Registration of a marriage
Before the marriage, the engaged couple must register their marriage at the relevant registry office.
Description
You can register your marriage at the earliest six months before the planned wedding date.
Please note: The registration date for your marriage is not the date for your civil wedding ceremony.
When you register your marriage, it will be checked whether the legal requirements for your marriage are met or whether there is an impediment to marriage.
Information can be provided on the name you wish to have for the marriage and various organisational points can be clarified.
You can pre-order marriage certificates - also in several languages - which will be handed over to you on the day of the marriage. These certificates are used for presentation to banks and insurance companies, the tax office and, if necessary, for applying for new identity documents. A musical accompaniment to the ceremony is available on request.
The registry office will inform the registration office of your marriage. Further notifications will be sent to the registry offices that keep registers of your civil status.
If you are in an existing registered civil partnership, you can convert this into a marriage.
Please book an appointment, this can be booked up to 3 months in advance. You must attend the relevant registry office together with all the necessary documents. If you do not speak German well, please bring a publicly appointed and sworn translator with you.
"Foreign connection" means that one of the fiancées has a foreign nationality, was born abroad, had a previous marriage/partnership abroad or was divorced there. You can find more information under "Registration of a marriage with a foreign connection".
Prerequisites
According to the German understanding of the law, marriage is a long-term partnership between two people. The decision to join one's life with another person through marriage is based on the free decision of each individual.
- Both parties to the marriage must be of legal age, legally competent and German citizens.
- They must not be too closely related or live in an existing marriage or registered civil partnership.
Required documents
We need all original documents.
If both are single:
- Valid passport or identity card
- If your main place of residence is not in Munich: current registration certificate stating marital status and nationality from the registration office of your main place of residence
- Birth certificate or certified printout from the register of births, available from the registry office of the place of birth if necessary
- Birth certificate of the joint children with details of both parents, if applicable available from the registry office of the place of birth of the children
If this is not the first marriage, additionally:
- Marriage certificate or certified printout from the marriage/life partnership register of the last marriage/life partnership, if necessary available from the registry office of the place of marriage. The dissolution of the marriage/life partnership must be registered.
- If the divorce or death is not entered on the marriage certificate, also: divorce/annulment decree with a final judgement or death certificate of the spouse/partner
- If you have been married/partnered several times, please list all marriages and civil partnerships. Possible evidence: older marriage/civil partnership certificates, family register transcripts, death certificates, divorce/annulment judgements.
Questions & Answers
If it is not possible for you to come together, you can also come to the registration office alone. You will need the "Authorisation to register" form for this. Before the marriage, the other partner must still attend the registry office and sign the marriage registration form. Another appointment is required for this.
Yes, the necessary documents and requirements cannot be generalised, but depend on the individual case. You can find detailed information under "Registering a marriage abroad".
No. The registry offices in Munich and Munich-Pasing have separate official districts. The jurisdiction for marriage registration depends on your place of residence.
Only the Munich-Pasing registry office is responsible for Munich districts 21 (Pasing - Obermenzing), 22 (Aubing - Lochhausen - Langwied) and 23 (Allach - Untermenzing).
For all other districts, only the Munich registry office is responsible.
If you do not live in Munich, please contact the registry office in your place of residence.
Yes, you must register your marriage at the registry office in your place of residence and can then have your marriage documents sent to Munich. You can find more information here.
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