Marriage registration in Germany
Marriage is commitment. Marriage has to endure many hardships. However, perhaps none of them is as difficult as having your marriage recognized in Germany.
This post aims at clarifying exactly how you can do that, and what documents you will need to achieve marriage registration in Germany.
It isn’t actually that hard, but if you don’t know the system, it feels really daunting. Coming from the experience of being an American marrying another American in Copenhagen, here are some tips on how to go out getting your marriage recognized without feeling completely deflated.
Before starting the process in Germany
You have settled on staying in Germany for a while and now decide that you and your non-German partner don’t want to go through the German system for getting married. This because you’ve heard the paperwork is so difficult that even Germans go elsewhere to get married. For this you have 2 options.
- You can decide to fly to Copenhagen, Malta, or any of the countries (particularly Denmark) that offer an international marriage license. This document is de-facto recognized by German authorities because it has a German translation, without the need for additional documentation.
- If you tie the knot in some other country however, you will need the Apostille.
Little warning about changing names: If one of your wants to take on the name of the other partner, makes sure to have this done when you marry. The German authorities can only register the marriage and not change names after the fact.
What is the Apostille?
It’s an international convention for official documents so they can be recognized by other countries than where it was produced. This is a “stamp” that Germany requires on marriage certificates from other countries in order to do marriage registration in Germany.
As for citizens from EU countries or other countries, or if your marriage license comes from a non-EU country, it is a good bet that you will need the Apostille. To get this, you can go to the city hall of where you were married and most likely get the stamp there. Depending on the country it might also be the local parish or other entity.
This page from the German foreign ministry explains what is needed based on which country your marriage certificate comes from.
The process of marriage registration in Germany
When both partners are foreigners(Eheregister)
Once you have the right certificate (and stamp if applicable), you will need to make an appointment or walk-in to the Bürgeramt in your respective neighborhood/city.
The employee might try to send you to the Standesamt instead because they are used to dealing with marriages involving German citizens. This is not right: if both spouses/partners are foreigners, registration takes place at the Bürgeramt in the Melderegister.
When we made an appointment online to get our Eheschließung recognized, it kept sending us to the Standesamt’s website to make an appointment, which resulted in waiting for an hour at there to learn we were in the wrong place. (This was Berlin however, results may vary in other cities).
It’s not always clear how to make an appointment online for this as well, so your best bet is to go to your Bürgeramt and try to get it done that day. You can also book an appointement by phone: a human might work better in this case (tips on how to book a Bürgerarmt appointment in Berlin). If not possible, they can walk you through how to make n appointment.
We thought there must be specific places that allow this type of recognition to happen, but the best way to find that out is to just go to your Bürgeramt and ask if it’s the right place you can get your “Eheschließung Anmeldung” (Marriage registration in Germany).
When one partner has German citizenship
If there a German citizen involved, you might need to proceed to your Standesamt instead (Eheregister). The process is usually better known by city clerks. There are therefore appointements slots available for that online usually.
Here is the link for Berlin for example.
However, some people reported in the comments that it might also just be fine to go to the Bürgeramt and have it registered there.
Bring the right documents
Bring with you:
- Your international marriage license (and the Apostille depending on your case).
- A translated version of your birth certificates. Depending on your country, this can either be obtained directly from your home country, in the form of a international certificate, or it will need to be translated to a certified translation (more about this here).
- Meldebescheinigung.
- Passports.
If you are coming with your certificate from Denmark specifically, they may not ask for anything other than your passports and your marriage certificate, but as we have learned after living with German bureaucracy for a couple years, it’s always good to be prepared for marriage registration in Germany.
In doubt for Berlin, you can check this page which lists all the documents that might be required. For other cities, try to google “Nachbeurkundung einer Eheschließung im Ausland [city name]” to get to the city portal.
Pay the fee
After they fill out your German recognition for your marriage, they will ask if you want to pay for the copy of it. We did, and it was 10 euro. If your certificate is from somewhere like Malta, it may be slightly more.
Depending on which Bürgeramt you go to, it may also only accept EC cards. Again here, fees may vary from city to city.
Please note that paying the fee might not be the end of the process. It does happen that the Bürgeramt asks for additional documents to finish the process.
All done with marriage registration in Germany, what now?
After getting your marriage recognized in the German system, 2 things will happen:
- You will receive a letter in the mail with your new Tax ID number for you and your spouse as a married couple.
- You should probably consider switching tax classes to get a better tax return. We show you how to do that here.
Ultimately, the process of marriage recognition in Germany wasn’t nearly as complicated as it ended up being. Not knowing how things work is really difficult and debilitating and took much longer than it should have. Hopefully this helps people going through similar situations feel a little more prepared for the process. Good luck and feel free to ask questions in the comments.
This post was originally written by Lauren Piper, an American living in Berlin, based on her experience. It was edited by Bastien Allibert (SiB’s Editor) for clarity.
HallO! Thanks for such good article!
I did in Frankfurt the registration of the marriage. In the Burgeramt They asked me for the certificate translated, I provided it, and they approved it right away.
But 2 buts:
1/ i never got any letter in the mailbox.
2/ i was never asked to pay anything for register the marriage.
Is there some way to verify this was done properly?
I see in my payslip im tax class 4 i dont want to change my class to 3 using the elster website and screw it up
Hey Diego. Each municipality might have slightly different rules when it comes to this. A way to check this would be to call the Finanzamt to see if they got the update. Have you tried that?
Hey! Thank you so much for the information.
My partner (EU citizen) and I (not EU) got married in Denmark, and after reading your blog, I’m heading to the Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg to ask if I can register our marriage there. Is it neccesary that my spouse comes with me or I can go by myself with his passport?
Hello Manuela. Good question. The page about this for Berlin does not mention that both spouses need to be present. I can only deduct you can go alone with his passport.
Hey Bastien: thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
I am drowning in a glass of water. I was finally able to get an appointment to register our marriage in Pankow, only to find out in the confirmation email that I can only register it at the dependency where I reside. I guess I’ll just show up at my neighborhood burgeramt without an appointment, begging for an appointment, since my visa change appointment is coming up soon. I am going crazy preparing the form Antrag auf Beurkundung einer Auslandseheschließung im Eheregister (§ 34 PStG), my German is very basic and I am doing it with a translator, and really the things they ask me don’t make any sense. Do you have an example to guide me? I really have nowhere else to turn.
Hello Manuela. I’m sorry to hear about those issues. It’s a stressful situation. On this page, I found this form in with an English translation. I assume that’s the one you have as well. I can’t see anything that seems out of the ordinary. can you be more specific?
Hello! My partner and I are from India and are getting married there. What would be the process to make it official in Germany? We are settling in Munich, is it possible to go to the office there or would we need to go to Berlin itself?
Do let me know! Thank you for your blogs
Hey Anu. Apologies if this guide was confusing: this applies to any office in Germany, in any city. No need to come to Berlin to do this.
Greetings! Possibly helpful info for those married outside Germany (e.g., Denmark) and seeking to register their marriage in Germany. Our scenario involves a German citizen (residing in Berlin) and a non-EU citizen (living outside the EU). We got married in Copenhagen in early August 2023 and promptly registered our marriage at City Hall Schöneberg the following day without any issues. I only needed to bring the marriage certificate (not requiring legalization as it was issued in Denmark and is in German/Danish/English), a copy of my spouse’s passport, and my ID card. I registered it under the “meldebescheinigung” appointment, as there is no specific appointment for marriage registration, so no need to go to Standesamt.
Hey Rio. Thanks for this info. I will amend.
Hello all I live in Germany and I am Cameroonian of origin and my fiancé is from Poland and has been living in Germany for about 11 years now.Is it possible for us to use a marriage certificate done at the Cameroonian embassy in Berlin Germany to get a family reunion visa for Germany for me as a married man to her? Or it’s only European marriage certificates that are accepted in Germany?
I will be glad to get a reply to this question.Thanks
Hey Arnold. This is more of a visa related issue and I can’t give advice on specific cases. Try to call this official hotline and ask.
Hi Bastien, thanks for this informative blog post!
I’m (Malaysian) registered in Berlin (with Aufenthaltstitel Work Visa) and my partner is German.
We are considering getting married in Las Vegas due to the easier paperwork.
So the marriage certificate will be recognised and can be registered in Berlin.
However, I read from this website that the waiting time can take up to 3 years. https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/04-FamilyMatters/marriage-registration/911862
Is this the norm?
Thanks and best regards
Rayson
Hey Rayson. I can’t help to think this is a typo. Even by German standards, this seems to be outrageous. I think it’s best to call the Standesamt to get a confirmation for that number. You can get a list of the different offices you can call here.
Hi,
Just a quick question.
My husband is Luxembourgish living in Germany. I am Indian living in India. We got married legally online through Utah Marriage Act valid in the US and our certificate has an apostille stamp too. Will this Marriage be recognised as valid to German immigration as I need to apply for spouse reunification visa?
Hello Hrithika. I cannot comment on individual situations as I can’t know the legality of each type of marriage, depending on origin or citizenship. I’d advise you to ask this official hotline, they may be able to help you.
Hello, I have a question related to Marriage registration in Germany. The case is, we will marry in Copenhagen, my partner is living outside Germany/EU and holds non-EU Passport. There is no hurry that my partner will move to Berlin soon with me. Do I need to register our marriage as soon as after our wedding?
Hey Rio. As your partner won’t be a German resident, you won’t be able to make use of your marriage to lower your tax bracket so there is no hurry to do this yet, in my opinion.
Hi
Thanks a lot for the informative article. I have a specific question to ask.
I am a Turkish national living in Berlin and got married to another Turkish national in Turkey. She applied for a family reunion visa and still waiting for an appointment from the German consulate in Turkey. I have the Official International Marriage Certificate with me here. Can I go to the Bürgeramt alone and register my marriage in order to change my tax class? It’s gonna take a few more months for her to come to Germany. However, I already want to change my tax class. Do you think it is possible?
Hey Ekin, as pointed in the post about tax classes here, both spouses need to be German residents first, except for a few exceptions you can read about here. Don’t worry, you still have time to change it and make use of it the whole year.
Hi Bastian, thanks for the info, I am currently struggling to give the Bürgersamt solid answers as they push me to register my marriage certificate with Standesamt, while I came here as married Masters student, now I am working and have also filled a visa application for my family. I submitted the notarized marriage certificate when I was applying for my visa application.
Now importantly, can be please give me reference to the law ‘1bis- Go to the Standesamt if one partner is a German citizen’ and that if ‘1- Go to the Bürgeramt if both are foreigners(Eheregister)’ – from where did you get this information?- was it official?- I desparately need your help because the Ausländerbehörde is pushing me register the marriage certificate with Standesamt (which will take further 2-3 months) and I have already waited more than 6 months & the visa application is still underprocess.
Your reply will be greatly appreciated.
Hey Haris. No I don’t have a piece of law to give you unfortunately. This information comes from experience as it seems to be an unwritten rule/practice with the German authorities. Since Germany is highly decentralized, local offices might proceed differently too. Sorry I could not help further.
Hi there, I have a quick question about name changes. We are getting married in Copenhagen and were told we cannot change my name there as we reside in Germany. If I cannot declare my new last name in Copenhagen will I have trouble once we are back in Germany switching to my married name?
Hey Laura. I don’t see any issue mentioned in both of those sources: source 1, source 2. There doesn’t seem to be a time limit either. Congratulations to you both.
I have a similar question – I have read that it is not possible to change the name in Denmark, that it needs to be done in Germany. However is this done at the Standesamt ? I am a German citizen but my partner is non-EU.
Hello – thanks for this article, it’s great! Just out of curiosity, how long did it took finanzamt to change your Tax ID from 1 to 4? We were at Bürgeramt in end of November, everything seems correctly registered (when I request registration confirmation, it is actually correct), however, our tax classes are still 1.
Hey Miro. That usually takes a month or two. That is a long time now indeed.
Hello,
I am a US citizen currently living independently in Berlin, who recently got married in Copenhagen to an Irish citizen. We currently live apart and I am planning to join him in the UK in the coming months. My question is, do I need to go about registering our marriage here in Germany if we do not live together? If so, can I turn up to the appointment to register the marriage on my own?
Hello Sophie. No, you don’t HAVE to do register anything. If you leave soon, that’s a lot of administrative burden for little to no benefits as well. Might be better to put it off altogether.
Hey Bastien,
Thanks for the content, it was very helpful.
In addition, I still have a couple of questions. My Partner and I got married in Denmark, but are register at the same residency in Berlin. She holds an EU passport, and I was previously here holding a visa which will expired in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we can not find an appointment at the burgeramt to officialize our marriage here before my prior visa expires.
Would you by any chance know if I could get in trouble in between the visa deadline and the formal marriage residency?
Also, I need to travel for work outside the EU in January. Would de Anmenung and the married certificate be enough for me to come back? I appreciate your kindness and time to answering it.
Hey Thais. That is an excellent question. I don’t have much experience in this particular matter. If you travel outside the country while you visa has expired, you would probably be able to come back “as a tourist” so to speak but your Anmeldung and Marriage certificate alone are not granting you permanent residency yet. You need to apply for a reunification visa or some sort. Mind you: all this is simply an educated guess but if you want precise advice on immigration matters, it’s best to approach an expert. (Like: https://redtapetranslation.com/)
Hi,
Quick feedback on my experience.
The situation was quite simple: 2 EU citizens with legal residence in Germany (anmeldung) and we got married in Denmark.
We booked an appointment with “Meldebescheinigung beantragen” and arrived with our wedding certificate & ID’s/passports. They didn’t ask for an apostille or anything since it is also written in German on the paper (my guess). We asked about the tax class and were told it was done automatically, I’ll monitor this and comment here if needed.
Good to know: we wanted my wife to take my name on top of hers and we were told this should have been done in Denmark as they only “register” the wedding. Now, we will work through the embassies to try and get that result.
Last note, my German is quite bad but I tried to speak German and the employee kindly switched to English when he saw I didn’t understand, sometimes you can be lucky! 🙂
Hey Ben. That’s great insight thanks! I will add your warning about name changing.
Great article, thanks so much! My wife and I (Irish & British with residency permit respectively) need to register our marriage and pretty much every single Bürgeramt online is “nur mit Termin”. Just wondering since Corona if anyone has had any experience with simply turning up at a local Bürgeramt without an appointment and waiting in line.
Great question Jon.
Hi dear Settle in Berlin Staff!
My question is: I got married with my spanish girlfriend in Denmark. She’s a Berlin resident (Anmeldung and job contract here)
Me, an argentinian with no EU visa. We want to apply for a Family Reunification Visa, but i want to know if i can make the process here or should i go to my country to start the process?
I have many doubts about this topic since i found different info. Hope you can clarify my mind!
Thanks in advance! Cheers,
Max
Hey Max. I am not knowledgeable in family reunification visas unfortunately. My educated guess would be that it would be best to start the process in your home country. Might be best to ask a professional about that specific information.
Hello, I and my partner are from Nigeria living in Germany since 2016, june29 is my weeding in Denmark , what next step after should me take?
Hello there. Congratulations on you both. Denmark is delivering an international marriage license that is recognized by the German authorities. No need for an apostille, as mentioned in the post. The rest of the post gives you the steps to take.
Hello, thanks for your wishes, yesterday was the weeding, I went to the standesamt she said it can’t be recognized because 1 we are both black , 2 Denmark doesn’t requires all the documents Germany requires, so they refused it I have not try the anmelden office yet I am just emotional, can anyone help please
?? Both black? Are you sure that’s a reason they quoted to you? I find this really strange. Your marriage is valid and can be transposed in Germany. That’s for sure. Not sure what else I can say…
I just went through the process of having our marriage (done in Denmark between a US and PL citizen) registered in Berlin. A few takeaways:
-The Standesamt doesn’t do walk in appointments because of corona, at least the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg location, so I sent them an email regarding registering our marriage and I received the following response: “eine Nachbeurkundung einer im Ausland geschlossenen Ehe ist nur möglich, wenn entweder die Frau oder der Mann die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit hat. Ansonsten haben Sie die Möglichkeit im Melderegister Ihren geänderten Familienstand eintragen zu lassen. Bitte wenden Sie sich dazu an ein Bürgeramt Ihrer Wahl.”
-The takeaway from this is that it’s not possible to register in the Standesamt, unless one of us is a German citizen, and should make an appointment at the Bürgeramt instead.
-I happened to be at the Neukölln Bürgeramt on another errand later that week, and asked the woman helping me how to go about registering the marriage. She took the one-page license, made a copy, and took care of it on the spot, without an additional fee. I didn’t fill out a form, my husband wasn’t with me (although I had his passport on me just in case), and the apostille on the back of the marriage certificate wasn’t photocopied.
-It seems that an appointment at the Bürgeramt will suffice to have the marriage registered in the public record, although unfortunately I’m not sure what the service is called to make the appointment online (plenty of “Ehe..” options).
-The woman said our tax class will automatically be changed to 4/4 and if we’d like to change our tax class to contact the Finanzamt.
I hope this helps!
Hey Azia. That is great insight! I thank you so much for taking the time to write it.
Thank you so much Azia! This is so helpful… I’m booking now apartment for me and my wife and I’m trying ti figure out which appointment actually it is? Is simply Anmeldung or Meldebescheinigung or something else?
Meldebescheinigung
Hey! Thanks for this. Do you have any idea if they accept an apostille which is digital? I.E. not an actual stamp but still an apostille. Also, do you know if anyone handles this with a power of attorney? not the aposttile, but the process in Germany. thanks!
Hey Andres. To my knowledge, you can use the power of attorney to do this. Given the state of digitization in Germany, I would not count on them accepting anything but paper.
Hi! So, actually I went today to a burgeramt (both of us are auslanders) but they refused to take the papers because we are not married – we are in a civil partnership. They kindly told us that either married or not. They did not make any fuss about the apostille.
I guess that we will have to go to Denmark haha.
Good evening everyone..please I have a question I want to get married to my German girlfriend I’m from Nigerian living in Italy ..we want to get married in denmark my question is after the married and I have come to Germany with the certificate from Denmark showing that we are married can I stay in Germany with my wife or I have to go back to Italy till I get a message from Germany office that I can come to stay with my wife in Germany so please I need some information please….
Hey Chris. Are you talking about the conditions of a spouse reunification visa? If so, you would probably need to stay in Italy and apply for a visa from there first.
I think this information needs to be fact-checked. Registering a foreign marriage at the Standesamt is only available for German citizens. This is stated clearly on the Berlin service portal page, the link which you included in the article.
Hey Luke. Thanks for your input. Could you clarify and point me to the right paragraph/sentence?
Hi Bastien,
The link to “Eheschließung im Ausland – Nachbeurkundung beantragen” does indeed say that German citizenship is a requirement for at least one of the spouses:
“Voraussetzungen
– Die Ehe wurde im Ausland geschlossen
Mindestens einer der Ehegatten ist zum Zeitpunkt der Antragstellung deutscher Staatsangehöriger. ”
My wife and I have just married in Copenhagen too and are looking to go through this process. Presumably you have completed all these steps yourself, so may I ask whether you or your partner have German citizenship?
Thanks!
Hi Bastien,
Feel free to delete my previous comment – I read further through the comments, and I see you’ve already addressed this point further down.
Cheers
Hey Henry. Thanks for the input. I will try to find a better, more relevant resource to link to. However, I haven’t found anything like this in the past.
Hi Bastian
Thanks for the response!
Another quick question – my partner will be applying for a Family Reunification Visa, does a marriage certificate from Denmark need to have an apostille?
Thanks!
I just got married in Denmark- an apostille is not absolutely necessary but we got one anyway, just in case Germany decides to make any new Regeln. In Denmark, they do this often for Germans and people living in Germany because everything here is so unnecessarily complicated, so they have everything prepared in the way it needs to be for Germany to accept it already. No worries! (but get the Apostille just in case)
Hi Bastian,
Great article, thanks!
Do you happen to know how a name change works? My fiancée is Swiss and we aren’t sure if she should contact her embassy first to change name or if this can be done with the support of the German authorities.
Hey Nick. In general, you can take your partner’s name when you marry in Germany, and have this recognized in your home country afteer the fact. Was that the question?
Hi Bastien,
Hope you are well.
Quick question, my partner and I plan to get married in New York, USA. Would you know if the marriage certificate require legalization/apostille before it can be accepted for a visa application (Family Reunion Visa)?
Hey Mark. I can’t tell because I don’t know what kind of certificates/documents is delivered to you over-there.
Hello! Yes marriage certificates from the US are absolutely recognized in Germany and getting a legalization/apostille is always a good idea (so yes, do it just in case)
Hello Bastien. My partner and I want to registrate our marriage (we got married in Denmark). He’s not German but an EU citizen, and I’m a non EU citizen. Is it the same proccess you have described here? I ask because on the link in the article says something about German citizenship, so I wonder if maybe the requirements change if we aren’t German?
Thanks a lot for all the info, it has been super useful!
Hello Januska. Yes, it is the same process. I agree the information on the Berlin website is somewhat confusing.
Very useful info, thanks a lot!
I got married almost a year ago in Copenhagen with an EU-Citizen (I’m a non-EU citizen), but we didn’t register our marriage here, because we did not know we could do it. Now I wanted to do my tax declaration but apparently I’m still “single” for the Finamzamt (Tax class I). Could we do our taxes as “single” this year and register our marriage later this year or that could mean a problem in the future?
Hey Teban. It would be too late for 2020 yes, but you can still register your marriage this year to change tax classes to 3/5, as mentioned here.
Hello,
What about the case when both married parties are non-EU citizens. Do they still need to have the marriage registered in Germany if they got married in Denmark? Or it will be a different process??
Regards
Hey Presha. Yes.
Bastien. Hello.
Hey, a question. Maybe you can help me. What are the benefits for register my marriage here in Germany?
Hey Luis. There are several benefits to be listed. Here is a full list of them.
Thanks for this very useful information! Because of Corona, we had to book an appointment online to get our marriage recognized in Berlin. However, the only way to book an appointment for this was via the one Burgeramt open for appointments (I had to email several directly to get set up with an appointment) . There was no option for appointments at the Standesamt or even open hours. When went to the building the guards were confused and directed us towards the Standesamt within the building but it was closed so we scurried back to the line for the Burgeramt, only a little late! A young lady processed our documents but offered no copy and told us we didn’t have to pay. She said the Finanzamt would be automatically informed but never told us that a new tax ID number would come in the mail. We were hoping to get money back retroactively from when we were married last year. I’m not sure if I should just wait for something in the mail with a new tax ID or if I should fill out the tax status form change and include a letter stating that we registered our marriage already etc. with our last income tax returns, apostille etc.
Thanks for your input Rachel. You can only get back to tax saving benefits if you changed tax classes, until the 30th November of that year, as mentioned here.
Hi Bastien. A quick question. You put up a link for the appointment booking for the marriage registration to be done at Bürgeramt, however when I click the link and go to the bottom of the webpage it only shows appointment booking at the various Standesamts. What is the accurate way to make a booking? Another question, I’m a non EU citizen still living in my country and my husband is a German citizen living in Berlin. We recently got married in Denmark. Must he do the marriage registration by informing the Bürgeramt or can he wait for me to move over to Berlin and we can do it together? Thank you for your help.
Hey Shahina. This would be the right link for Berlin but somewhere else in Germany, it might be at the Bürgeramt. I will rewrite it to avoid confusion. It’s probably best for you to be in Berlin, as you need to present passports.
Thanks for the info! We were not able to get an appointment at our regular Burgeramt due to a time crunch, so booked one nearby (still in Berlin though, where we live). Do you know if its required to use the same Burgeramt where you’ve done the Anmeldung, or it is fine to use one in another part of the city? Thanks!
Hey Kevin. That’s a great question. I can’t find a source that explicitly states otherwise for Berlin. I have this source that only vaguely states to go to the Burgeramt that’s relevant for you, which in Berlin could be many… Might be best to call before hand?
Hello. Thank you for the information, I do have another question please. 3 months back me and my husband got married in a NON-EU country and I moved to Germany on a blue card. He is still back home and will take around a year to join me here in Germany. We both are NON-EU citizens. In this case, can I still register my marriage in Germany to change my tax class?
Hey Amnah. This bit in the dedicated post about changing tax classes will answer that.
Hi Bastien!
I’m a national from Chile, my wife is from Germany and we got married in Chile. Once we register our mariege in Germany, what is the economic regime that we get? Do we get one by default? Do we have to chose one? Do we have to register the exact same one we chose when marrying in Chile?
Thanks!
Hey Andres. Not sure what you mean here, can you elaborate? Are you talking about matrimonial regime?
Hi there! I have a question regarding the documents needed at the Bürgeramt. My husband and I were married in the US and want it recognised in Germany. When you say “international marriage certificate”, is this just our normal certificate from the US (we also have an apostille), or something specific we need to get? We asked the Bürgeramt and they weren’t sure if we needed a separate certificate from the Standesamt. So we asked the Standesamt and they told us we couldn’t register for a certificate there as neither of us is German. So now we’re both confused as to what we really need to bring. Any help is much appreciated!
Hey Jess. I think the Apostille would do it, as per this source. In case, you can call your local embassy/consulate.
Hi,
My husband and I are married couple since before moving here in Berlin, my husband is working, blue card holder but his tax class is I (He’s married, but I am not sure why his tax class is not IV). Our kids and me here under the blue card family reunification.
We would like to change to tax class III/V as I am not working. Do we need to re-register our marriage to get recognize in Germany in order to eligible as tax class IV?
When I want to fill in for the tax class changing form, there was no option to put current tax class I in “Bisherige Steuerklassenkombination (Antragstellende Person/Ehegatte, Lebenspartner[in])”.
Thank you in advance.
Hey Emma. Yes, you first need to clarify with the Finanzamt why you are not in a 4/4 situation to start with, then do the switch.
We want to marry in Denmark, we live here in Germany, how do we go about it
Like that.
My Wife is Czech Republic citizen and I am a Non-EU citizen living in Germany, and we are married in Denmark, so is it possible to apply for Family Reunion Visa, as my my current visa Status is study long term, while Changing the Ausländeramt? Say for example from Düsseldorf to Köln?
Hey Bazigh. This goes beyond information on marriage registration and it is more about immigration issues. Can’t reliably help you there. I’d advise you to call this official hotline and ask this question there isntead.
Hi Bastien,
I have a question to you about our situation.I and my girlfriend both are living in Berlin.We are Bangladeshi nationals.We have completed our Master degree from Germany after that we have got 18 months for looking study related job.Luckily I found a job on my field and I have converted my resident permit to job visa.Firstly I have got residence permit for 6 months under 18 B ABS.1 AUFE because they like to observe that I will do that job or not.My girlfriend she still searching for job and at this moment,now she has 5 months valid resident permit only to find job.My question is ,If we get marry in Denmark before her residence permit has been finished,Will she get spouse visa and stay in Germany?
Thanks in advance.
Hey Reza. This goes beyond information on marriage registration and it is more about immigration issues. Can’t reliably help you there. I’d advise you to call this official hotline and ask this question there isntead.
Is it necessary for the both partner to be present during registration at burgeramt? Our marriage was performed in denmark but still not registered in germany which i am planning to do. And my fiance is out of Germany right now.
Hey Arnob. You’d need to ask your local office if you can do it with a “Vollmacht” and all necessary documents listed in the post. Policies may vary from city to city. It’s generally possible.
Hi, thanks for the helpful info. I had a question about how to register Danish marriage in Germany when one of us does not live in Germany full time. We are both EU citizens (I am Danish and my husband Spanish). I work in Germany for many years but my husband works in Norway. We would just like to officialise our marriage in Germany, however probably confusing for German officials that we do not live at the same address. Do we both need to go to the Burgeramt, or is it sufficient that I go?
I am Swedish working in Germany for many years. My husband is
Hey there. I don’t know where you plan to register your marriage, on the page dedicated to this topic for Berlin, it doesn’t state that partners need to be living at the same address. However, it does state that a passport or ID card should be presented at the Standesamt (not a copy), so I suppose it’s easier if you are both there.
Hlw, I have a job seeker visa,due to Corona I couldn’t manage any job in my field still.But I have visa up to March if I go to the visa office, due to the Corona is there any possibility to extend my visa to seek for job?
Hey Jannatul. The visa office has been more lenient and granting extensions more easily in the past few months because of Corona lockdown. I don’t know that would still be the case now. I#d suggest to call this hotline to ask directly.
The registration location; standesamt vs. Burgeramt issue is really confusing. They still give appointment in standesamt in this link: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/318966/
Hi, I got married in Denmark two years ago. I am still living in the US and my Husband is living in Germany but originally from The Gambia. He has his residency in Germany. Is it required that we register our marriage in Germany? I assumed that once we married in Denmark, being that it is apart of the EU it was already recognized and registered… is this not true?
Hey Shameka. That is not true. Both countries being part of the EU make the registration process a lot easier and streamlined, but being married in one country does not make it official EU wide.
Hi, I have a question.
My future husband German and I’m from Ukraine, so I got all documents ready for marriage in Germany, now I’m wondering if I can married in Germany with tourist visa, if yes, what the next should I do to get permanent visa.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Kateryna. Once you are married here, you can apply for a reunification visa. More info here.
Hi ,
First of all thank you for a detailed information.
I have an additional questions please: My marriage certificate is with Apostille but not translated into German. Should I have it translated by a certified translator?
Thank you,
Natia
Hey Nara. Yes.
hello! I also have a question… I’m married and everything is fine about the visa…but do we need to be registered in the same flat? we still together but decided live separated. is that a problem? thanks!!
Hey Lu. No, it’s not a requirement to live at the same address.
Hi, I would have one question regarding this. I and my husband has been married for many years (married in Italy, I come from Finland and he from Italy). My husband has been working and living two years in Berlin (tax class 1) while I was working in another country. Now I moved to the same residence in Berlin and started working here. Do we have to registrate our marriage to be able to go to tax class category 4 or does this happen once I have the residence here automatically? Thank you already in advance!
Hey Eeva. have you seen this post about switching tax classes in Germany?
Hello Bastien
I and my partner are non Eu citizens but staying in germany. We want to get married in US. How long will our marriage take to be registered here in germany.
Thank you
Hello Hope. I have no idea. It depends on the city you are registering it in, the level of documentation required, etc. Not days but some weeks is my best guess. Sorry I can’t be more precise.
Hi,
Quick question.. my partner and I are both foreigners. I’m already based in Berlin and my partner is still in Singapore. We plan to get married in Denmark (hopefully, once the borders open) so I can get my partner through via the Family Reunification visa.
My question is – does the certificate of marriage from Denmark needs to be with apostille?
Looking forward to your feedback. Thank you!
Hey Mark. As a rule, a bilateral agreement makes the Danish certificate valid without an Apostille, as confirmed here again with this source. However, this other source says you might need it to create a family book, change maiden names or if you need to go back to an non-EU country to prepare documents for a family reunion.