Bundesportal | Apply for a marriage certificate

More Information

Publisher

Hesse

Last update or date of publication

September 23, 2022

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

Call 115 now

Government service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.

If you have married and need a new marriage certificate, you can apply for it at the registry office. To do this, please contact the registry office in whose jurisdiction you got married.
The marriage certificate proves the marriage of you with your spouse. It contains the first and last names at the time of the marriage and at the time of issue, the place and date of birth of the spouses, the place and date of the marriage.
You can obtain the marriage certificate in the following forms:

Marriage certificate
International (multilingual) marriage certificate/multilingual extract from the marriage record
Certified register printout from the marriage register

A certified printout from the marriage register (previously family book) reproduces all data that the registry office has entered in connection with your marriage.
You will receive the certificate, including any marginal remarks, either as

new printout from the electronic register (if already kept at your registry office) or
Copy or verbatim copy of the marriage entry from the family book.

To apply for a marriage certificate, you need:

Your identity card or passport (if you apply in writing, a copy, you must authenticate yourself electronically online with the new identity card)
in the case of application or collection by a representative: written power of attorney of the authorised person, their identity card or passport and the identity card or passport of the representative
for other persons, proof of their legal interest

Forms/online services available: Yes
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance required: No

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Preconditions

Marriage certificates contain personal data, so their issuance is subject to data protection restrictions.
You are entitled to apply under the following conditions:

You are at least 16 years old
You are the spouse to whom the document is to refer
They are the parents of the spouses
You are a child of the spouses

Other persons, including close relatives such as siblings, aunts and uncles, only receive a certificate if they can credibly demonstrate a legal interest (for example, by writing from the probate court).
If the marriage was contracted abroad, you must first have it certified in a marriage register in Germany.

Hints

If the civil status data of the spouse changes, for example due to a change of name or a divorce of the marriage, the marriage entry is supplemented by a subsequent certification. Upon request, a new marriage certificate can be issued.

Information from the Federal Ministry of the Interior on "Civil Status Law"

The costs vary depending on the state. Your local registry office will be happy to provide you with information.
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Basis for legal action

§ 48 Ordinance on the Implementation of the Civil Status Act (PStV) Law on the Convention of 8 September 1976 on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Books

§ 55 Ordinance on the Implementation of the Civil Status Act (PStV) Law on the Convention of 8 September 1976 on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Books

§§ 55-68 Civil Status Act (PStG)

Legal Remedies

Instruction by the civil register court pursuant to § 49 PStG

Procedure

Personal application:
The personal application is made as follows:

For a personal application, an appointment at the registry office may be required.
You will need to present your identity card or passport.
You pay the fee directly when applying at the registry office.

In addition to yourself, a person you trust may also order and pick up the certificate for you. In addition to a written power of attorney, you will present your identity card or passport (original or copy) and your own identity card or passport.

Application by post:
The written application is made as follows:

Send an informal letter to the competent registry office with the request to issue you with a marriage certificate.
Your letter should contain the following information:
- Surname, first name
- Your registration address
- Place and date of marriage
- if known: registry office and certification number
- the reason for the application
- if applicable, further evidence, e.g. for legal interest
Attach a copy of your identity card or passport to the letter.
You will then receive a fee notice and the marriage certificate.

Online application:
You can also apply for the issuance online and will then receive the marriage certificate by post.

Processing time

The processing time depends on the individual case.

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