Nationality Guides for Getting Married in Denmark
You do not need Danish citizenship or a Danish address to marry in Denmark. This guide explains the main nationality and residence categories. Your personal document list also depends on previous marriages, children together and where your supporting documents were issued.
Use the categories below to understand your general route. Then consult the required documents guide for the evidence relevant to you both.
Start with both partners' circumstances
• Which nationalities do you hold?
• Where do you live, and what is your residence status?
• What allows you to enter and stay in Denmark?
• Have you previously been married or in a registered partnership?
• Do you live together or have children together?
Consider both partners together when checking the application route. Nationality, residence status and travel permission each affect which instructions apply.
EU citizens
EU citizens can normally travel using a valid passport or an accepted national identity card. For the marriage application, provide complete colour passport photographs or both sides of the EU ID card.
If you both live abroad and do not fall within the municipal application categories, you normally apply to the Agency of Family Law. EU citizenship does not remove the need for marriage approval or relevant previous marriage and family documents.
EEA and Swiss citizens
EEA and Swiss citizenship can provide a basis for lawful entry and stay. Check the accepted identity document for your nationality before relying on an ID card: the Agency's standard alternative to passport photographs is expressly described for EU citizens.
Use your passport where appropriate and provide residence and personal history information as requested.
One EU partner and one non-EU partner
The non-EU partner's travel permission must be established separately. Depending on the situation, this may involve a valid Schengen residence permit, an eligible visa or visa-free entry with the required travel evidence.
Having an EU partner does not, on its own, replace the necessary travel documents. Our tourist visa guide explains the distinction between the right to visit and permission to marry.
Two non-EU citizens
Neither partner needs to be Danish or an EU citizen. Both must meet the Danish marriage conditions and document a lawful basis for the intended stay.
Where visa-free travel applies, check your permitted days and travel history. Where a visa is required, check its validity, territorial scope and entries. If either person has a residence permit, identify whether it supports travel to Denmark.
British citizens
A British passport is treated as non-EU identification. British citizens normally use their passport and the evidence relevant to their visa-free visit or residence status. If you also hold another nationality, provide the information requested by the form.
A British residence document is not the same as a residence permit issued by a Schengen country. Check your actual travel basis instead of treating all European residence documents alike.
Holders of Schengen residence permits
A valid residence permit from a Schengen country can be relevant evidence of lawful stay. Submit it with your passport and check both documents against the planned travel and ceremony dates.
The permit does not create unlimited visitor rights in every other Schengen country. Keep the wedding within the travel conditions applicable to your status.
Danish and Nordic citizens and permanent residents
You normally apply through a municipality if each of you is a Danish or Nordic citizen, holds a permanent residence permit in Denmark, or has a permanent right of residence in Denmark under EU rules. You can qualify through different categories.
Where only one partner qualifies, the route can be different. The Section 11b declaration may also be relevant in certain combinations. Give the exact residence basis when asking us for help, rather than describing a permit simply as permanent or European.
The issuing country matters for documents
Authentication follows the country that issued the document, not necessarily your nationality. For example, an EU citizen may hold a divorce decree issued outside Europe. That decree must be assessed according to its origin.
Some foreign documents are accepted without an apostille or legalisation, while others require authentication. Check the Agency’s guidance for the document and its issuing country before paying. Our apostille guide explains the difference between foreign application documents and your Danish marriage certificate.
Birth certificates and single-status documents
The standard international application does not require the applicants' own birth or baptism certificates. The birth-certificate requirement concerns children you have together. A separate foreign single-status certificate is not on the Agency's current standard preparation list.
You still need the Danish Certificate of Marital Status issued after approval, plus final proof of any previous marriage ending. See required documents before ordering certificates based on an online nationality checklist.
Turn your route into a wedding plan
Once the document and travel basis is clear, use the application guide to prepare the form and the timeline to coordinate approval and booking. Contact Copenhagen Weddings with both partners' details for a personal checklist and information about our support.