Yes, you can get married in Denmark without living there. It's often the first question, and at the same time the decisive reason why so many couples from DE/AT/CH choose the Danish route.
The legal basis
Denmark requires neither residence nor a minimum stay for a civil wedding. The Familieretshuset reviews only the marriageability of both partners, not where they live. The Danish Marriage Act (ægteskabsloven § 11 a) only requires both of you to be lawfully in Denmark on the wedding day: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are anyway, everyone else with a visa, visa-free or with a residence permit. Which of these applies to you is shown in the rules for your country of origin.
For couples without residence in Denmark, the AFL fee is DKK 2,100 (about €281) per couple; it is not refunded.
Which forms of residence are accepted?
| Partner type | Entry to Denmark | Document |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA citizens | Visa-free | ID card or passport |
| Swiss | Visa-free | ID card or passport |
| Third-country nationals with a residence permit from a Schengen state | No visa needed | Passport plus residence card, front and back |
| Third-country nationals who need a visa | With a Schengen visa (valid for Denmark) | Passport, visa, EES calculator printout (data and result page) and flight tickets or boarding passes; before entry, the EES printout for the planned stay |
| Third-country nationals without a visa requirement (e.g. USA, Canada) | Visa-free | Passport, EES calculator printout and flight tickets or boarding passes |
The EES proof has applied since 10 April 2026 and replaces the entry stamp. Partners who need a visa apply for it before the application to Familieretshuset, because the visa and the EES printout belong in the application. Everything about the visa and EES is in our guide Marrying in Denmark with a Schengen visa; which proof your case needs is shown by our free eligibility check.
Pitfalls without Danish residence
At home the marriage is recognised: in Germany, Austria and the other EU countries automatically, without a separate recognition procedure. In Switzerland you report it via the competent Swiss representation; only then is it entered in the civil register. Details are in our guides for Austria and Switzerland.
How long do you have to be in Denmark?
Theoretically you could arrive on the wedding day and travel back in the evening. In practice we recommend at least one overnight stay, appointments are often in the morning or at midday, and originals must be presented. One day to arrive, one day for the ceremony, one buffer day is a realistic plan. In Sønderborg and Haderslev, registering in person the day before is mandatory anyway, and in Copenhagen couples without a Danish CPR number must show their originals in person at City Hall at the earliest 5 and at the latest 1 working day before the wedding, for a Monday or Saturday wedding by the Friday before; for an overview, see our comparison of the border registry offices.
The real bottleneck is the municipality's wedding date: Tønder (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and Aabenraa release new dates exactly 60 days ahead, Ærø offers a date within 10 weeks of the approval according to the municipality's Danish page (October 2026), and Copenhagen states a waiting time of up to 4 months. Checking early which municipality has free dates can save weeks; our page current free wedding dates gives an overview.
