Getting married in the City of Copenhagen
How to give notice of marriage
If both of you
- are a Danish or Nordic citizen
- OR (for non-EU citizens) have permanent residence in Denmark
- OR (for EU citizens) have a documented right to permanent residence in Denmark under the Executive Order on EU residence (the EU freedom of movement directive)
Then you should fill in the notice of marriage further down on this page.
Please note: If you are a EU citizen, you must yourself apply for the right to permanent residence, i.e. residence without an expiration date. Generally, you can only apply for this right when you have resided in Denmark for minimum five consecutive years.
Therefore, the document 'Proof of registration”/”Bevis for registrering” and/or a yellow health card is not sufficient for this applications. They show that you have the right to residence in Denmark - not that you have the right to permanent residence in Denmark.
If the above does not apply to you
Then, instead, you should go to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) where you can read about how to give notice to be married.
Read more about how to give notice to be married (Agency of Family Law) (Familieretshuset)
When the marriage notice is approved
The next step is the same whether you gave notice through this page or the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset).
When the marriage notice is approved, you will receive a link to the Wedding Office booking system where you can select from the available dates and times for your wedding.
Due to the high demand for weddings in Copenhagen, the waiting time can be up to three months in the peak season (May-September).
You may be asked to show documentation with the marriage notice
If one or both of you are not a Danish or Nordic citizen, you will need to send in a photocopy of your permanent residence permit or documentation of your right to permanent stay in Denmark according to EU regulations. Please note that the document ’Bevis for registrering’ (proof of registration) is not sufficient since this is not a permanent residence permit or proof of unlimited stay in Denmark according to EU regulations.
Read more about residence permits and how to apply for the relevant documents (nyidanmark.dk).
If you have lived abroad sometime in the past few years, we may ask you to submit a certificate of marital status (civilstandsattest) from your former country/countries of residence. A certificate of marital status proves your marital status. The document states whether you are unmarried, married, divorced, or widowed. If you live in Denmark, we will get this information from the Civil Registration System.
If your former partner is deceased, you should attach a copy of the certificate from the probate court (skifteretsattest). If the death occurred abroad, we need to see the original death certificate.
The City of Copenhagen requires certain foreign divorce decrees to be legalised or endorsed by apostille. What that means is that the ministry of foreign affairs or the ministry of justice in the issuing country must confirm the validity of the document.
Read more about endorsement by apostille and legalisation (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark)
Swedish citizens living in Sweden must attach the following documents: Hindersprövning, Vigselintyg, and personbevis from the Swedish tax authorities (Skatteverket).
Norwegian citizens living in Norway should attach the following documents: Prøvningsattest and Registeruddrag showing your marital status from the tax authorities (Skatt) in Norway.
If you live in another municipality
If you live in another municipality in Denmark, you should mention in your notice of marriage that you wish to be wed in the City of Copenhagen. In this case your municipality of residence (bopælskommune) will send you the approval, also known as a certificate of marital status/no impediment (prøvelsesattest), which you must then forward to Vielseskontoret (marriage office).
Changing your name when you marry
If you live in Denmark and would like to change your name when you marry, you normally have to apply to the parish where you live. However, if you were born in Sønderjylland, you must send your application to the municipality where you were born.
If you do not live in Denmark and you would like to change your name, you must contact the authorities in the country where you live, instead.
In your application to change your name you must state the date you were married. Therefore, we recommend that you do not apply for a name change until you have booked a time for the wedding and have received confirmation. You can apply for a name change when marrying at borger.dk.
Apply for a name change when marrying (borger.dk) (in Danish)
If you don't have MitID
If you do not have MitID, you can download and fill in the marriage notice (ægteskabserklæring) before sending it either digitally or by regular mail to Vielseskontoret (the marriage office).
Download and fill in the marriage notice (ægteskabserklæring) (in Danish)
If you send it digitally, you can submit a scanned copy or take photo of the filled-in notice. For contact details, please refer to the bottom of this page.
Planning your wedding ceremony
You can get married at Copenhagen City Hall, outdoors beneath the open skies, or you can have a registrar perform your wedding ceremoney where you are having your celebration.
You also have the option to be wed - free of charge - by a member of the City Council at the Copenhagen City Hall or at a place of your choosing.
CONTACT
The Wedding Office
Rådhuspladsen 1
Office opening hours
09:00 - 16:00
09:00 - 16:00
09:00 - 16:00
09:00 - 16:00
09:00 - 16:00
Phone opening hours
10:00 - 12:00
10:00 - 12:00
10:00 - 12:00
10:00 - 12:00
If you wish to contact the office in person, please visit the shop by the main entrance inside the City Hall. On Saturdays, the office is closed but weddings still take place.