Wedding Checklist for Getting Married in Denmark
Planning an international wedding involves two different checklists: the legal process and the wedding day itself. Denmark makes the civil ceremony relatively straightforward, but you still need to coordinate identification, lawful stay, supporting documents, the marriage application, town hall availability and travel.
Use this checklist to move through the process in the right order. Not every item applies to every couple. Your nationalities, countries of residence, previous marriages, children, travel status and chosen municipality determine the final requirements.
1. Confirm That Denmark Is the Right Route
• Check that both partners will be at least 18 years old on the wedding date.
• Confirm that neither partner is currently married or in a registered partnership.
• Make sure every previous marriage or registered partnership has legally ended.
• Check that both partners can enter and stay in Denmark lawfully for the ceremony.
• Decide whether your application belongs with the Danish Agency of Family Law or a Danish municipality.
• Ask the authority where you will use the marriage certificate whether it has any post-wedding registration, translation or legalisation requirements.
Most international couples who live outside Denmark apply to the Danish Agency of Family Law for a Certificate of Marital Status. Couples in certain Danish, Nordic or permanent-residence situations apply through their municipality instead.
2. Record Your Personal and Travel Information
Write down the details exactly as they appear in your official documents. This reduces inconsistencies when both partners complete their parts of the application.
• Full legal names, including every given name.
• Current addresses, postal codes and countries of residence.
• Dates and places of birth.
• Current and any previous nationalities.
• Passport or EU national identity card numbers, issue dates and expiry dates.
• Residence permit, EU registration or visa details where applicable.
• A separate email address and mobile number for each partner.
• Details of any previous marriage or registered partnership.
• The approximate date your relationship began and, where relevant, when and how you first met.
Do not shorten a name or use a familiar version in one part of the application and the passport version in another. If an older certificate shows a different name, prepare the document that explains the change.
3. Prepare Identification
Passport
• Check that the passport is valid for the intended journey.
• For a non-EU/EEA passport, confirm that it was issued within the last ten years, normally remains valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure and contains at least two blank pages.
• Photograph every page in colour, including blank pages, the front and back covers and the inside of both covers.
• Make sure every edge and corner is visible.
• Take extra clear images of the personal-data page from angles that show the security features without glare.
EU National Identity Card
• Confirm that the card is valid for travel.
• Photograph the front and back in colour.
• Make sure the complete card and all corners are visible.
Use even lighting and hold the camera directly above the document. Upload the original image files where possible. Avoid screenshots, compressed messaging-app copies and images pasted into a Word document.
4. Prepare Proof of Lawful Stay
The correct evidence depends on citizenship, residence status and travel history.
• EU/EEA or Swiss citizenship evidence.
• Valid Schengen visa, including a tourist visa, where required.
• Residence permit from Denmark or another Schengen country.
• Danish EU registration certificate where relevant.
• EES calculator pages, travel tickets or boarding passes when required under the current instructions for non-EU travellers.
• Entry-stamp evidence for travel before the relevant EES cut-off where applicable.
If one partner has not yet travelled to Schengen, prepare the evidence required for the intended stay. Do not assume that the marriage approval replaces a visa or extends a permitted visit.
5. Collect Case-Specific Documents
• Final divorce decree if either partner was previously married and divorced.
• Death certificate showing the relevant former marriage if a former spouse has died.
• Annulment decision if a former marriage or partnership was annulled.
• Residence certificate or similar evidence if you live together outside Denmark.
• Birth certificates for children you have together.
• Official document connecting different names, dates or spellings where records do not match.
• Section 11b declaration if your combination of Danish/Nordic status and temporary residence basis makes it applicable.
• Guardian consent if a partner is under guardianship and consent is required.
• Military orders or a commander's letter where military residence or travel status makes this relevant.
Adult birth certificates and single-status certificates are not standard documents for most applications. Do not buy or legalise them automatically.
6. Check Translation and Authentication
• Keep the document in its original language.
• Obtain an authorised translation into Danish, English or German when required.
• Make sure the translation covers stamps, seals, annotations, apostilles and legalisation text.
• Check whether the issuing country requires an apostille or full legalisation for the document to be accepted in Denmark.
• Complete the required authentication in the country that issued the document.
Do not confuse an apostille on a foreign divorce or death certificate before the wedding with an apostille on the Danish marriage certificate after the wedding. They are separate processes handled by different countries.
7. Prepare Relationship Information if Requested
The application questions determine whether relationship evidence is requested. Prepare a clear and selective file rather than uploading an unstructured archive.
• A short, consistent relationship timeline.
• A representative selection of dated photographs from different periods.
• A representative selection of messages or call records showing dates.
• Travel records relating to visits or journeys together.
• Evidence of a shared address where applicable.
• Birth certificates for children you have together.
Use original dates and explain any unusual gap briefly. The purpose is to make the history easy to understand, not to overwhelm the caseworker with hundreds of pages.
8. Get Ready to Complete the Application
• Decide which partner will be Party 1.
• If using an email login, make sure Party 1 logs in with Party 1's own email account.
• Keep a different email address and mobile number ready for Party 2.
• Have every document organised and named clearly before opening the form.
• Keep an accepted payment method ready for the DKK 2,100 government fee.
• Choose a preferred municipality, while remaining aware that availability is not guaranteed.
• Complete both partners' sections as close together as possible.
The official application states that completing both parts takes about 30 minutes when all documents are ready. Allow longer for a first attempt, especially if your answers trigger additional questions or uploads.
9. Review Before Submission
• Compare every name, date and document number with the original document.
• Confirm that the correct person is listed as Party 1.
• Check that both email addresses and mobile numbers are different.
• Open every uploaded file and confirm that it is sharp, complete and readable.
• Check that translations and authentication pages are included.
• Make sure both partners give consistent relationship and residence information.
• Save the payment receipt and application confirmation.
Both partners must submit their parts within the authority's deadline. If the case closes because one part is missing, a new application and fee may be required.
10. After You Apply
• Monitor both email inboxes and spam folders.
• Reply promptly if the Agency asks for additional information.
• Do not send duplicate applications simply because the decision has not arrived within five working days.
• Avoid booking non-refundable travel until the ceremony is confirmed.
• Remember that the five-working-day guideline only applies to complete cases that meet the conditions.
• Note the expiry date when the Certificate of Marital Status is issued.
The certificate is normally valid for up to four months and may be shorter if a passport, visa or residence permission expires sooner.
11. Book and Confirm the Ceremony
• Confirm that the municipality has received your Certificate of Marital Status.
• Obtain the wedding date and time in writing.
• Ask when and where original identification must be presented.
• Confirm the ceremony language and whether an interpreter is required.
• Ask whether the municipality provides two witnesses.
• Check guest limits, accessibility, photography rules and arrival time.
• Confirm any charge for an outdoor, private, weekend or special-location ceremony.
• Keep alternative municipalities or weekdays in mind if speed is important.
12. Prepare for Travel and the Wedding Day
• Bring the original passport or accepted EU ID card used in the application.
• Bring the original visa or residence document where relevant.
• Carry the municipality's booking confirmation.
• Arrive in time for any identity check on an earlier working day.
• Keep your stay inside the permitted visa or visa-free period.
• Arrange witnesses if the municipality does not provide them.
• Bring interpreter details if the town hall has required one.
• Allow extra travel time and avoid arriving immediately before the ceremony.
13. After the Wedding
• Check the spelling of both names on the marriage certificate before leaving.
• Ask how to obtain extra certificates if needed.
• Confirm whether the receiving authority requires an apostille, translation, embassy legalisation or none of these.
• Purchase a Danish apostille before submitting the certificate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Keep scans of the certificate and all legalisation pages, but use originals where the receiving authority requires them.
• Complete any registration, immigration, tax, insurance or name-change procedures in the relevant country separately.
Make Your Checklist Personal
This checklist covers the full process, but it is not a substitute for a document list based on your exact circumstances. Copenhagen Weddings can review your nationalities, residence status, previous marriages, children and wedding period and turn this overview into a practical checklist for your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we need every document on this checklist?
No. Many items are conditional. Your answers determine which supporting documents the Agency requests.
Should we book flights before applying?
Flexible planning is sensible, but avoid non-refundable arrangements until the ceremony is firmly confirmed.
Do we need original documents at the ceremony?
You must bring the original passport or accepted EU identity card used in the application. Ask the chosen municipality whether it also needs to inspect any other original document.
Can Copenhagen Weddings complete the checklist with us?
Yes. We can help identify the documents that apply, review their quality and guide you through the next steps.