How to Get Married in Germany

The famed Romantic Road in Germany has lots of twists and turns. Take this as a metaphor for getting married in Germany. This is not the place for an impulsive, spur of the moment wedding. However, with enough time and planning, you can enjoy a wedding day that is simply Wunderlich.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• A current passport
• A certified full copy of your birth certificate, issued within the last six months and apostilled
• An Ehefähigkeitszeugnis, or Certificate of Free Status, stating you are legally free to marry
• Divorce or annulment decrees, if previous marriage(s) ended legally
• Statement from the court issuing your divorce or annulment that its decision has not been appealed
• Certified copy or original copy of a previous spouse's death certificate, if applicable
• Proof of earnings, like a tax return or bank account
• The services of a certified German translator, if needed

1. Assemble all of the documentation listed above.
2. Obtain apostilles for birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees and annulment decrees from the Deputy Secretary of State for your state. This certifies the international validity of the documents you will later present in Germany.
3. Arrange to get any documents not in German translated into the language by a certified translator. The translations must not be more than three months old when you present them to the Standesamt, or registrar's office.
4. Go to the U.S. Embassy in Berlin or a U.S. Consulate in Germany to obtain an Ehefähigkeitszeugnis, or Certificate of Free Status. This is proof that you are legally free to marry.
5. Contact the local Standesamt for an appointment to meet prior to the wedding. They will determine if you have fulfilled all of the legal requirements at this time. Bring proof of income, since the fee to be charged is based on your ability to pay.
6. Appear before the Standesbeamter (Justice of the Peace) on the designated day to become legally married under German law.

Tips & Warnings

• Those dreaming of a church wedding still need to get married at a Standesamt first. The religious ceremony can follow later if you wish.
• The Standesamt will most likely have a beautifully decorated room set aside for wedding ceremonies. Do not expect it to have decorations affiliated with any particular religion since Christians, Muslims, Jews and atheists all get married there.
• If you are getting married in Bavaria, you take an oath at the local Standesamt instead of presenting an Ehefähigkeitszeugnis prepared by American authorities.
• Get in touch with the Standesamt about three months prior to the date you wish to get married. It will take time to negotiate the requirements of German bureaucracy.
• Each Standesamt is free to impose its own requirements before performing the marriage ceremony. Be sure to bring a translator along if you do not speak German well to ensure you understand exactly what is expected of you.
• The fee your state will charge for an apostille varies from state to state and so does the amount of time it will take for an apostille to be issued. Do not wait until the last minute to get this done.

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