Yes, you can marry in Denmark with a partner from Nigeria or Ghana. Without a residence permit from a Schengen state, your partner needs a Schengen visa. Because neither country is a party to the Apostille Convention, their documents are legalised in the home country and then by the Danish embassy, in Nigeria after a lawyer has verified that they are genuine. And one more thing: in Denmark, an affidavit does not replace proof of divorce, death or marital status.
This guide is for couples where one of you lives in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and the other comes from Nigeria or Ghana; you will find a short section on Cameroon further down. One advantage up front: documents from Nigeria and Ghana are usually in English, and Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law, accepts English without a translation. The rules for every nationality are on our page rules by country of origin, and all documents in our guide documents for your wedding in Denmark.
Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon at a glance
| Country | Entry | Documents for Familieretshuset | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Schengen visa, unless your partner holds a residence permit from a Schengen state | verification by a lawyer approved by the Danish embassy, legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, then at the Danish embassy | not needed for documents in English |
| Ghana | Schengen visa, unless your partner holds a residence permit from a Schengen state | legalisation at Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then at the Danish embassy in Accra | not needed for documents in English |
| Cameroon | Schengen visa, unless your partner holds a residence permit from a Schengen state | no Danish mission legalises; Familieretshuset decides case by case | translate French documents |
The visa requirement is shown in the list of countries published by the German Federal Foreign Office (as of 3 June 2026). None of the three countries appears in the status table of the Apostille Convention; for documents from such countries, Familieretshuset usually requires legalisation in the issuing country (Familieretshuset: Documentation requirements). The rules for all countries are in our apostille and legalisation country list.
Entry: Schengen visa or residence permit
Denmark only marries people who are legally in the country on the wedding day, and Familieretshuset wants to see this proved already when you apply (Familieretshuset: Documentation of legal stay):
- Your partner lives in Germany, Austria or Switzerland with a residence permit: the permit of a Schengen state, front and back, is enough as proof. Your partner does not need a visa.
- Your partner travels from Nigeria or Ghana: they need a Schengen visa. For Familieretshuset you submit the visa in the passport, the printouts of the data page and the result page of the EES calculator, and plane tickets or boarding passes. If your partner has not yet entered before you apply, the visa and the EES printouts for the planned stay are enough.
- Aufenthaltsgestattung, Duldung or an expired permit: a German Aufenthaltsgestattung (permission to remain during the asylum procedure), a Duldung (suspension of deportation) or an expired permit is not enough; our guide residence papers shows which papers count, and our guide marrying with a Duldung explains why.
How to apply for the visa for the wedding and what to state as the purpose of the trip is explained in our guide marrying on a Schengen visa; the comparison with a visa for getting married in Germany is in our guide marriage visa or wedding in Denmark. The passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the stay, have two empty pages and have been issued within the last ten years.
Legalisation instead of an apostille: how it works
Nigeria: verification, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Danish embassy
According to the Danish embassy in Nigeria, original Nigerian documents must be verified and legalised before Denmark recognises them, typically before a marriage, a divorce or family reunification. The process:
- Verification: by one of the law firms that the embassy names on its page as approved. The verification is meant to confirm that the document is genuine.
- Legalisation in Nigeria: at the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
- Legalisation by the Danish embassy: it confirms the signature of the consular officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You get an appointment after contacting the embassy by email or phone, and the fee is transferred per document to the embassy's account.
The holder of the document pays for verification and legalisation. The embassy does not state fees or processing times on this page, and the page itself dates from 27 January 2021; ask the embassy about the current situation before the first step.
Ghana: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Danish embassy in Accra
For countries outside the Apostille Convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country legalises first, then the responsible Danish embassy (Danish embassy in Ghana). Only pay the legalisation fee once the embassy has agreed beforehand: fees paid without its agreement are not refunded if the document fails the check. The embassy also points out that legalisation does not prove that a document is genuine or that its content is correct; a Danish authority can check authenticity itself.
Cameroon: Familieretshuset decides
Cameroon is on the list of countries from which no Danish mission abroad can legalise documents (Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Legalisation of foreign documents). In that case the Danish authority that requires the document, here Familieretshuset, decides whether to accept it without Danish confirmation. Have French documents translated.
Affidavits: what Denmark does not accept as proof
In Nigeria and Ghana, sworn statements made before a court or a notary are widely used, for example an Affidavit of Bachelorhood or Spinsterhood. The Danish marriage guidelines are clear on this point (Vejledning om behandling af ægteskabssager, point 2.5.2.3.1): an affidavit is a one-sided declaration whose content no authority has decided on. It therefore cannot prove that someone is unmarried, divorced or widowed, and the authority should require neither a translation nor a legalisation of it.
What applies instead:
- Unmarried: you confirm your marital status with your signature in the application under criminal liability. Familieretshuset can request an official certificate in individual cases, for example because your partner does not live in Denmark or if there is a specific suspicion; if the certificate cannot be obtained, the declaration in the application stands (point 2.5.1). More in our guide certificate of marital status.
- Divorced: a copy of the divorce decision, proof that it is final and, if it is not in English, a translation that includes all endorsements.
- Widowed: the death certificate of the former spouse, see remarrying in Denmark after being widowed.
German authorities also view simple certificates of single status from Nigeria critically: according to the German Consulate General in Lagos, certificates titled “Certificate” or “Attestation” only say something about the district of the issuing office and do not rule out a marriage in another part of the country (leaflet on document verification, as of June 2026).
Earlier marriage: civil, customary or religious
Under Danish law, a marriage concluded abroad is recognised if it is valid in the country where it was concluded (Danish Marriage Act § 22 b; marriage guidelines point 9.3.1). Whether a customary marriage was valid under Nigerian or Ghanaian law is examined by Familieretshuset case by case. If it was valid, it is an earlier marriage like any other: it must be dissolved before your partner may marry again, and Familieretshuset can ask for proof.
| Earlier marriage | What you submit |
|---|---|
| Civil marriage in Nigeria, divorced before a High Court | divorce decision with proof that it is final; the German Consulate General names the “Decree Nisi” and the “Decree Absolute”, so submit both. Legalised as described above. |
| Customary marriage, dissolved by a court | the court's decision on the dissolution with proof that it is final, legalised |
| Customary marriage in Ghana | German courts required an extract from the register of customary marriages with the dissolution noted on it (Dresden Higher Regional Court, as of January 2008); ask Familieretshuset whether it wants the same proof |
| Divorce in Germany, Austria or Switzerland | divorce judgment with a note of finality, without legalisation |
An affidavit stating that the earlier marriage has ended is never enough. For Germany, a divorce from Nigeria or Ghana also needs recognition under § 107 FamFG, unless both former spouses were nationals of the country where the divorce took place. Conversely, according to the country notes of the Dresden Higher Regional Court (OLG Dresden), foreign divorce judgments do not need formal recognition in Nigeria and Ghana (Nigeria). More in our guide divorced: a second wedding in Denmark.
Birth certificates: only for joint children
Familieretshuset does not ask for your own birth certificates, only for the birth certificates of joint children. In Ghana they are issued by the Births and Deaths Registry. For Nigeria, the German Consulate General in Lagos warns about the “Attestation of Birth” issued by the National Population Commission (NPC): in its assessment, it is generally not valid proof of birth under Nigerian law. Children's birth certificates also go through legalisation as described above.
What German authorities may ask for later
You do not need a German verification for the wedding in Denmark. But if a German authority later wants to see your partner's documents, for example the registry office (Standesamt) when registering your marriage in Germany (Nachbeurkundung) or at the birth of a child, a separate procedure applies:
- Nigeria: legalisation of Nigerian documents for Germany was stopped in May 2000. Instead, the Consulate General in Lagos, for the whole of Nigeria, has documents verified by partner lawyers on behalf of a German authority. Private individuals cannot apply for this. It currently costs €450 per adult and usually takes 6 to 8 months (Consulate General Lagos, as of June 2026).
- Ghana: Ghanaian documents have not been legalised for Germany since 2000. A verification is possible, but only at the request of a German authority, and it can take more than ten months because reliable lawyers are scarce (German Embassy Accra).
Recognition in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Germany: the Danish marriage is as a rule valid without any further procedure, and the marriage certificate does not need an apostille (EU Regulation 2016/1191); registering the marriage in Germany (Nachbeurkundung) is voluntary. More in our guide recognition in Germany.
- Austria: you must report the marriage to the Central Civil Status Register (ZPR). Ask there which verification Austrian authorities require for Nigerian or Ghanaian documents. More in our guide recognition in Austria.
- Switzerland: recognition is not automatic; you report the marriage through the Regional Consular Centre in Stockholm, registration takes at least two months, and you submit the declaration on your name within six months. More in our guide recognition in Switzerland.
If your partner still lives in Nigeria or Ghana, the wedding is followed by the application for family reunification at the German, Austrian or Swiss mission; the marriage alone does not give a right of residence. The process is explained in our guide family reunification after the wedding. With every application, Familieretshuset also checks whether the relationship is genuine; what it wants to see is in our guide sham marriage check.
Step by step
- Clarify your situation: residence permit or visa, earlier marriages including customary ones, joint children. Our free eligibility check shows which documents your case needs.
- Get the documents: originals, no affidavits as a substitute.
- Legalisation: Nigeria with verification by a lawyer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Danish embassy; Ghana with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Danish embassy.
- Visa: if needed, before you apply.
- Application to Familieretshuset: the fee is DKK 2,100 (about €281) and is not refunded. Familieretshuset usually decides complete applications within 5 working days; the approval (prøvelsesattest) is valid for at most 4 months.
- Ceremony: 15 to 20 minutes, with two witnesses, whom many municipalities provide on weekdays.
- Afterwards: the steps in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and, if needed, the apostille of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the marriage certificate for DKK 250 (um.dk), see apostille on the marriage certificate.
If you would rather not check the documents alone: in the Complete package for €649.99, Familieretshuset's fee included, we check every scan before submission and file the application for you. The Essential package for €249.99 includes the document list, instructions and WhatsApp support. We arrange the apostille on the marriage certificate as an add-on for €149.99. All services are on our pricing page.
