Documents needed to marry in Denmark: a clear checklist for couples from abroad

What documents are needed to marry in Denmark?

The documents needed to marry in Denmark fall into three groups: proof of who you are, proof that any earlier marriage has ended, and proof that you can be in Denmark legally on the wedding day. Every application to Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law, is built from these pieces, and the middle one only applies if either of you was married before.

The details inside each group vary a great deal. A never-married Australian, a divorced Indian citizen and a widowed Brazilian will each send different papers, even though the overall shape of their file is the same. That is why we never publish a single universal list as if it applied to everyone.

This guide explains each type of document, why the authority asks for it and the most common traps. Your personal checklist then turns the general picture into an exact list for your case.

Which identity documents do you need?

Each partner needs a valid passport, and in most cases that passport is the main identity document in the file. A national identity card can sometimes be used by EU and EEA citizens, but a passport is the safest choice for most couples.

Check the expiry date before you apply. The passport should remain valid through the ceremony, and if you renew it partway through the process, tell us at once so the new details can be passed on. The registrar compares the passport you bring on the day with the one in the approved application.

Names and spellings

Look closely at how your name appears across all your papers. Middle names that appear on one document and not another, different transliterations from non-Latin scripts, or a surname taken in an earlier marriage can all prompt questions. A short explanation, supported by the relevant record, usually solves it.

If you plan to change your name after the wedding, that is handled later and depends on your home country. Our guide to the name change after a Danish marriage explains the general options.

What if you have been married before?

You each sign a truthful declaration of your marital status in the Familieretshuset application, and that is enough. Danish law asks that neither of you is already married or in a registered partnership with someone else, and a document is only needed when an earlier marriage or partnership has to be shown as ended.

If you have never been married

If neither of you has been married before, there is nothing extra to order: your file is simply your passports and, where your nationality requires it, a visa or residence permit. That makes this one of the quickest situations to prepare.

If you are divorced

The key paper is the final divorce decree, showing that the divorce has taken legal effect. An interim order or a filing receipt is not enough. If you have been divorced more than once, the authority may want to see the whole chain. Read our guide to marrying in Denmark after a divorce for the details.

If you are widowed

You will normally need the death certificate of your former spouse and the marriage certificate from that marriage, so the link between the two is clear.

If you were in a registered partnership

A dissolved registered partnership is treated much like a divorce, so the dissolution document becomes part of your file.

Do you need a visa or residence permit?

You need one only if your nationality cannot otherwise enter Denmark. To marry here you must be lawfully present on the day, which means a visa-free stay, a Schengen visa or a residence permit, depending on your passport.

Citizens of many countries, including the US, the UK and Australia, can usually visit the Schengen area visa-free for short stays. Others, including citizens of India, China and the Philippines, generally need a Schengen visa. If you already hold a residence permit in Denmark or another Schengen country, that permit can be part of your file.

The official entry rules are published on nyidanmark.dk and change from time to time. Our article on the visa to get married in Denmark explains how to line up the visa, the approval and the wedding date so they do not work against each other.

Do your documents need an apostille or translation?

Sometimes, yes. Whether a foreign document needs an apostille depends on the country that issued it and on the document type. An apostille is a certificate added by the issuing country to confirm that a public document is genuine, under the Hague Apostille Convention.

Many countries are parties to that convention, including India, China since November 2023, the Philippines since 2019, the US, the UK and Australia. If your country is not a party, the document may need full legalisation through its own authorities and the relevant embassy instead.

Language matters too. Documents in English are usually straightforward, while papers in other languages may need an authorised translation. The translation should cover the whole document, including stamps and handwritten notes.

• Order the apostille from the authority in the country that issued the document, not from Denmark.
• Have the translation made from the apostilled original, so the apostille itself is translated too.
• Keep the original, the apostille and the translation together as one set when you scan them.
• Ask us before paying for a translation, because not every document in your file needs one.

Later, when you take your Danish certificate home, the direction reverses. Our article on the apostille for a Danish marriage certificate explains that second step.

Document checklist by situation

This table shows what couples typically send. Treat it as a starting point: your personal checklist confirms the final list, including any apostilles or translations.

Country-specific guides go further. See, for example, our pages for US citizens, UK citizens and Indian couples.

What does a real document file look like?

A real file is usually smaller than couples fear, but every piece has to fit together. These three illustrative examples show how the same rules play out for different situations. They are typical patterns, not real couples, and your own list may differ.

Two never-married partners on visa-free passports

This is often the simplest file. Each partner sends a clear passport scan, and each signs a declaration of marital status in the application form. Because both can enter Denmark without a visa, there is no permit to add. Once the scans pass our pre-check, the application can be submitted the same day.

One partner divorced, one partner needing a visa

Here the file grows a little. The divorced partner adds the final decree, translated if it is not in English, and the other partner adds a Schengen visa that covers the planned wedding date. Timing becomes the main task: the visa, the approval and the ceremony all need to line up, so we plan the order with you from the start.

A widowed partner who has changed surname

This file needs a clear paper trail. The widowed partner sends the previous marriage certificate, the former spouse's death certificate and a passport in the current name. If the surname on the passport differs from the earlier records, a short explanation ties them together so the caseworker does not have to ask.

How should you prepare and send your documents?

Send clear, complete colour scans and keep the originals safe. The application to Familieretshuset is made online, so the quality of your scans is what the caseworker actually sees.

1. Scan each page separately in colour, including the back if anything is printed or stamped there.
2. Make sure all four edges of the page are visible, with no fingers, shadows or cropped corners.
3. Name each file clearly, for example with the partner's name and the document type.
4. Send the scans to us so our consultants can pre-check them against your checklist.
5. Fix anything we flag before the application is submitted, not afterwards.
6. Keep the originals together in one folder, ready to travel with you.

With our Complete, Priority and Premium packages, we submit the application for you under power of attorney. With Essential, you submit it yourselves and we guide each step. Our walk-through of the Familieretshuset marriage application shows what the form asks for.

What should you bring on the wedding day?

Bring your original passports above everything else. The registrar checks your identity against the approved application before the ceremony begins, whether you marry at Copenhagen City Hall or another town hall.

• Both original passports, the same ones named in the application.
• Your two witnesses, or confirmation that we have arranged them.
• Your rings, if you are exchanging them.
• A copy of the approval and the booking confirmation, on paper or on your phone.
• A folder or envelope to keep the marriage certificate flat and safe afterwards.

You receive your marriage certificate on the day. Keep it in good condition, because you may need it for an apostille and for registration at home.

Get your personal document checklist

The fastest way to know exactly which documents you need is to ask us. Send your nationalities, where you each live and whether either of you has been married before, and we reply within 24 hours with a free, personal checklist.

Then choose the level of help that suits you. Compare our four options on the packages page, or get in touch with your questions. If you are just starting out, our complete guide on how to get married in Denmark shows where the documents fit into the bigger picture.