced by a limited community of property. As a result, less property is shared between spouses in the event of a divorce.