Both routes lead to a fully valid marriage. At home, the registry office checks whether your partner may marry under their home law, in Germany and Austria usually with a certificate of no impediment (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis) from their home country. In Denmark, Familieretshuset checks this itself, without that certificate, and usually decides complete applications within 5 working days. Denmark is worth it above all when the certificate cannot be obtained or documents need lengthy verification. If your partner's papers are simple, the registry office at home is often just as good.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Denmark compared
This is how the routes differ when one of you has a foreign nationality. All details come from the competent authorities, as of 3 November 2026:
| Germany | Austria | Switzerland | Denmark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who checks? | registry office, plus the Higher Regional Court (OLG) for an exemption | registry office (procedure to establish capacity to marry) | civil registry office (preparatory procedure) | Familieretshuset, centrally for all of Denmark |
| Certificate of no impediment from the home country | yes in principle (§ 1309 BGB), otherwise exemption by the OLG | yes | no, but a certificate of single status or other civil status document | no |
| Check of foreign documents | apostille or legalisation; where legalisation is no longer possible, verification through the embassy | apostille or certification, depending on the country | if needed, verification by a lawyer of the Swiss mission, at your cost | apostille or legalisation depending on the country; none for EU, EEA and Swiss documents |
| Time | depends on documents and country; the OLG itself takes 3 to 8 weeks as a rule according to OLG Celle | depends on documents and certificate, no official figure | depends on documents and verification, no official figure | complete applications usually 5 working days, then the municipality's date |
| Official fees | Berlin example: €45 plus €45 per partner under foreign law; exemption €15 to €305 | €74 procedure, €193 for foreign documents | under the federal fee schedule, verification extra | DKK 2,100 (about €281), town hall ceremony free |
| Validity | notice 6 months, exemption 6 months | established capacity at most 6 months | wedding within 3 months of completion | approval 4 months |
| Certificate afterwards | German marriage certificate | entry in the Central Civil Status Register | entry in Infostar | 2 international certificates in 5 languages |
Fees in Germany differ from state to state; the Berlin figures are an example. Travel, translations and documents come on top on every route; what a wedding in Denmark costs in total is worked out in our cost comparison 2026.
Germany: giving notice of marriage and the certificate of no impediment
You give notice of your marriage at the registry office, in principle both in person. Which documents your partner needs is decided case by case when a foreign country is involved; in Berlin, for example, only in a personal consultation. According to Service Berlin, the general rules are: originals that have not been altered or laminated; foreign-language documents translated by a translator sworn in Germany; an apostille or legalisation depending on the country.
The certificate of no impediment under § 1309 BGB
A foreigner who marries under their home law should give the registry office a certificate from their home authority stating that nothing stands in the way of the marriage. The certificate loses its force if you do not marry within six months (§ 1309 BGB). Many countries do not issue such a certificate at all. Which ones, and what the court wants to see instead, is set out in the country lists of the Higher Regional Courts, such as the Cologne list of OLG Köln.
No certificate: exemption by the Higher Regional Court
If there is no certificate, the president of the Higher Regional Court can exempt you from presenting it. You do not apply to the court but to the registry office, which prepares and forwards the application. Proof of marital status must not be older than six months. The fee is between €15 and €305, depending on the work involved and your income (JVKostG no. 1330), and the exemption is valid for six months.
How long the court takes is stated by the courts themselves: OLG Celle gives 3 to 8 weeks as a rule, longer for example when documents are missing; OLG Bamberg about six weeks from receipt of the complete file. That is only the time at the court. Before it come obtaining the documents, apostille or legalisation, translations and the registry office's review. More in our guide OLG exemption from the certificate of no impediment.
When documents have to be verified
For documents from some countries, German missions no longer legalise, because documents with false content were common there. The registry office can then have the document verified through the embassy. The Federal Foreign Office calls this processing unavoidably time-consuming; the expenses can run to several hundred euros, and the authority can charge them to you (Federal Foreign Office).
An earlier divorce abroad
If an earlier marriage was dissolved outside the EU, the divorce usually has to be recognised in Germany first (§ 107 FamFG, fee €15 to €305 under JVKostG no. 1331). This applies to both routes: otherwise the earlier marriage counts as still existing in Germany, and the new marriage can be annulled, including one concluded in Denmark. How to sort this out beforehand is covered in our guide Divorced: a second wedding in Denmark.
The notice of marriage is valid for six months; if you do not marry within that time, you have to give notice again (§ 13(4) PStG). In Berlin it costs €45 plus €45 for each partner whose foreign law must be applied.
Austria: establishing capacity to marry
In Austria you register with the registry office for the procedure to establish your capacity to marry. The office holds an oral hearing, at which both of you are normally present, and records it in writing. Foreign nationals present a certificate of no impediment from their home country. For partners from Germany, Italy and Switzerland, the Austrian registry office obtains it directly; otherwise you apply for it to the home authority or its mission in Austria. Foreign-language documents need a translation and regularly an apostille or certification.
According to oesterreich.gv.at, the procedure costs €74, presenting foreign documents adds €193, and a ceremony in the office during office hours costs €5.45 in federal administrative fees. The established capacity to marry is valid for at most six months. The official page does not say what applies if your partner's home country issues no certificate of no impediment; ask the registry office directly.
Switzerland: the preparatory procedure at the civil registry office
In Switzerland you file the request with the civil registry office where one of you lives and appear in person (Art. 98 Swiss Civil Code). There is no certificate of no impediment as in Germany. According to the Swiss mission in Germany, foreign partners typically bring: a birth certificate naming the parents, a certificate of single status or, after an earlier marriage, the divorce decree with proof of finality, a current certificate of residence and a passport or identity card. The originals must not be older than six months and are not returned. A lawyer working for the Swiss mission can also verify foreign civil status documents; you bear the costs.
Two points are specific to Switzerland: fiancés who are not Swiss must prove their lawful stay in Switzerland during the preparatory procedure (Art. 98(4) Civil Code). And after completion you can marry within three months (Art. 100 Civil Code). We found no official figure for how long the procedure takes; it depends on how quickly the documents arrive and whether they are verified.
What typically takes time at home
None of the authorities gives an overall duration, and for a reason: it depends almost entirely on your partner's documents. These steps take the most time:
- obtaining documents in the home country, through the authorities there or the country's mission
- apostille or legalisation, depending on the issuing country
- translations by sworn translators
- verification through the embassy where legalisation is no longer possible
- in Germany, the exemption by the OLG if there is no certificate of no impediment
- deadlines: proof of marital status usually must not be older than six months, and certificate and exemption are valid for six months
If you are wondering whether an online wedding would be quicker: if you were in Germany during it, a marriage by video before an authority in Utah is invalid here, as the Federal Court of Justice decided in 2024. More in our guide Online wedding in Utah or Denmark.
The Danish route: what is different
In Denmark you apply to Familieretshuset, the Danish Agency of Family Law, for a prøvelsesattest, the certificate that you may marry under Danish law. Familieretshuset checks your capacity to marry itself and does not ask for a certificate of no impediment from the home country. The application needs:
- valid passports for both partners
- proof that you will be staying lawfully in Denmark at the wedding; since 10 April 2026, third-country nationals without a residence permit prove this with the EES printout (EES proof)
- after an earlier marriage, the divorce decree with proof of finality or the death certificate
- if you live together outside Denmark, a certificate of residence no older than four months
Familieretshuset only asks for a certificate of marital status in individual cases; otherwise you sign under criminal liability that you are not married. You do not need your own birth certificates. Documents not in Danish, English, German, Norwegian or Swedish must be translated, and depending on the issuing country you need an apostille or legalisation. What applies to your partner's country is shown in our rules by country of origin, and the full list in our guide Documents for the wedding in Denmark.
The fee is DKK 2,100 (about €281) and is not refunded, even if the application is refused. Familieretshuset usually decides complete applications within 5 working days. If it asks for more documents, it takes much longer: according to Familieretshuset, such cases are currently being processed from August 2026 (as of 3 November 2026). The approval is valid for four months from issue and for one specific municipality. When you can marry there depends on the municipality; their rules for couples from abroad are on our page municipal wedding rules.
The ceremony itself takes 15 to 20 minutes, with two witnesses, and is free at the town hall. Right after it you receive two international marriage certificates in five languages, including German; German and Austrian authorities do not need an apostille. What the day looks like is described in our guide The wedding ceremony in Denmark.
Is Denmark a loophole?
No. A marriage concluded in Denmark is a regular marriage under Danish law, and your home countries recognise it under their own rules:
- Germany: Danish law is enough for the form (Art. 11 EGBGB). Whether each of you was allowed to marry, however, depends on the law of your home country (Art. 13 EGBGB). According to the German Embassy in Copenhagen, a marriage from Denmark is recognised in Germany as a rule. More in our guide Recognition in Germany.
- Austria: the marriage is valid because it followed the local form; Austrian citizens must report it for the Central Civil Status Register (Recognition in Austria).
- Switzerland: a marriage validly concluded abroad is recognised. If one of you is Swiss or you both live in Switzerland, this only applies if the wedding was not moved abroad with the obvious intention of getting around the Swiss rules on invalid marriages (Art. 45 Swiss Private International Law Act). It is registered after you report it (Recognition in Switzerland).
So Denmark checks differently, not less: Familieretshuset can ask for more documents, ask about your relationship and refuse (Proof of relationship and sham marriage checks). And the wedding gives your partner no right of residence; for that you need family reunification afterwards, where the authorities check again.
When the registry office at home is the better choice
- Your partner's home country issues a certificate of no impediment and their documents are accepted without verification. Then the route at home is usually manageable, you save travel and the AFL fee, and you get a certificate from your own country straight away.
- Your partner cannot stay lawfully in Denmark, for example with a German Duldung (tolerated stay). Denmark requires this proof; without it, the Danish route is usually closed. More in our guides Marrying with a Duldung and Marrying with refugee status.
- A divorce outside the EU has to be recognised anyway. Then Denmark saves less time, because you still need the recognition for the marriage to be valid in Germany.
- You want to marry at home with your family and your preferred date there works.
Denmark makes sense, on the other hand, when the certificate of no impediment cannot be obtained, when documents would need lengthy verification in Germany, or when you need a plannable process with a short official review. But check first what Denmark requires for your partner's country, because rules on apostille and legalisation apply there too. Our free eligibility check shows whether your case fits. If you want support with the application: Essential costs €249.99, Complete €649.99 including the AFL fee (all prices). How such cases go is shown in our case studies.
