Getting Married in Denmark: With or Without an Agency?

Both routes lead to a valid marriage: you can organise your wedding in Denmark entirely on your own, or hire an agency. Doing it yourself costs only the €281 fee for the application to the Agency of Family Law plus your own document costs, but realistically takes 15–25 hours of work, mostly in English. An agency pays off above all when your case isn't entirely straightforward: binational, divorced, documents from non-EU countries, or when you're under time pressure. Here's the honest comparison.

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:

1. 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?
2. Obtain your documents: colour scans of all passport pages, proof of marital status (no older than 4 months at submission), where applicable a divorce decree with certificate of finality plus translation, and proof of residence and legal entry. Exactly what you need is in our document guide.
3. Clarify apostilles and translations: EU certificates generally need no apostille; Swiss and many non-EU certificates do. Denmark only accepts translations by publicly appointed or sworn translators.
4. Submit the application: the application to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) is filed online, in English or Danish. You pay the fee of DKK 2,100 (approx. €281) up front, it is not refunded even if the application is rejected.
5. 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).
6. Book the ceremony with the municipality: once approved (the Prøvelsesattest, valid for 4 months), you arrange the wedding date directly with your chosen municipality. Every municipality has its own ceremony days, deadlines and booking systems.
7. Organise the trip and the day itself: travel, accommodation, witnesses if needed (most municipalities provide them free of charge), and take your international marriage certificates home with you on the day.

The real time investment: 15–25 hours

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, most couples realistically spend 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

Honest answer: 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 the most common DIY mistakes in our guide on mistakes to avoid.

Costs compared: DIY vs. agency

You'll find all the details of what's in which package transparently 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.

When you don't need an agency, honestly

Let's say it plainly: if you are both single citizens of Germany, Austria or Switzerland, have never been married, speak decent English and have the time, you can do this yourselves. The Danish route is designed precisely so that couples can walk it without help. In that case, an agency buys you time and peace of mind, not an approval you wouldn't otherwise get.

If you're unsure which category your case falls into: our free eligibility check walks through your situation in a few minutes and tells you honestly how complex your case is, even if the answer is that you don't need us at all.