Marriage in the Netherlands

Looking to formalise your relationship? The Netherlands offers various routes for couples to express their commitment to each other, including not only civil marriages but also registered partnerships and cohabitation agreements. 

In the Netherlands, only registry offices can perform legally-binding marriages, although some couples also choose to have a religious ceremony as well. This page looks at the process of getting married in the Netherlands, outlining the requirements and key steps. 

Getting married in the Netherlands

Here are the key steps involved in getting married in the Netherlands:

1. Make sure you meet the requirements to get married
2. Register your intended marriage with your municipality
3. Register your witnesses
4. Set a date and location for your ceremony

Note that the steps are virtually identical for both getting married and registering a civil partnership. 

Requirements for getting married in the Netherlands

Your first step should be to make sure you fulfil the requirements to get married in the Netherlands. To enter into a marriage, you (and your partner) must fulfil the following requirements: 

• You are over the age of 18.
• You are not already married to or in a registered partnership with someone else.
• You are not blood relatives (parents and children, grandparents and children, or brothers and sisters are not allowed to marry).
• Either you or your partner is a Dutch national or lives in the Netherlands.

Can foreigners marry in the Netherlands? 

Yes, foreigners can marry in the Netherlands, as long as at least one partner lives in the Netherlands. 

If neither partner is a Dutch national and you do not live in the Netherlands (e.g. you are not registered at a Dutch municipality), you cannot get married in the Netherlands. 

Getting a dispensation to marry

If you do not meet the requirement to marry, you can in certain circumstances receive a dispensation from the Ministry of Justice and Security. For instance, an adopted brother and sister might wish to marry. This is known as a huwelijksdispensatie (dispensation to marry). 

Declaring your intention to marry

If you fulfil the requirements, the next step you need to take is declaring your intention to marry (melding van voorgenomen huwelijk or - more simply - ondertrouw) with a municipality. You can do this at any municipality, but it makes sense to do it in the one where you intend to get married. 

The time scale for this varies according to location, but in general it needs to be a minimum of two weeks and no more than one year before your wedding date. In practice, you should do this as soon as possible; some municipalities ask for notice at least 12 weeks before the wedding date. 

You can submit this notice online if both you and your partner are registered in the Netherlands. Alternatively, you can make an appointment at your local municipality to give notice in person. 

Note that once you have submitted your notice you have to get married within 12 months, otherwise the notice becomes invalid and you will have to apply again.

Documents needed to get married

You will need:

• A valid form of ID such as a passport, ID card or driving licence
• A declaration of unmarried status (ongehuwdverklaring) if you have been registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) for less than one year (you can request this online) 
• A personal declaration for non-Dutch nationals (to rule out sham marriages - you can find out more information on the government website)

You used to be asked to provide your birth certificate, but nowadays the registrar can usually look up your information in the BRP. If this is not possible, you may need to provide your birth certificate and other documents such as divorce certificates. 

Registering your witnesses

At some point during the process of organising your marriage, you will be asked to register your witnesses. This means providing some information about the people who will witness your marriage. You must appoint at least two and no more than four witnesses for your marriage.

Your witnesses must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Provide a form of ID such as a passport, ID card or driving licence

Witnesses do not need to be Dutch citizens or residents of the Netherlands. 

Book your marriage ceremony

The final step is to book your marriage ceremony. 

Only civil ceremonies are legally recognised in the Netherlands, so you must complete this step in order to be legally married. You can choose to have a religious or secular ceremony afterwards to complete your celebration, but the civil ceremony must come first. 

To confirm the date and location of your marriage, you normally need to book an appointment with the municipality, although it may be possible to do this online. At this stage, you can usually choose:

• Your wedding date
• Your wedding location
• Your preference for a civil registrar
• The language you wish your ceremony to take place in (most municipalities offer ceremonies in Dutch and English, but some other languages might be possible; otherwise, you will have to book a sworn interpreter for your ceremony)

Each municipality will offer a different range of options for your marriage ceremony, including budget and free options (for instance if you marry in the morning on a weekday). 

Planning your Dutch wedding

Most Dutch weddings consist of the civil ceremony, followed by a reception, a dinner and a party, but you can customise things however you wish - the only requirement to get legally married is that you have the civil ceremony. 

Ultimately, your wedding will come down to personal choice, and there are plenty of suppliers out there - from caterers and florists to venues and planners - that can help you put together your ideal celebration. 

Hire a wedding planner

Planning a wedding is stressful enough, let alone when you're an expat in a new country. What reception venue will be available? What food will you serve? Will you have a live band or a DJ? Luckily, you don't need to do everything yourself. Make sure things go smoothly and enlist the help of a wedding planner for internationals, such as My Forever Weddings.

Find a wedding outfit

Looking for the perfect dress for your wedding? Check out ELIRA by Selsela Weddingwear.

Receiving your marriage certificate

Things work a little differently in the Netherlands when it comes to marriage certificates. In many countries around the world, you automatically receive a marriage certificate after your wedding. In the Netherlands, the original certificate remains with the municipality.

You can, however, request a copy of or an extract from the certificate, if you need it:

• A copy (also known as a certified, official or authenticated copy) contains exactly the same information as the original certificate. It is only available in Dutch.
• An extract contains a summary of the certificate in 10 different languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish and Serbo-Croatian. 

It costs around 15-20 euros to request a copy or extract of your marriage certificate. Note that you may also need to get an apostille to use the copy or extract abroad. 

Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, it has been possible for two men or two women to marry since 2001. As such, any couples of the same sex or gender identity can cement their union by any of the options available to heterosexual couples in the Netherlands, including marriage, registered partnerships, and cohabitation agreements. 

As of 2014, it has been illegal for marriage officiants in the Netherlands to refuse their services to same-sex couples.

Registering a marriage not held in the Netherlands

Marriages held in other countries must be registered in the Netherlands. This means that if you and your partner get married abroad, or move to the Netherlands already married, you are required to register the marriage with your local municipality. 

To do this, you must get the marriage certificate authenticated. The process differs depending on where the marriage took place; check with your municipality if you are not sure. 

Once the certificate is authenticated, the marriage can be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). 

Marriage and your property/debts

As of January 1, 2018, the system of limited community of property applies to partners who have married in the Netherlands. Simply put, this means that partners do not share all of their property and debts after they get married, unless a different arrangement has been drawn up by a civil law notary. 

Unless a marriage contract specified otherwise, marriages concluded before January 1, 2018 have general community of property, meaning that the partners share all property and debts.

Having children when married

Children born to married couples will automatically have both partners registered as their parents, even if one partner is not the biological parent. 

Citizenship after marrying a Dutch citizen

Dutch immigration law enables partners of Dutch citizens to apply for Dutch citizenship more quickly. If you are married to a Dutch citizen or in a registered partnership, you can apply after three years of living together (either in the Netherlands or abroad). 

The other benefit of being married to a Dutch citizen when you naturalise is that you are able to keep your original nationality and become a dual citizen. Otherwise, you would be required to renounce your original nationality when you naturalise. 

Alternatives to marriage in the Netherlands

If you wish to formalise your relationship but don’t want to get married, the Netherlands offers two other options: you can enter into a registered partnership or sign a cohabitation agreement. Find out more about these processes on our partnerships and cohabitation page.