Yes, you can marry a partner from Syria in Denmark if he or she is legally present there on the wedding day: with a residence permit from a Schengen country and a valid travel document, such as the Reiseausweis für Flüchtlinge (the German refugee travel document), or with a visa. With a Duldung (a German tolerated stay) or during an asylum procedure it is not possible. Syrian documents need legalisation instead of an apostille, and for refugees the Danish administrative guidance takes into account that documents from Syria are missing.
This guide is for couples where one of you is German, Austrian, Swiss or an EU citizen and the other comes from Syria. Our page rules by country of origin shows the rules for each nationality, and the guide Documents for your wedding in Denmark has the complete document list. We do not advise on immigration law; where your individual case matters, we say so and point you to the right office.
Who can marry a Syrian partner in Denmark?
Only people who are legally present in Denmark on the wedding day can be married. Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law, accepts among other things a residence permit from another Schengen country as proof (Familieretshuset: Legal residence for marriage in Denmark). So what matters is which papers your partner holds:
| Your Syrian partner's situation | Wedding in Denmark | Proof for Familieretshuset |
|---|---|---|
| Recognised refugee in Germany: Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit) and Reiseausweis für Flüchtlinge | as a rule, yes | residence card front and back, all pages of the Reiseausweis |
| Subsidiary protection in Germany: Aufenthaltserlaubnis and Syrian passport or Reiseausweis für Ausländer | as a rule, yes | residence card front and back, all pages of the travel document |
| Granted asylum in Austria with a Konventionsreisepass (Convention travel document), refugee with Ausweis B in Switzerland | as a rule, yes | residence permit and travel document |
| Provisionally admitted in Switzerland (Ausweis F) | only after checking first | check first with the migration office and Familieretshuset |
| Naturalised, for example with a German passport | yes, like EU citizens | passport or ID card |
| Lives in Syria, Lebanon or Turkey without a permit from a Schengen country | only with a Schengen visa | visa, EES printout and tickets |
| Duldung, Aufenthaltsgestattung, asylum seeker in Austria, Ausweis N in Switzerland | no | none possible |
How travel with protection status from Germany, Austria and Switzerland works in detail is explained in the guide Marrying in Denmark as a refugee. Which residence papers Familieretshuset generally accepts is shown in the guide Residence papers for the wedding in Denmark.
Which passport counts: Syrian passport or travel document?
Familieretshuset asks citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland for photos of all pages of their passport. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your stay, have 2 blank pages and have been issued within the last 10 years. For people with protection status, the travel document takes the place of the passport:
- Reiseausweis für Flüchtlinge (the “blue passport” in Germany, the Konventionsreisepass in Austria): Familieretshuset's guidance on legal residence explicitly lists travel documents for refugees among the valid travel papers (Familieretshuset: Vejledning om lovligt ophold). It is not valid for travel to Syria.
- Reiseausweis für Ausländer (the “grey passport”): issued in Germany to people who cannot reasonably be expected to obtain a passport from their own country, often people with subsidiary protection. You upload it in the same way.
- Syrian passport: Check the issue date and remaining validity. Whether Denmark recognises a particular Syrian passport is decided by the Danish authorities; Familieretshuset does not publish its own list on this.
The travel document and the residence card must be valid on the wedding day. If either of them expires before the end of the 4 months for which the approval (prøvelsesattest) is valid, the approval also ends earlier.
Syrian documents: when you need them and how legalisation works
Many couples do not need a single Syrian document. Unmarried applicants confirm their marital status in the application with their signature under penalty of law, and Familieretshuset does not ask for their own birth certificates. Syrian documents only come into play if your case requires them:
| Document | When needed | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of a previous marriage and its end: registration of the divorce in the civil register, decision of the Sharia or church court, or death certificate | if your partner was married before | with proof that the divorce is final |
| Birth certificates of children you have together | if you have children together | for children from Germany, German certificates without translation |
| Civil register extract (إخراج قيد فردي) as proof of marital status | only if Familieretshuset requests it | for refugees, see below |
| Proof of a shared address | if you live together outside Denmark | for example the German Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate), not older than 4 months |
Legalisation instead of an apostille: Syria is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table). For documents from such countries, Familieretshuset requires legalisation in the issuing country (Familieretshuset: Documentation requirements). The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes the procedure like this: first authentication by the foreign ministry of the issuing country, then by the competent Danish embassy (um.dk: Legalisation of foreign documents).
No Danish embassy page says which Danish embassy currently legalises Syrian documents (as of 6 November 2026). Denmark reopened its embassy in Damascus on 31 August 2026, but the embassy's page still refers all enquiries to the embassy in Beirut (um.dk/syrien). So check with Familieretshuset and the embassy in Beirut before you apply and before you have documents obtained from Syria. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not mention legalisation by the German embassy as an alternative.
If your partner is a recognised refugee
The Danish administrative guidance on marriage law says: because of the risk of further persecution, refugees and asylum seekers cannot be required to contact the authorities of the country they fled, and documents from that country cannot be required (Vejledning 2022, sections 2.5.1.2 and 2.5.2.3.1). This no longer applies if someone has travelled there several times after being recognised. An honest caveat: the guidance describes the rule for refugees with status in Denmark; for protection status from Germany, Austria or Switzerland, Familieretshuset decides case by case. So enclose the decision granting recognition and clarify any missing proof before you apply.
What the German embassy requires for German authorities
If you later need Syrian documents for German authorities, the German embassy in Beirut only legalises register extracts that were issued in Syria itself and authenticated by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on or after 1 January 2012, for €32 per document; it does not legalise family books, documents from Syrian embassies or documents from religious courts (embassy information sheet, as of August 2026). According to the embassy, authorised representatives such as relatives can also obtain this authentication.
Translation from Arabic
Familieretshuset accepts documents in Danish, English, German, Norwegian or Swedish. Arabic documents must be translated into Danish, English or German by an authorised translator before you apply, and for legalised documents this includes all stamps and endorsements. In Germany it is best to use a publicly appointed and sworn translator; costs and the process are covered in the guide Certified translation of wedding documents.
Arabic names can be written in Latin script in different ways, for example Mohammad or Muhammad. Ask the translator to spell them exactly as they appear in the travel document or passport.
Previously married: religious and civil divorce
In Syria, family law depends on religion: Muslims divorce before the Sharia court, Christians before their church court, and the divorce is then entered in the state civil register. The notes of the German higher regional courts (Oberlandesgerichte, OLG) therefore name two pieces of proof: the divorce certificate or divorce registration from the civil registry office, plus the decision of the Sharia or church court; for a revocable talaq, also proof that it was not revoked during the waiting period (idda) (OLG Brandenburg, notes on Syria).
For Denmark: you prove a foreign divorce with the divorce document, proof that it is final and a translation including all endorsements. It is only recognised if a court or an authority was involved; Denmark does not recognise divorces carried out privately without a court or authority. In addition, the country must have had jurisdiction, for example because one of the spouses lived there or both were its nationals (Vejledning 2022, section 2.5.2.3.2). Familieretshuset decides whether the proof is sufficient.
- Declare every previous marriage, including one that was only religious or never entered in the civil register. For German registry offices (Standesamt), the higher regional courts explicitly require information on religious, ritual and civil marriages.
- Make sure the details match: what you state in the application about marriage and family should match what your partner said in the asylum procedure.
- Germany: A Syrian divorce must, in principle, be recognised here by the state justice administration (Landesjustizverwaltung) under § 107 FamFG; this does not apply if both spouses were Syrian at the time of the divorce and were divorced in Syria.
More on this in the guides Divorced: your second wedding in Denmark and Remarrying in Denmark after being widowed.
Legally in Denmark on the wedding day: permit, visa, EES
With a residence permit from a Schengen country and a valid travel document, your partner may travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days within 180 days; the residence card, front and back, is enough as proof. A permit issued on an Ausweisersatz (a substitute ID document that is only valid in Germany) is not enough for the journey.
If your partner lives in Syria, Lebanon or Turkey without such a permit, he or she needs a Schengen visa. The Danish immigration authorities place Syria in main group 5: according to Udlændingestyrelsen, visit visas are only granted in special circumstances, for example serious illness or the death of a relative in Denmark; the page does not mention a wedding (nyidanmark.dk: Who needs a visa?, as of 30 June 2026). Visa applications from Syria are processed by the Danish embassy in Lebanon. So do not count on getting a visa for the wedding. Since 10 April 2026, anyone entering on a visa proves their stay with the visa, the printout from the EES calculator and the tickets; see EES proof for the wedding and Marrying on a Schengen visa.
Who cannot marry in Denmark
To be honest, the route via Denmark does not work in these situations, and no agency can change that:
- Duldung: It only applies in Germany and lapses when the person leaves the country. An application would be refused, and the fee of DKK 2,100 (about €281) would be lost.
- Ongoing asylum procedure: Aufenthaltsgestattung in Germany, asylum seeker (Asylwerber) in Austria, Ausweis N in Switzerland. The Danish administrative guidance states explicitly that a stay permitted only for the duration of a procedure in another Schengen country does not establish legal residence in Denmark (section 2.7).
What options there are then, for example marrying in Germany with an exemption from the Ehefähigkeitszeugnis (certificate of no impediment) granted by the OLG, is explained in the guide Marrying in Denmark with a Duldung. Get advice before every step: in Germany from the Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer (MBE, the migration counselling service for adult immigrants), a refugee council (Flüchtlingsrat) or a lawyer specialising in migration law, in Austria from Caritas or Diakonie, in Switzerland from the Swiss Refugee Council (Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe).
After the wedding: recognition at home and in Syria
Right after the ceremony you receive two international marriage certificates in five languages. For German and Austrian authorities, the certificate does not need an apostille.
- Germany: The marriage is recognised as a rule. The form is governed by Danish law, the requirements by the home country law of each partner (Art. 13(1) EGBGB). For recognised refugees, Art. 12 of the Geneva Refugee Convention provides that their personal status is governed by the law of their country of residence. For Syria, the higher regional courts point to marriage impediments under home country law, for example between members of different religious communities and for Syrians with partners of non-Arab ethnicity (OLG Munich, Nuremberg, Bamberg, as of December 2023); in Germany such impediments may be disregarded under Art. 13(2) or Art. 6 EGBGB. The notes do not say whether this still applies after the change of power in Syria at the end of 2024. Registering the marriage afterwards in the German civil status register (Nachbeurkundung) is voluntary (§ 34 PStG); ask the Standesamt which documents it requires for this. More in the guide Recognition in Germany.
- Austria and Switzerland: In Austria, registration in the Central Civil Status Register (Zentrales Personenstandsregister) is mandatory; in Switzerland, the marriage is reported through the consular representation. See Recognition in Austria and Recognition in Switzerland.
- Syria: Whether and how you register the marriage there depends on Syrian law. According to the OLG notes, a marriage concluded abroad is considered valid under Syrian law if it is entered in the Syrian civil register. For refugees, even contact with Syrian authorities can affect their protection status; get advice beforehand.
The marriage does not change residence status automatically. Anyone who already holds an Aufenthaltserlaubnis in Germany can apply for a different permit without leaving the country (§ 39 AufenthV), for example as the spouse of a German; whether that makes sense is something to clarify with the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) or a migration counselling service. If your partner lives abroad, the next step is family reunification after the wedding with a visa.
How to proceed, step by step
- Check the status: Are the residence permit and travel document valid until after the ceremony? With a Duldung or Gestattung, do not submit an application. The free eligibility check shows which documents your case requires.
- Clarify the documents: Do you need Syrian documents at all? If so, clarify legalisation beforehand with Familieretshuset and the Danish embassy, and as a refugee do not apply for anything at Syrian offices without having had advice. The country list for apostille and legalisation shows the rules for other countries.
- Have them translated: the document including its legalisation endorsements into German, English or Danish.
- Apply to Familieretshuset: The fee is DKK 2,100 (about €281) and is not refunded. Familieretshuset usually decides complete applications within 5 working days; after a request for further documents it is currently processing applications from August 2026 (Sagsbehandlingstider, as of 6 November 2026). What to do then is explained in the guide Request for documents or refusal.
- Ceremony: It takes 15 to 20 minutes. You need two witnesses; many municipalities provide them on weekdays.
- Afterwards: Present the certificate to the immigration office and, if applicable, the Standesamt; involve Syrian offices only after getting advice.
If your partner comes from Afghanistan, Iran or Iraq, read the guide Marrying a partner from Afghanistan, Iran or Iraq. If you would rather not apply on your own: in the Complete package for €649.99, including the Familieretshuset fee, we check every scan before it is submitted and file the application for you; the decision is made by Familieretshuset. The Essential package for €249.99 includes the document list, instructions and WhatsApp support. All services are listed on the pricing page.
