After the ceremony you receive your Danish marriage certificate. Whether you need an apostille on it depends on where you register the marriage. Here is who needs it, who issues it, what it costs and how long it takes, based on the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Who needs the apostille?
An apostille confirms that a document is genuine, so an authority in another country accepts it. Whether you need one depends on the country where you register the marriage:
| Registering in | Apostille on the marriage certificate |
|---|---|
| Germany | usually not needed (EU Regulation 2016/1191) |
| Austria | usually not needed (EU Regulation 2016/1191) |
| Switzerland | often requested, the EU regulation does not apply there |
| Countries outside the EU | often requested, ask the competent office |
More on registering: Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Who issues it?
The municipality that married you issues the marriage certificate. The apostille on it is issued only by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, not by the municipality and not by an embassy. The ministry only accepts originals, no scans, copies or printouts. So keep one of your original copies for the apostille. How you get the certificate and how many copies you receive is in our guide to the international marriage certificate.
How it works
- Pay in the webshop: the ministry requires you to buy the apostille in its webshop before you hand in or send the certificate. Price: DKK 250 per document.
- Hand in the certificate: either in person at the counter (Asiatisk Plads 2, 1402 Copenhagen, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 12:00, Tuesday and Thursday also 13:30 to 15:30, no appointment) or by post or courier.
- Get it back: at the counter you get the certificate back with the apostille immediately. By post it takes 5 to 7 working days from arrival. You pay for the return by post or courier yourselves.
If you live in Denmark and have a CPR number, you can forward a certificate received in Digital Post straight to the ministry. For couples from abroad this is usually not an option; they hand in the paper original.
Typical mistakes
- Sending your only original home for registration before the apostille is on it.
- Handing in a copy or a scan: the ministry rejects it.
- Sending it without buying in the webshop: the certificate is not processed.
- Forgetting public holidays: the counter is closed, among others, from 24 to 31 December.
If you would rather not do it yourselves
Our apostille service takes over exactly this step: we take your Danish marriage certificate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by courier and send it back to you with the apostille, tracked. The ministry fee is included, and if needed a certified translation for Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Fixed price €199.99, as an add-on to either package. All prices are on the prices page.
