Both routes lead to a valid marriage. Doing it yourself costs only the AFL fee of DKK 2,100 (about €281) plus your own document costs, but in our experience roughly 15–25 hours of work. An agency pays off above all in tricky cases or under time pressure.
What you really have to do when organising it yourselves
The Danish route involves far less red tape than a German registry office, but "less red tape" doesn't mean "no work". If you do everything yourselves, these tasks are on you:
Assess your case
Are you both free to marry (of age, single or legally divorced/widowed)? And which proofs does the Danish authority require in your specific constellation?
Obtain your documents
Colour photos of all passport pages (EU citizens: ID card, both sides), where applicable a divorce decree with certificate of finality plus translation and, for partners from outside the EU, proof of residence and legal entry: since 10 April 2026 the visa (if required) plus a printout from the EES calculator and flight tickets. Familieretshuset only asks for a single-status certificate in individual cases; otherwise, never-married applicants confirm their marital status by signing the application, under criminal liability. Exactly what you need is in our document guide.
Clarify apostilles and translations
Certificates from the EU and Switzerland generally need no apostille; many certificates from countries outside Europe do; the rules for your country of origin show what applies to yours. Denmark only accepts translations by publicly appointed or sworn translators.
Submit the application
The application to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) is filed online, in English or Danish; without MitID you create a user account by e-mail. Each of you fills in your own part, at the latest 14 days after the start, otherwise the authority closes the case. You pay the fee of DKK 2,100 (about €281) up front by card or wallet; it is not refunded even if the application is rejected.
Answer follow-up requests
If the authority requests additional documents, you have to respond quickly, completely and in English, otherwise your application ends up in the backlog (more on that below).
Book the ceremony with the municipality
The approval (the Prøvelsesattest, valid for 4 months) goes to the municipality named in your application; that is where you book the wedding date. Every municipality has its own ceremony days, deadlines and booking systems: Tønder and Aabenraa release new dates exactly 60 days ahead, and they are usually gone within one or two days. Familieretshuset therefore advises choosing a municipality with free dates before you apply; another municipality is only possible later if it forwards the approval. How long you wait where is shown in our comparison of registry office waiting times; where dates are still free right now, we find out for our couples directly from the municipalities we are often in touch with.
Organise the trip and the day itself
Travel, accommodation, witnesses if needed (many municipalities provide them free of charge, but not at every time), and take your international marriage certificates home with you on the day.
You'll find every step with deadlines and the right order in our step-by-step checklist; it works just as well if you're doing everything without an agency.
The real time investment
Don't underestimate the workload. Between research, ordering certificates (often involving a trip to an office), coordinating translations, the online application, follow-up queries and booking the date with the municipality, in our experience it adds up to roughly 15–25 hours, spread over several weeks. Simple cases sit at the lower end; cases involving a divorce or foreign certificates end up well above it.
When DIY is perfectly fine
In many cases you don't need an agency. Organising it yourselves is very doable if all of the following apply:
- You are both citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
- You are both single and have never been married: no divorce decrees, no death certificates.
- Your documents come from your home country and are quick to obtain.
- You have time and patience for research and dealing with authorities.
- You are comfortable communicating in English; the application and any queries are handled in English or Danish.
If all of that is true, your case is standard from the authority's point of view. With careful preparation, approval is then usually unproblematic.
When an agency genuinely pays off
The value of an agency isn't in filling out the form, it's in making sure the application is complete and error-free on the first attempt. Right now, that's exactly what decides between weeks and months:
An agency is therefore worth it above all if:
- you are a binational couple: different certificates, visa and residence questions, more sources of error;
- at least one of you is divorced or widowed: a decree with certificate of finality plus an authorised translation is a common stumbling block;
- documents from non-EU countries are involved: apostille chains, translations, shorter validity periods;
- you are under time pressure, because of a pregnancy, a visa or a job change: you simply cannot afford the follow-up backlog;
- you don't have the capacity for 15–25 hours of paperwork in English, or you simply want one fixed contact person.
We've collected typical DIY mistakes in our guide on mistakes to avoid.
Costs compared: DIY vs. agency
| DIY | Essential | Complete | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL fee DKK 2,100 (about €281) | you pay it yourselves | you pay it yourselves | included |
| Application and communication with the authority | you, in English/Danish | you, with instructions, a personal document list and WhatsApp support (3 weeks) | we handle it completely |
| Coordinating the date with the municipality | you | you (with instructions) | we handle it |
| Change of municipality if the municipality has no date | you, via Familieretshuset | €99.99 | included once |
| Document costs (certificates, apostilles/translations if needed) | your own costs | your own costs | your own costs |
| Your time investment | approx. 15–25 h | significantly reduced | minimal, essentially providing documents and travelling |
Essential costs €249.99, Complete €649.99. What exactly is in which package is on our pricing page. An apostille service (€199.99) can be added if needed, and you can upgrade from Essential to Complete at any time for the €400 difference. You can book the Complete package directly, with a deposit from €450 if you like; what the wedding costs in total is worked out in our 2026 cost comparison.
If you're unsure which category your case falls into: our free eligibility check walks through your situation and tells you whether you can marry in Denmark and what your case needs on top. Whether you then carry on yourselves or with us is your decision.
