Getting married in Randers means a ceremony in the Byrådssalen, the council chamber of the old town hall on Rådhustorvet (the town hall square), on a Friday or Saturday from 10:00. If you bring no witnesses, the municipality provides two, and up to 75 guests may attend. Couples who live abroad go through Familieretshuset and contact the municipality's Borgerservice (citizen service) to arrange the date.
Can a couple from abroad get married in Randers?
Yes. On its page about town hall weddings the municipality states explicitly: if you or one of you lives abroad and you want to marry at Randers town hall, you contact Borgerservice, phone 89 15 15 15 (Vielse på rådhuset). The page does not name residence in Denmark as a condition.
Who checks the conditions for marriage depends on citizenship and residence (Sådan bliver I gift). If you are both Danish or Nordic citizens or both have a permanent right of residence in Denmark, the municipality is responsible. If that does not apply to one of you, you apply for the approval, the prøvelsesattest (certificate of marital status), to Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law. That is the route for couples from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who do not live in Denmark. What the agency wants to see is explained in our guides Prøvelsesattest and Documents for your wedding in Denmark.
One point often causes confusion: the deadlines on the Randers page, that is, the marriage declaration no earlier than 4 months before the wedding and 3 to 4 weeks of processing at Borgerservice, apply to couples who submit their marriage declaration to the municipality. In your case Familieretshuset does the checking. The municipality does not say how much notice Randers then needs for your date; ask about it when you first get in touch.
Wedding days and venue: the old town hall on Rådhustorvet
Ceremonies take place in the Byrådssalen of the old town hall (Det Gamle Rådhus) in the middle of the town centre. According to the municipality's Danish page, as of 6 November 2026:
| Item | Randers |
|---|---|
| Venue | Byrådssalen in the old town hall, Rådhustorvet 1, 8900 Randers |
| Wedding days | Friday and Saturday, from 10:00 on both days, all year round |
| No ceremonies | on Sundays and public holidays |
| Time per couple | 15 minutes |
| Guests | up to 75 people |
| Witnesses from the municipality | yes, if you bring none of your own |
| Contact | Borgerservice, 89 15 15 15, borgerservice@randers.dk |
The municipality distinguishes between high season (1 April to 1 September) and low season, but gives the same days and times for both. Its English page for newcomers differs on the days; it is aimed at couples who live in Randers. What counts is the day Borgerservice confirms to you.
Witnesses, language and interpreter
Besides the registrar (Giftefoged), two witnesses must be present. They may be friends or relatives; if you bring none, the municipality provides them. Say how you want to handle this when you arrange the date.
On language, the Danish page only says that you should state in advance if you need an interpreter. The municipality's English page (Work and Live Randers) names Danish, English or German as ceremony languages. For another language, according to that page, you bring an interpreter, who may also be one of the two witnesses. Because the English page is aimed at residents, confirm the language when you arrange the date. What applies to the interpreter is explained in our guide Interpreters at the wedding.
How it works: from the application to saying “I do”
Contact Randers before you apply
Call Borgerservice (89 15 15 15) or write to borgerservice@randers.dk. Say that you live abroad and ask how the municipality arranges the date for couples with an approval from Familieretshuset and how much notice it needs. Mention right away whether you need witnesses from the municipality, how many guests are coming and which language you would like.
Application to Familieretshuset
You apply for the prøvelsesattest and name Randers as the municipality. You pay the fee of DKK 2,100 (about €281) when you submit; it is not refunded (Familieretshuset). The agency usually decides complete applications within 5 working days. If it asks for more documents, the case joins a queue: as of 6 November 2026 it is working on such cases received in August 2026 (processing times).
Approval and date
The approval is valid for the municipality you name in the application, and for 4 months from issue; shorter if a non-European passport or a residence permit expires earlier. Your wedding day must fall within this window. The municipality does not publish how long you wait for a date in Randers. We are often in touch with municipalities and ask on behalf of our couples.
The wedding day
Be at the town hall in good time: it opens 15 minutes before the ceremony. Bring the passports you submitted to Familieretshuset and, if needed, your visa or residence permit. Straight after the ceremony you receive the marriage certificate; in Denmark that means two international certificates in five languages.
Which documents your case needs is shown by our free eligibility check. How to prove your lawful stay since the EES is explained in our guide EES proof for the wedding.
The wedding day at the old town hall
The municipality's page describes what happens on the day in some detail:
- Arrival: The town hall opens 15 minutes before the ceremony. A member of staff welcomes you in the foyer. Until you are collected, you can use a room with a cloakroom.
- Ceremony: You are shown into the Byrådssalen. Each couple is allotted 15 minutes. Photography is allowed.
- Accessibility: The town hall is wheelchair accessible; let the municipality know in advance if you need this.
- Afterwards: If you would like to raise a toast, you can use a room for 15 minutes. You bring drinks and glasses yourselves and ask for the room in advance.
- No rice: Rice, grains, popcorn and confetti are not allowed, because the steps and the town hall should stay clean for the next couple. Allowed are fresh or dried petals, soap bubbles, clapping, singing or whistling.
- Cancelling on a Saturday: For this the municipality gives the number 89 15 16 50.
The text of the ceremony was written for the municipality by the psychology professor Svend Brinkmann. It is deliberately non-religious and meant to include everyone, regardless of whom they love. It ends with the poem “Så tag mit hjerte” by Tove Ditlevsen. The municipality publishes the Danish text on its page; it does not say whether the text is translated for a ceremony in English or German. How a Danish ceremony generally works is described in our guide The wedding ceremony in Denmark.
Weddings outside the town hall: in a park or a forest?
On its general page the municipality writes: the ceremony normally takes place at the town hall, but the mayor can allow a wedding at another location, for example in a park or a forest. Even then you need at least two witnesses; if you have none, the municipality arranges them.
Randers names no fixed venues, days or prices for a wedding outside the town hall, nor does it say whether this option is open to couples with an approval from Familieretshuset. Ask Borgerservice about it before you apply. Which municipalities explicitly offer couples from abroad a beach, a garden or other venues is shown in our guide Special places to get married. The neighbouring municipality of Aarhus publishes fixed prices for a registrar at a venue of your choice, see Getting married in Aarhus.
What does a wedding in Randers cost?
On its Danish page Randers states no fee for the town hall ceremony. Since August 2025, Danish municipalities generally no longer charge for town hall weddings, after the City of Copenhagen found no legal basis for such fees in its own legal review.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Familieretshuset fee (mandatory) | DKK 2,100 (about €281), not refundable |
| Ceremony at the old town hall | no fee stated |
| Witnesses from the municipality | no fee stated |
| Room for a toast (15 minutes) | no fee stated; bring your own drinks and glasses |
| New marriage certificate if the old one is lost | free of charge, from the municipality where you married |
Add travel and possibly a night's stay. In the Essential package (€249.99) you pay Familieretshuset's fee yourselves; in the Complete package (€649.99) it is included. Everything else is on our prices page and in our cost comparison 2026. What the Danish certificate is worth at home is explained in our guide International marriage certificate.
Getting to Randers
By car: Randers is in eastern Jutland on the E45 motorway, about 40 km by road north of Aarhus. From Hamburg it is about 370 km via the A7 and the E45, from the border at Padborg about 210 km. From Copenhagen you drive about 335 km via the toll bridge across the Great Belt (Storebælt).
By train: Randers has a station on the line between Aarhus and Aalborg. Connections from Copenhagen, Hamburg, Austria and Switzerland, with journey times and changes, are shown by Rejseplanen and Deutsche Bahn.
By plane: The nearest airport is Aarhus Airport near Tirstrup, about 45 km by road east of Randers. Billund Airport is about 130 km away, Copenhagen Airport about 340 km.
Randers does not mention registering the day before on its pages. Since the ceremonies start from 10:00, an overnight stay in Randers or Aarhus is still more relaxed if you have a long journey.
Randers as a short trip: what to see nearby
- Rådhustorvet and the old town: The statue of Niels Ebbesen stands in front of the old town hall, and the pedestrian zone begins all around it. A photo walk straight after saying “I do” does not take you far.
- Randers Regnskov: The tropical zoo with its domes lies on the Gudenå, Denmark's longest river, a few minutes from the town centre.
- Randers Fjord and Djursland: East of the town begin the fjord and the Djursland peninsula with Mols Bjerge National Park. Aarhus is about 40 km away.
Randers or another municipality?
Randers suits you if you want to marry on a Friday or Saturday, are not bringing your own witnesses and are coming with family or friends. This is how the rules compare with other registry offices in Jutland (as of 6 November 2026, according to the municipalities' pages):
| Municipality | Wedding days for couples from abroad | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Randers | Fri and Sat, from 10:00 | witnesses from the municipality; up to 75 guests; Danish, English or German according to the English page |
| Aarhus | Thu and Fri from 10:30, Sat from 10:00 | no earlier than 14 days after the approval arrives; your own witnesses on Saturdays |
| Ringkøbing-Skjern | Tue and Thu, 13:30 to 15:00 | you both show ID at Borgerservice the day before at the latest |
| Kolding | town hall Mon, Fri and Sat | Danish, English or German; your own witnesses on Saturdays |
| Esbjerg (Ribe) | Thu and Fri | Old Town Hall in Ribe; Danish, German or English |
Details are in our guides Getting married in Aarhus, Getting married in Ringkøbing-Skjern, Getting married in Kolding and Getting married in Esbjerg and Ribe. The rules of many more municipalities are on our page Venues and rules by municipality, and an overview of lead times is in our wait time comparison 2026.
If your approval is already with another municipality and there is no suitable date there, only Familieretshuset can forward it to Randers; it stays valid for 4 months from issue. We take care of this step as a change of municipality; more on it in our guide Approved but no date. Randers sometimes changes wedding days and rules at short notice, so check the municipality's current page before you apply.
