Both routes lead to a valid marriage and in the end to the same goal: a residence permit for your partner in Germany. With the visa for the purpose of marriage you marry in Germany after the registry office has checked the documents; it is a national visa, usually with A1 German. On the Danish route your partner travels to the wedding on a Schengen visa and then applies for the spouse visa. Denmark mainly saves the certificate of no impediment, not the second visa procedure (as of 6 November 2026).
This comparison is for couples where one of you lives in Germany and the other comes from a country whose citizens need a visa for the Schengen area. Whether that applies to your partner is shown in our rules by country of origin. The general comparison of registry offices is in our guide marrying a foreign partner: Germany or Denmark?
The two routes at a glance
| Visa for the purpose of marriage, wedding in Germany | Schengen visa, wedding in Denmark | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of visa | national visa (type D) for a longer stay | Schengen visa (type C) for a short stay |
| Where to apply | the German mission responsible for your partner's place of residence | the mission of the main destination, usually Denmark (see below) |
| What must be settled first | registration at the registry office, certificate of no impediment or exemption from the Higher Regional Court | nothing; Familieretshuset requires the visa already in the application |
| German language | A1 certificate, exceptions as per the leaflet | not for the Schengen visa; afterwards usually A1 for the spouse visa |
| Who checks | registry office, possibly the Higher Regional Court, the mission with the consent of the foreigners' authority | the mission (visa), Familieretshuset (marriage), the municipality (ceremony) |
| Fees | visa €75 (Tbilisi, Amman), plus registry office fees | visa €90, Familieretshuset DKK 2,100 (about €281), town hall ceremony free |
| Duration according to the authorities | visa usually 10 to 12 weeks (Tbilisi), about 12 weeks (Amman), before that the registry office and possibly the court | visa usually within 15 days, Familieretshuset usually 5 working days for complete documents, then the municipality's date |
| After the wedding | residence permit from the foreigners' authority | departure, spouse visa, then residence permit |
Route 1: the visa for the purpose of marriage in Germany
According to the German Foreign Office, the partner living in Germany first asks the responsible registry office which documents are needed. Once the registry office confirms that everything is complete, your partner applies for the visa for the purpose of marriage. The mission involves the foreigners' authority at the future place of residence and may only issue the visa after its consent. Step by step:
- Registration at the registry office: the registry office checks whether your partner may marry under the law of their home country. For this they generally need a certificate of no impediment from their home state (§ 1309 BGB). If the state does not issue one, the Higher Regional Court decides on an exemption, see court exemption from the certificate of no impediment. If more than six months pass after the registry office's notice without a wedding, you must register again (§ 13(4) PStG).
- Documents for the visa: the leaflets of the embassies in Tbilisi (as of 26.09.2025) and Amman (as of 05.07.2026) list, among other things, the confirmation of registration at the registry office, proof that earlier marriages ended, the passport and registration certificate of the partner in Germany, proof of income or housing and a declaration to cover the costs until the wedding. Amman requires a formal Verpflichtungserklärung from the foreigners' authority for this; Tbilisi a signed declaration and the advice to check with the foreigners' authority whether a formal one is needed.
- A1 German: both embassies require a certificate, for example from the Goethe-Institut, telc, ÖSD or TestDaF; Amman only accepts it if it is not older than one year. The background is that basic German is a condition for spouse reunification (§ 30(1) AufenthG); the leaflets list exceptions.
- Fee and duration: both embassies state €75. Tbilisi usually states 10 to 12 weeks, Amman about 12 weeks from a complete application. Tbilisi only issues the visa once the wedding date is fixed.
- After the wedding: the foreigners' authority issues the residence permit.
According to the German Foreign Office, nationals of some countries, such as the USA, Canada, Australia or Japan, are exempt: they may enter without a visa and apply for the residence permit afterwards in Germany. Where the German route usually gets stuck is the certificate of no impediment. Why Denmark does not require it is explained in marrying without a certificate of no impediment.
Route 2: marrying in Denmark on a Schengen visa
In Denmark, Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law, checks the conditions for marriage itself and issues the marriage approval, the prøvelsesattest. It does not require a certificate of no impediment from the home country. For a partner who needs a visa, the order matters: Familieretshuset requires the visa sticker and the EES visa calculator printout for the planned stay already in the application (Familieretshuset: Ansøg om prøvelsesattest). So first the visa, then the application.
The Schengen visa follows the deadlines of the Visa Code: you apply no earlier than six months and usually no later than 15 days before the trip (Art. 9). The decision is usually made within 15 days, in individual cases within 45 at most (Art. 23). The fee is €90 (Art. 16). According to nyidanmark.dk, Denmark requires travel health insurance for all Schengen states with cover of at least €30,000 and advises booking the flight only after the visa has been issued.
The approval is valid for at most four months, but never longer than the lawful stay. With a Schengen visa, the wedding day must therefore fall within the visa's validity and permitted length of stay. Which other documents count as proof of stay is shown in the table in our guide which residence documents count?; all details on the visa are in marrying on a Schengen visa.
Which embassy is responsible: Denmark or Germany?
Under Art. 5 of the Visa Code, the responsible state is the one where the only destination of the trip lies. If the trip includes several destinations, the main destination decides, measured by the number of days or by the purpose of the stay. If no main destination can be determined, the state of first entry is responsible. The Danish Immigration Service sums it up like this: apply to the country where you spend the most days or where the main purpose lies; with an equal number of days, to the country of first entry.
- Trip only for the wedding: your partner flies to Copenhagen, marries and flies back. Denmark is the only destination, and the Danish mission decides.
- First a visit to Germany, then the wedding: your partner spends three weeks with you and two days in Denmark. By days, Germany is the main destination. Whether the purpose “wedding” still makes Denmark the main destination is for the mission to assess; ask before applying and state the real itinerary.
- No Danish mission in the country: then the mission of another Schengen state often accepts applications for Denmark. According to nyidanmark.dk, it can also refuse without consulting the Danish authority, and any appeal follows its law.
This is more than a formality: the responsible mission determines which invitation and which commitment to cover costs is required.
Invitation and formal obligation: what is what?
For private trips the Visa Code lists an invitation from the host as possible proof if the guest stays with them (Annex II). Each Schengen state may also require its own form in which the host covers costs or accommodation (Art. 14(4)). That is why the documents differ depending on the responsible state:
| State | Document | Who and where | Cost | What the host covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Verpflichtungserklärung (§§ 66 to 68 AufenthG) | the host at the foreigners' authority of their place of residence, which checks their finances | €29 | public funds for living costs, housing, illness, care and departure, five years from entry |
| Denmark | invitation, form VU2 recommended but not mandatory | the host; online only with a Danish registered address and MitID, otherwise the printable form | none stated | the page states no liability or maximum amount |
| Switzerland | Verpflichtungserklärung, only if the Swiss mission asks for it | the host via the municipality or the cantonal migration authority | depends on the municipality, CHF 60 in Zurich | illness, accident, return travel and living costs up to CHF 30,000, twelve months from entry |
| Austria | electronic declaration of obligation (EVE) | a host with main residence in Austria at the regional police directorate | free | all costs public bodies incur through the stay, even beyond the invitation period |
The German Verpflichtungserklärung
It is a commitment to the state, not a letter to the guest. The host fills it in at the foreigners' authority of their place of residence on a forgery-proof form; the authority checks their finances and certifies the signature. The original goes to your partner, who submits it with the visa application (German Foreign Office: Verpflichtungserklärung). Whoever signs must for five years reimburse all public funds spent on the guest's living costs, including housing and care in case of illness or need of care; the period starts with the entry the declaration made possible (§ 68(1) AufenthG). On top come the costs of a refusal of entry or deportation (§ 66(2) AufenthG). According to the German Foreign Office, the law does not provide for revoking it. The fee is €29 (§ 47(1) no. 12 AufenthV), and no more than about six months should pass between signing and the visa decision.
It is needed when a German mission decides and your partner cannot finance the trip themselves, and for the visa for the purpose of marriage as required by the respective embassy's leaflet. For a visa from the Danish mission, the Danish Immigration Service names form VU2; it does not mention the German Verpflichtungserklärung.
Switzerland and Austria
In Switzerland the mission hands the form to the applicant if it considers a formal obligation necessary; it cannot be downloaded in advance. Swiss citizens, foreigners with a residence or settlement permit and companies in the commercial register can sign it. The declaration is irrevocable, and approval by the canton or municipality gives no right to a visa (SEM: leaflet on the Verpflichtungserklärung; fee according to the City of Zurich CHF 60). In Austria your partner applies for the visa no earlier than 48 hours after the EVE is made and quotes its ID number (oesterreich.gv.at). Both only concern you if Switzerland or Austria is responsible for the visa, for example because your partner mainly visits you there.
After the wedding in Denmark: spouse reunification
The marriage does not change your partner's residence status. To live together in Germany they usually need the national spouse visa, applied for at the German mission, usually with A1 German (§ 30(1) AufenthG). For spouses of Germans this visa is free of charge (§ 52(1) AufenthV). The Danish marriage certificate is multilingual and needs no apostille for German authorities.
A short trip to Denmark does not replace this procedure: Germany's Federal Administrative Court ruled that the spouse of a German does not acquire a right of residence under EU law through a short trip to marry in another EU state and must, as a rule, complete the visa procedure from abroad (BVerwG, 1 C 23.09). Exceptions depend on the individual case and are decided by the foreigners' authority. The procedure and documents are explained in family reunification after the wedding in Denmark.
Which route suits you?
- Germany suits you if your partner's home country issues a certificate of no impediment, their documents are recognised without verification and A1 is already done. Then you have one visa procedure instead of two and marry at home.
- Denmark suits you if no certificate of no impediment is available, the registry office check would take long, or you want to be married before moving in together. It requires that your partner gets a Schengen visa; nobody can promise that.
- Neither route without advice if your partner is already in the Schengen area without valid status, has a Duldung or has been refused a visa. Then clarify your situation with an immigration lawyer first.
What else distinguishes the two routes, such as costs, documents and recognition, is in Germany or Denmark; that the Danish marriage is valid in Germany is explained in recognition in Germany. Whether your case suits Denmark is shown by the free eligibility check. We handle the application to Familieretshuset: Essential costs €249.99, Complete €649.99 including the Familieretshuset fee (all prices). This comparison is not legal advice; your mission's leaflets and the authorities' decisions are binding.
