Nationality Guides for Getting Married in Denmark
Your nationality matters when you apply to get married in Denmark, but it is only one part of the assessment. Two people with the same passports can receive different document requests because they live in different countries, use different residence permits or have different marital histories.
Use this guide to identify your general route. Then combine it with your country of residence, travel status, previous marriages, children and shared-address history to create your personal document list.
The Five Questions That Determine Your Route
Before choosing a nationality category, answer these questions for both partners:
1. Which current and previous nationalities do you hold?
2. Where do you legally reside, and which document proves that status?
3. Can you enter and stay in Denmark without a visa, or will you use a visa or residence permit?
4. Has either partner previously been married or in a registered partnership?
5. Do you live together or have children together?
These answers determine both the application route and the supporting documents. Nationality alone does not produce a complete checklist.
Both Partners Are EU/EEA or Swiss Citizens
If you are both EU/EEA citizens or Swiss citizens and live outside Denmark, you will normally apply to the Danish Agency of Family Law for a Certificate of Marital Status.
You can generally use either:
• A valid passport with clear colour images of all pages and covers; or
• A valid EU national identity card with clear colour images of both sides.
You may also need:
• Evidence of a shared address outside Denmark if you live together.
• Birth certificates for children you have together.
• Final documentation for a previous divorce, death of a former spouse or annulment.
• Authorised translations and authentication where the issuing country makes them necessary.
EU citizenship provides a legal basis for travel and stay, but it does not remove the other marriage conditions. Your identification must remain valid for the ceremony.
One EU/EEA Partner and One Non-EU Partner
A mixed-nationality couple normally applies through the Danish Agency of Family Law when marrying in Denmark as an international couple living abroad.
The EU/EEA partner usually provides a passport or accepted national identity card. The non-EU partner usually provides a passport and proof of lawful entry and stay, such as:
• A valid Schengen visa;
• A residence permit from a Schengen country;
• Visa-exempt nationality together with the required travel evidence; or
• Another accepted legal basis for entering and staying in Denmark.
A residence permit from another Schengen country can document lawful stay, but the holder must still comply with the rules for travel outside the country that issued it. Check the permit, passport and planned dates together.
If the non-EU partner's passport, visa or residence permission expires before the normal four-month approval period, the Certificate of Marital Status may be valid for a shorter period.
Both Partners Are Non-EU but Visa-Exempt
If both passports allow visa-free short visits to Denmark, you may apply without first becoming Danish residents. Visa-free travel is not unlimited, and the marriage approval does not extend the permitted stay.
Prepare:
• Valid passports meeting the entry requirements;
• Evidence showing the intended or actual dates in Schengen;
• EES calculator data and result pages where the current instructions require them;
• Tickets or boarding passes where applicable; and
• Residence, previous-marriage, child and relationship documents triggered by your answers.
The 90-days-in-any-180-day-period rule may be relevant to visa-free travellers. Count the complete Schengen travel history rather than only the days planned in Denmark.
One or Both Partners Require a Schengen Visa
You can get married in Denmark while using a valid tourist or other eligible Schengen visa. The visa does not have to be issued by Denmark if it is valid for the intended entry and stay in Denmark and you comply with its conditions.
Check:
• Valid-from and valid-until dates
• Number of permitted entries
• Territorial validity
• Remaining permitted days
• Passport validity
• Evidence required under the current EES instructions
You can submit the marriage application before entering Denmark. If you have not yet entered Schengen, the Agency's current instructions may require a visa sticker and EES calculator printouts for the intended stay. If you have already travelled, tickets, boarding passes or other entry evidence may also be necessary.
There is no automatic “marriage visa” created by the Danish marriage approval. Applying for a visa and applying for a Certificate of Marital Status are separate processes.
One or Both Partners Hold a Schengen Residence Permit
A valid residence permit from Denmark or another Schengen member state can serve as evidence of lawful stay. Upload clear images of the permit together with the passport and check that both remain valid for the planned ceremony.
The application may also ask for the Danish immigration identification number when you have an EU registration document or residence card.
If your address on the permit is old or differs from the address entered in the application, prepare a short explanation and current residence evidence. The important point is that the information is truthful, current and supported.
British Citizens After Brexit
British citizens are no longer treated as EU citizens solely because they hold a British passport. A British citizen living outside Denmark will generally follow the non-EU route, although British nationals can normally make visa-free short visits subject to the applicable entry rules.
If a British citizen holds residence rights in an EU or Schengen country, include the current residence document. A British partner may use a passport, not an EU national identity card based only on British citizenship.
Documents issued in Great Britain typically do not require an apostille simply to be accepted in a Danish marriage application, but a translation may still be needed if a document is not in Danish, English or German.
Danish or Nordic Citizens and Permanent Residence in Denmark
The application authority can change when one or both partners have Danish or Nordic citizenship or permanent residence in Denmark. If both partners fall within the Danish/Nordic/permanent-residence categories described by the Agency of Family Law, the application may need to be submitted to the municipality where the couple resides.
The Section 11b declaration can be required when one partner has a residence basis connected to Danish or Nordic citizenship or permanent residence, while the other partner only has a temporary basis for staying in Denmark. By signing it, the couple confirms that they have read the family-reunification rules; it does not remove the right to apply for family reunification.
The 11b declaration does not apply simply because one partner is an EU citizen exercising EU free-movement rights. Check the precise residence basis rather than looking only at the passport.
How the Issuing Country Affects Apostille and Legalisation
Authentication depends on the country that issued a supporting family-law document, not necessarily the passport nationality of the person named in it.
According to the Danish Agency of Family Law, documents from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Great Britain and most countries on the European continent typically do not require extra legalisation for the Danish application.
The Agency lists the following European and nearby exceptions, where authentication may be required:
• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan;
• Belarus
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Kosovo
• Russia
• Tajikistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan
Documents from other non-European countries generally require an apostille if the issuing country participates in the Hague Apostille Convention. If it does not, full legalisation is typically required. Authentication must be completed in the issuing country.
These rules normally matter for documents such as a divorce decree, death certificate or annulment decision. They do not mean that every applicant must obtain a new civil-status certificate.
Translation Rules Apply Across Nationalities
Foreign supporting documents must be available in Danish, English or German. If the original is in another language, provide the original together with an authorised translation.
The translation should include:
• The full document text
• Court or registry stamps
• Seals and handwritten annotations
• The apostille and stamps
• Every legalisation endorsement
Complete the translation and required authentication before submitting the marriage application.
Previous Marriages: Follow the Document, Not the Passport
If either partner was previously married or in a registered partnership, prepare final proof of how it ended. The relevant question is where the divorce, death or annulment document was issued.
For example, an EU citizen with a divorce decree issued outside Europe may need to authenticate that decree according to the issuing country's rules. A non-EU citizen with a document issued in a country normally exempt from extra authentication may have a simpler route.
Check that the document clearly identifies the former spouses and shows that the decision is final and legally binding.
Get a Checklist for Your Combination of Nationalities
Tell Copenhagen Weddings which passports you both hold, where you live, which residence documents you use, whether either of you was previously married and when you hope to marry. We can use that information to identify the likely route and prepare a case-specific document checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the document list based only on nationality?
No. Residence, legal stay, previous marriages, children, cohabitation and the issuing country of each document also matter.
Can two non-EU citizens get married in Denmark?
Yes, provided they meet the Danish marriage conditions and can lawfully enter and stay in Denmark for the ceremony.
Does an EU residence permit make someone an EU citizen?
No. The permit can provide residence and travel rights, but it does not change the holder's nationality. Enter the nationality and residence basis separately in the application.
Do we need a single-status certificate from each country?
Not as a standard requirement. Do not order one unless the Agency specifically requires additional evidence in your case.
Will our Danish marriage automatically be registered at home?
Not necessarily. Registration and recognition procedures are controlled by the country or authority where you intend to use the marriage certificate.