Living in Denmark
Getting Married in Denmark
According to the Danish Marriage Act and rules prescribed by the Danish Ministry of Justice, the following is required for a foreigner to be married in Denmark:
- Be lawfully present in Denmark
- (1) Documentation showing present marital status, i.e. copies of last U.S. tax returns - military personnel stationed in Germany may bring a permission to marry from their Commander, (2) birth certificate and (3) valid passport. Note: If your name has been legally changed since the issuance of your birth certificate or passport, you should present an official court decree to this effect.
- Persons under age 18 may not contract marriage without permission from the Copenhagen Prefect’s Office (Københavns Overpræsidium), Hammerensgade 1, 1267 Copenhagen K. Telephone: 3312 2380.
- If either of the parties has been previously married, a legally binding divorce decree must be submitted. In the City of Copenhagen, documentation should be submitted to: “Københavns Overpræsidium” - the Prefect of Copenhagen, Hammerensgade 1, 1267 Copenhagen K. TEL: 3312 2380; FAX: 3311 2608. If you plan to get married outside the City of Copenhagen, you should contact the local “Statsamt” – Government Office. Foreign divorce decrees must be approved by Danish authorities before marriage can take place in Denmark. Danish law requires that a decree of divorce or annulment of marriage clearly shows it to be a final judgment, that no appeal has or can be filed, and that the parties to the divorce are free to remarry.
As U.S. divorce decrees do not contain the exact wording required by Danish law, you will need to call the Clerk of Court in the proper U.S. jurisdiction and explain that you are attempting to get married in Denmark and that you need a statement from their office confirming:
- Your divorce decree, file number xxxx, granted on (date) is a FINAL JUDGMENT;
- NO APPEAL pending, no appeal can be filed;
- The parties to the divorce are FREE TO REMARRY
NOTE: Foreign citizens wishing to get married in Denmark are subject to Danish Law. The U.S. Embassy is in no position to intervene, nor can we ask the Danish authorities to make exceptions to their requirements. We regret that we do not have the staff nor the facilities to place telephone calls for you. Non-residents pay a fee of DKr 500 to get married in Denmark.
The Copenhagen Marriage Office may be contacted as follows: Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhuset), Bryllupskontoret, Room 83, Rådhuspladsen, 1559 Copenhagen, TEL: 3366 2334, 35 or 36 (hours: Mon-Wed 9:30am-2:00pm, Thu 9:30am-5:00pm, Fri 9:30am-2:00pm.)
FAX: 3366 7158. http://www.kk.dk
Another possibility within the city limits of Copenhagen is the Frederiksberg Town Hall: Frederiskberg Rådhus, 2000 Frederiksberg. TEL: 3821 2121 (hours: Mon-Wed 10:00AM-3:00PM, Thu 10:00AM-6:00PM, Fri 10:00AM-1:00PM) FAX: 3821 2980. http://www.frederiksberg.dk
The following is a list of the most commonly used marriage offices in Denmark:
Augustenborg Kommune
http://www.augustenborg.dk
radhuset@augustenborg.dk
Storegade 20
6640 Augustenborg
TEL: 7347 7347; FAX: 7347 7340
Hours: Mon-Wed 10:00AM-2:00PM
Thurs 10:00AM-5:00PM
Fri 10:00-12:00PM
Bov Kommune
http://www.bovkommune.dk
sun@bovkommune.dk
Kirkestien 1
6330 Padborg
TEL: 7367 5603; FAX: 7367 5599
Hours : Mon-Wed 10:00AM-2:00PM
Thurs 9:00AM-5:00PM
Fri 10:00-12:00PM
Christiansfeld Kommune
http://www.christiansfeld.dk
Lindegade 61
6070 Christiansfeld
TEL: 7426 7426; FAX: 7426 7454
Hours: Wed 10:00AM-12:30PM
Haderslev Kommune
http://www.haderslev.dk
Gaaskaervej 26-28
6100 Haderslev
TEL: 7422 2229 or 7422 2228
FAX: 7422 2125
Contact in Germany: Scherer Tours
Bayernstrasse 72
97204 Hochsberg
TEL: 0931-409046
Maribo Kommune
http://www.maribo.dk
maribo.kommune@maribo.dk
Jernbanegade 7
4930 Maribo
TEL: 5479 7979; FAX: 5479 0010
Hours: Mon-Wed 9:30AM-2:30PM
Thurs 9:30AM-5:30PM
Fri 9:30AM-1:30PM
Tønder Kommune
http://www.toender.dk
toender@toender.dk
Kongevej 57
6270 Tønder
TEL: 7472 8129; FAX: 7472 8001
Hours: Tue & Wed 9:00AM-12:30PM
Please note that on Fridays most public offices close as early as Noon.
In general the marriage offices need between 4 days and 2 weeks to process the papers. If the marriage office determines that the foreign divorce decree needs additional clarification, please allow an additional 2 to 4 weeks. We recommend that you forward a copy of your divorce decree to the marriage office before your arrival in Denmark. Please also note that some of the municipalities require that you reside in their municipality (Kommune) for a period of time before marriage may be performed, usually 3 days. Please do check with the municipality in advance since this requirement varies. The Copenhagen Marriage Office advises that parties should plan to stay at least 3 weeks.
REMEMBER: Military personnel stationed in Germany MUST bring a permission to marry from their Commander.