Marriage

Have you found your partner for life and do you want to make it official? Which authorities do you need to inform of your change in status and perhaps name when you get married? When planning and preparing for your wedding, you need to provide numerous different certificates, agree on the time and place, and clarify questions relating to property. Local registry offices are responsible for the majority of the government services you will need.

Services in Marriage

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Annulment of the marriage
If you are of the opinion that your marriage is not legal, you can apply for an annulment of your marriage.
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Apply for a certificate of no impediment
Would you like to apply for a certificate of no impediment? Find out more here.
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Apply for a certificate of no impediment for foreigners
If you do not have German citizenship and wish to marry in Germany, you will need a certificate of no impediment to marriage from your home country. If you are not issued with one, you can apply for an exemption from presenting a certificate of no impediment to marriage.
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Apply for subsequent certification of a marriage contracted by Germans abroad or with their participation
You got married abroad and at least one of you is a German citizen? Then you can have the marriage certified at a registry office in Germany.
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Apply for subsequent certification of a marriage entered into abroad by persons recognized as stateless or recognized as refugees or with their participation
Have you married abroad as a recognized stateless person, homeless person or person recognized as a refugee? Then you can have the marriage certified at a registry office in Germany.
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Applying for a civil partnership certificate
Do you need a civil partnership certificate? You can obtain your civil partnership certificate from the registry office in whose area the civil partnership was established. The registry office will issue it from the civil partnership register.
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Applying for an extension of the residence permit for a foreign spouse to join a German spouse
As a third-country national with a residence permit for family reunification with a German spouse or life partner, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit as long as your marriage or life partnership continues.
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Applying for an extension of the residence permit for the reunification of other family members with a German citizen
If you belong to the group of other family members of a German and your stay in Germany is still necessary to avoid exceptional hardship, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit for family reunification.
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Applying for pension compensation for surviving spouses from statutory accident insurance in the event of remarriage
As a surviving dependant, you will receive a settlement from the statutory accident insurance instead of a pension if you remarry or enter into a new civil partnership.
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Applying for subsequent certification of a marriage concluded abroad
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Change first name
You can have your first name changed under certain conditions.
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Change of surname due to the declaration on the name of spouses
There are many possibilities for determining the name. In some cases there are also particularities to be considered, e.g. for the naming of foreign spouses or if there are...
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Change of surname due to the declaration on the naming of civil partners
There are many possibilities when determining the name. In some cases there are also particularities to be taken into account (e.g. for the naming of foreign civil partners or...
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Change of surname for an important reason
You must have an important reason for changing your name.
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Change order of first names
If you have more than one first name, you can have their order changed by making a declaration.
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Conversion of a civil partnership into a marriage
Persons living in a registered civil partnership can convert it into a marriage from 1 October 2017. For this purpose, the life partners must declare to each other personally and...
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Entry in the matrimonial property register after conclusion of a marriage contract
If you have concluded a marriage contract, you can have the chosen matrimonial property regime entered in the matrimonial property register.
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Family Book
In the period from 1958 to 2008, the family book was a civil status book that was created after each marriage in Germany, on request also for marriages abroad, and continued at...
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Family name change based on the declaration of displaced persons, ethnic German repatriates, their spouses and descendants
As a displaced person or ethnic German resettler, you, your spouse or your descendants can discard parts of your previous name if these are not common in Germany. You can also...
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Family name change child - by single parent
You can have your child's name changed to the other parent's surname.
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Family name change child - declaration of connection
You can change your child's name if your name has changed.
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Inspection of the matrimonial property register
You can inspect the matrimonial property register.
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Issue a marriage certificate
If you get married, your marriage will be entered in the marriage register at the registry office and thus notarized.
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Issue of a certificate of no impediment to marriage for German citizens with residence or habitual abode abroad.
The certificate of no impediment to marriage is issued if it is required for a marriage abroad.

It is issued for German citizens with residence or habitual abode abroad by the registry office 1 in Berlin.
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Issuing a certificate of no impediment to marriage for foreign persons
Would you like to marry abroad? Then it may be that there is a legal norm in the intended state of marriage, which requires the submission of a certificate of no impediment to marriage.
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Marriage consummation
Two people who wish to marry each other are married in a civil marriage ceremony. The marriage ceremony takes place in a place designated (prescribed) for this purpose by the competent authority.
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Name change
If you wish to change your surname and/or first name outside the regulations of civil law (e.g. not in the case of marriage or divorce), you must apply for this change of name...
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Name declaration in marriage in the absence of domestic civil status entry
Under certain circumstances, married persons may also be able to use their name after the marriage abroad by declaration before a German registry office. The registry office issues a certificate of this.
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Notarization of a marriage abroad by a German registry office
You can also have your marriage concluded abroad entered in the marriage register at a later date. However, there is no obligation to do so.
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Pacs (Civil Solidarity Pact)
In some countries, unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples have the opportunity to establish a civil solidarity pact (PACS- Pacte civil de solidarité), which gives the...
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Register marriage
If you want to get married, you must register the marriage in advance.
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Residence permit for family reasons Issued for the family reunification of a foreign spouse with a German national
If you are a third-country national and would like to live with your German spouse or partner in Germany, you can obtain a residence permit for family reunification.
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resume one's birth name
You have divorced or ended your civil partnership and would like to change your name? If your maiden name or name before marriage or civil partnership was not your family name ...
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Subsequent certification of a marriage contracted abroad
If you got married abroad, you can have your marriage registered retrospectively at a German registry office.
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Surname change child - redetermination of the birth name
You can change the name of your child if you do not exercise joint custody with the other parent until after the birth.
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Surname change child - renaming
You can change your child's name if your spouse is not the child's parent and you want your child to have your married name.