How to get married in Denmark to a non-EU citizen

Love is kind. Love is wonderful. Love is great. However, the moment you love someone from a different continent, things can get messy and complicated. Don’t let this stop you though from being with the person you love.

In this article, you will be presented with one of the easiest, fastest, and most effortless ways of getting married to a non-EU citizen (considering one partner holds a European passport).

In Europe, there are actually 2 countries where you can marry very easily without much paperwork hassle and headaches. One country is Gibraltar, and the other one Denmark. For this article, I will be focusing on how to get married in Denmark.

How to get married in Denmark

In order to get married in Denmark in the past, you used to only need 3 days. You arrived one day before the actual wedding day to show all documents in the original. The next day you had the actual wedding day, and on the third day you would need to register.

Another option was to pay an agency that organized everything and applied in your name. No need for all that anymore, even though people still do it. Don’t waste your money on agencies. It is super simple to do it without them since this process has been made even easier. So, let me share with you how to get married in Denmark.

Online Application

The first step is to apply online at the Agency of Family Law. There are different scenarios listed, so check the one that applies to your situation.

The below example is my personal case, where I am German and my partner Brazilian. The following documents were needed:

Birth certificate(s)
Passports (all pages scanned, even blank ones)
Screenshots with timestamps of interaction and a short how we met (e.g. Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram photos or messages where the date is visible)
If married previously, then also divorce papers

Foreign documents (including apostle stamps) need to be translated to either Danish, English, or German by a certified translator. Make sure to have this done prior to applying.

NOTE: These documents may vary per nationality and personal scenario.

Choosing a Commune

During the application process, you will need to choose a commune in Denmark where you want to get married. This will depend on the way you arrive in Denmark (plane, car, train) and how much money you want to spend.

If you arrive by plane, you will most likely fly into Copenhagen and get married there. This is probably the most popular option. Make sure to consider that depending on how fast you want to marry available dates might be rare than if you marry in a less popular commune.

In our case, we got married in Tønder commune as we were going by car from Germany, and it was just across the border. For us, this was the easiest and fastest way. Do your research of communes in Denmark and then go for one during the application process.

Making the Payment

The last step you have to fulfill when getting married in Denmark is to make the payment of DKK 1650, which is approx. 220€.

Choose a Date

After you applied online, you simply wait. Already within a few days, someone might reach out to you requesting more documents, or telling you all is good.

In the second case, you will get the certificate of marital status with which you can then reach out to the commune you chose. Once again, everything is done online and super simple. The contact details will be provided to you.

The commune will then reply to you asking for desired dates, and check availabilities. Et Voila! You are ready to get married.

IMPORTANT: Be aware, you must get married within 4 months’ time after your application was approved and you were given the certificate of marital status.

Getting Married in Denmark: Commune Tønder

There is no need to bring all documents again in the original form. All you need is your passports.

We got married in a spacious, beautifully decorated room where we sat in the middle and our family around us. The speech was very nice and held in English and German even.

We were given loads of opportunities to take photos with everyone and not rushed out of the room. It was a very great experience, and we would always get married in Denmark again. It saved us so many headaches and paper hassle.