Requirements
What Denmark Requires
There is no single universal checklist. What follows is the structure of the requirements, and the questions that decide which documents your case actually needs.
1. Identity and age
Both partners must be at least 18 years old and must be able to prove their identity with a valid passport or, for some nationalities, another accepted travel or identity document. Names must match across all documents; a mismatch between a passport and a birth or divorce record is one of the most common causes of delay.
2. Civil status
Each partner must be legally free to marry. If neither of you has been married before, this is usually documented with a certificate of marital status or an equivalent record from your country of residence or citizenship.
If either of you has been married before, the marriage must be documented as legally ended — a final divorce decree, a death certificate, or an annulment. A separation, a pending case or an unregistered religious divorce is generally not sufficient.
3. Legal entry and legal stay
Where a partner is not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, The Danish Agency of Family Law will look at that partner's legal basis for being in Denmark or the Schengen area: a residence permit, a Schengen visa, visa-free entry within the permitted period, or another lawful basis.
Validity dates matter, and a permit or visa that expires close to your intended ceremony can change what is possible and in what order. This is the single most important thing to tell us accurately in your assessment.
4. Documents in an accepted form
Documents generally need to be recent, issued by the competent authority, and — depending on the issuing country — legalised with an apostille or through consular legalisation. Translation into Danish or English is often required.
Which of these apply depends entirely on where each document was issued. We build the checklist for your specific combination rather than sending a generic list.
5. The ceremony itself
A civil ceremony in Denmark requires two witnesses, who may be people you bring or, in some municipalities, people the municipality can provide. Ceremony length, guest numbers, available times and languages differ by municipality.
This page is general information about how the requirements are structured. It is not legal advice and not a decision on your case. Requirements, fees and processing times are set by the Danish authorities and may change. Approval is decided by The Danish Agency of Family Law; ceremony availability is decided by the municipality.
Find out what your case needs
The free assessment asks the questions above in eight short steps, and a person replies with the checklist for your situation.
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