Denmark bans sham marriages, and Familieretshuset checks for this in every application for the marriage approval. For couples in a genuine relationship this is usually quick: you answer questions about your relationship and attach some evidence. The agency may only refuse on a secure basis; a mere suspicion is not enough.
What does the Danish Marriage Act say about sham marriages?
The rule is in § 8 a of the Danish Marriage Act (Ægteskabsloven): a marriage may not take place if there are specific reasons to assume that it is a sham marriage whose decisive purpose is a right of residence in Denmark, in another EU or EEA country or in Switzerland. In Danish this is called a "proformaægteskab". The ban has applied since 1 January 2019.
The check is done by Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law. It issues the prøvelsesattest, the approval without which no municipality may marry you. How it goes about this is described in the official Danish marriage guidance (Ægteskabsvejledningen, point 2.11):
- Familieretshuset may only refuse if there is a secure basis for assuming a sham marriage. A mere presumption is not enough.
- Obtaining a right of residence must be the decisive purpose of the marriage.
- The agency assesses all the circumstances of your case together, not one single point.
If Familieretshuset refuses an application under § 8 a, it may inform the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen), the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) and the police (§ 22 a). A ceremony that breaches § 8 a is invalid under § 21.
What does Familieretshuset look at?
On its English page on the sham marriage ban, Familieretshuset lists the questions it may ask about your relationship: how long you have known each other, where you met, whether you have children together and whether you live or have lived together. The marriage guidance names further points that can be part of the overall assessment:
| Point | What the agency looks at | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Length of the relationship | How long you have known each other | The agency does not state a minimum period. |
| How you met | Where and how you met, and whether you know each other personally | A lack of, or limited, personal knowledge of each other is one of the warning signs. |
| Common language | Whether you can communicate in a shared language | If you cannot, this can be part of the assessment. |
| Living together | Whether you live or have lived together | Living apart does not on its own make a marriage a sham. |
| Children and finances | Joint children, joint money, joint loans | According to the guidance, both point to a genuine relationship. |
| Age difference | A large age difference | Can be considered, but does not on its own make a marriage a sham. |
| Earlier marriages | For example, if the EU partner was previously married to a non-EU national and that marriage ended shortly after the latter gained a right of residence | You have to document earlier marriages anyway, with the divorce decree or death certificate. |
Familieretshuset explains the ban on the page for couples where one partner is not from the EU or the EEA. Binational couples in particular should therefore expect questions about their relationship. Much can be settled in writing: as examples, the guidance names living together for years, joint children or joint finances. If you have been married before, the documents you need are in our guide Divorced: a second wedding in Denmark.
What proof of relationship helps?
In the application you answer questions about your relationship, and according to the marriage guidance you are asked to back up your answers with evidence. According to Familieretshuset, photos are not required. But if the agency finds your relationship insufficiently documented, it may ask for unedited photos of the two of you. This evidence shows best that your relationship is genuine:
- Photos of you together: unedited, from different times and places, ideally with the date taken in the file details.
- Trips and visits: plane tickets, boarding passes, train tickets and hotel bookings that show when and where you met.
- Everyday contact: excerpts from chats, emails or call logs over a longer period.
- Shared home: if you live together outside Denmark, a residence certificate (in Germany the Meldebescheinigung) is part of the application anyway, no older than 4 months.
- Children and finances: birth certificates of joint children (required if you have any), a joint account, a loan or a lease in both names.
Which other mandatory documents your application needs is in our guide Documents for the wedding in Denmark. Certificates in languages other than Danish, English, German, Norwegian or Swedish need a translation; what applies is explained in our guide certified translations.
How to put the evidence together
- Sort it chronologically: from when you met until today, with a short line for each item (date, place, occasion).
- Select, don't pile up: a few items from each phase of your relationship say more than a hundred photos from a single weekend.
- Stay consistent: dates, places and the story of how you met must match in the application and in the evidence.
- Make it readable: sharp scans or photos; for chats, the excerpts that show the date and the sender.
How does the interview at Familieretshuset work?
An interview only happens if the written information is not enough. The marriage guidance describes the order like this:
- Familieretshuset can ask for additional written information. If it needs documents from other authorities, for example on residence permits, registered addresses or earlier marriages, it asks you to provide them.
- If a suspicion of a sham marriage or false documents remains that cannot be resolved in writing, the agency must invite you to an interview before it decides. It can also check your documents for authenticity at that point.
- If you do not take part in the interview, Familieretshuset can refuse the application.
How the interview runs, that is where, in what form, how long and in which language, is not published by Familieretshuset; the details are in the invitation. If one of you needs an interpreter or the date does not work, get in touch straight away. Expect questions on the points in the table above. Read your application again beforehand and answer as things were, not as they sound good.
For 2019, the first year of the ban, Familieretshuset's statistics show 177 invitations to an interview against 14,648 applications received, a little over 1 %. We have not found more recent figures on interviews in the published statistics.
Every follow-up question costs time, because applications with a request for more documents go into a queue: as of 03.11.2026, Familieretshuset is then working on cases received in August 2026. Reply within the deadline you are given, because the agency can close applications that are not answered in time. How to respond to a request is explained in our guide Follow-up request or refusal from Familieretshuset.
What happens if doubts remain?
In the end Familieretshuset decides: either you receive the prøvelsesattest, valid for four months, or the agency refuses the application. To refuse because of a sham marriage, it needs a secure basis. The fee of DKK 2,100 (about €281) is not refunded if the application is refused.
The municipality also has a say on the wedding day. According to the marriage guidance (point 3.5), the registrar may not marry you if it becomes clear at the ceremony that it is a sham marriage, for example because the couple do not know each other at all. There is no appeal against such a refusal by the municipality; it can refer the couple to a new application.
A sham marriage allegation is about more than a date. In that case, get advice from a lawyer who knows Danish family law or immigration law. We do not give legal advice; we explain what the authorities officially write.
Not to be confused: the check for family reunification at home
The prøvelsesattest only concerns the wedding in Denmark. If your partner then wants to move to Germany, Austria or Switzerland, the authorities there check again in a separate procedure whether the marriage is genuine. They decide under their own law:
| Procedure | Who checks | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding in Denmark | Familieretshuset, before the wedding | § 8 a Ægteskabsloven |
| Family reunification in Germany | German mission abroad and the foreigners' authority, with the spouse reunification visa | § 27 (1a) Residence Act: no reunification if it is established that the marriage was entered into solely to enable entry and residence |
| Family reunification in Austria | The competent residence authority | § 30 NAG: spouses who do not lead a family life together within the meaning of Art. 8 ECHR cannot rely on the marriage for a residence permit |
| Family reunification in Switzerland | Swiss representation and cantonal migration office | According to the SEM directive of 4 December 2025, the representations record possible signs of a sham marriage for the migration office |
What the visa application for spouse reunification in Germany requires is explained in our guide Family reunification after the wedding in Denmark. Keep your proof of relationship, because you may need it again there.
How to prepare
For most couples, a complete, honest application with a few good pieces of evidence is enough. Before you submit, also make sure your lawful stay on the wedding day is documented, because Familieretshuset checks that too (§ 11 a); how this works since the EES is explained in our guide EES proof of legal stay. Which documents your case needs is shown by our free eligibility check, and how real applications went is shown in our case studies.
