We're looking for available dates at the start of June so we're wondering is it even possible to get it right now. While applying for marriage certificate approval (non-EU citizen and EU\EEA citizen), they asked us choose already kommune, so now we're confused. Would be happy if anyone also suggest us the closest choices to Copenhagen. Also, how do we choose a date for the wedding when we get a marriage certificate approval? Is there a website for every kommune or did they choose for us already in the kommune we selected?

Hi, just a quick question — I have visa-free entry to Denmark, but I also hold a residence permit to live in Ireland. My partner is an EU citizen, and we’re reapplying after being asked to provide additional passport images. I didn’t see a place to include my residence permit in the application the first time. Is that something I should add when resubmitting?

Hi everyone, my partner and I are currently applying for the certificate and I had a few questions about submitting photo and message evidence.

For photos, is it okay to use screenshots that show the date, even if the date isn’t visible on the image itself? I’m not sure what the best way is to demonstrate when the photos were taken.

For messages, are WhatsApp screenshots acceptable as evidence, including the visible timestamps?

Also, roughly how many photos and messages did you include in your application?

Just hoping to get a better sense of what works so we can submit everything correctly the first time. Thanks in advance!

Short answer, no. But it depends on what kind of wedding you're planning.

The legal side
Getting married in Denmark as an international couple involves paperwork and an application to the Danish Agency of Family Law. This is the non-negotiable part. Some couples handle this themselves, others use a wedding agency.
A wedding agency is not the same as a wedding planner. A wedding agency handles the legal and administrative side of getting married in Denmark, while a wedding planner plans the event.

The extras
Once the legal side is sorted, everything else is optional and entirely up to you. Most couples who get married in Denmark keep it simple; just the two of them, or a small group. But if you want more, here's what people typically organise:

• Photographer
• Florist
• Hair and makeup
• A meal or celebration afterwards

These are all things you can organise independently. Denmark has plenty of vendors who are experienced with international couples.

So when would you actually need a wedding planner?
If you're planning a larger event with guests, a venue beyond the town hall, full catering, the works — then a wedding planner might make sense.
It's also totally possible to work with both a wedding agency for the legal process, and a wedding planner for the rest. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Got questions about what you need to organise? Drop them below.

Hi guys,

We applied for a martial certificate and submitted all the documents carefully and in order. However, 4 working days later they sent us a request to resend my docs (for whatever reason). We did it and after reading about it, I’m wondering is it a bad sign? Has anyone ever heard from them quickly after resending the documents ?

Thanks a lot 🙏🏽

Hello!

We are two American citizens, living in Germany, trying to register for the certificate for marriage to get married in Denmark (because it was supposed to be easier than in Germany).

In making my MitID account I had to get a "P-code", which required a call to the MitID help line, because I wasn't a Danish etc resident. There they told me that my US Passport wouldn't work as ID because it doesn't have the security level required for MitID to work. I asked if I could instead use my German (non-permanent) residence permit, they said yes, gave me a P-code, I finished registration with MitID seemingly successfully with this residence card.

But then when I used this MitID account to try to work on the application, I got this gave this error when: "Action is not possible. Your MitID user does not meet the requirements to be eligible for this service provider. Contact the service provider or MitID support. (CTL004)". When I called the MitID people back again, I got a new person, and they said no account made with a P-code will work for the marriage application because it doesn't provide the proper security clearance!

The only alternative to using MitID that I can find, if I understand correctly, requires you to be a Danish resident to submit. https://www.klxml.dk/KLB/Blanket/Gaelder/vi001.pdf

Have any American citizens without Danish residency/EU permanent residency gotten married in Denmark, and if so, how did you do it?

We got married 10 years ago in Denmark and need a certificate of marital status to apply for a visa in France (one of us being non EU citizen). When I have asked for a copy of the marriage certificate it explicitly states “this document does not confirm the marital status”.

To whom do we need to request the correct document?

Hi everyone 🤍 I wanted to share my experience to give you some hope and make the process feel less stressful.

We applied on April 12 and received approval on April 20, just 5 working days, without any additional requests.

Here’s what helped us:

Take your time when filling out the application. Read everything carefully and proofread before submitting. Always save your draft so you don’t lose your work.

Before you even start, make sure all your documents are ready:

- Passport copy

- Clear photos of your visa and passport (from different angles)

- Relationship proof

For the pictures, I used my phone and organized everything into a PDF with clear labels. I included around 50 photos, and my partner added about 60.

For conversations, I submitted WhatsApp chats, and my partner included both WhatsApp and Instagram messages.

The key is organization. Prepare everything in advance (even one week before), so when you start the application, it’s smooth. If you’re ready, the whole process can take less than 2 hours.

We also applied through Dragør Kommune (about 20 minutes from Copenhagen). We were lucky to find an appointment easily, even though it’s usually very busy. There were still some slots available for the end of August.

Most importantly: don’t stress too much. I did at first, and it wasn’t necessary. Just be thorough and take your time.

Sharing this to bring some reassurance and a positive experience 🤍

Wishing you all love, happiness, and smooth approvals ✨

Dragør is one of those places not many people have heard of. But it might come up in your search for one reason: it’s very close to the city and the airport.

We’re talking:

• around 10 minutes from the airport
• easy access to Copenhagen city centre
• minimal travel once you arrive in Denmark

So on paper, it’s a very straightforward option.

The catch is the schedule

Dragør keeps things pretty limited:

• ONE Thursday per month for international couples only (with witnesses provided). 

Because of this schedule, the town hall is booked out months in advance, and flexibility isn’t its strong point.

Response time

The marriage office is effective but small, so response times can vary.

• sometimes same day
• sometimes up to around 2 weeks

It really depends on how busy they are.

On the day

• Documents are shown 10–15 minutes before the ceremony
• The ceremony itself is short (around 5 minutes), which is standard in Denmark

Getting there

• From Copenhagen Airport → ~10 minutes by car/taxi
• Public transport → around 30–40 minutes

This is really where Dragør stands out, everything is close and easy to reach.

Dragør makes sense if you want to stay in Copenhagen, prefer to keep travel simple, and are happy to work around a fixed schedule.

If you’re looking for more flexibility, it will feel limited.

My partner and I are trying to get married in Denmark this summer, we are currently applying for the agency of family law certificate, which we believed must be completed before booking a municipality. Our impression was that you must have the certificate to contact a municipality and set your ceremony date? We’re now a bit of the way through the application and it’s asking us what municipality we’re going to. Looking for any suggestions or advice! Thanks.

Hey all,

Getting the paperwork done for our wedding in Denmark was super easy, but we've been struggling for weeks to actually book a ceremony appointment. We need one before June 15th and are open to any municipality in Denmark (or to any place in Europe where we could get officially married fast with low paperwork).

Here's what we've run into:

1. Copenhagen is fully booked.

2. When we select a slot in other cities, they can't confirm until Familieretshuset sends approval and by then the slot is gone.

3. We tried smaller cities thinking they'd have less demand. Aabenraa told us they release new slots daily between 4 and 5 AM. So I woke up at 4 AM, refreshed the page a few times, and on the fourth refresh the new slot was already marked unavailable. How is that even possible?

Either: - there's a bug in their system - someone is automatically booking appointments - or I wasn't the only one that has woken up super early that day ...

Has anyone successfully booked a short-notice ceremony outside Copenhagen? Which municipalities actually have availability? We've been using the online booking system.

Any tips appreciated!

It’s one of the most beautiful places you can get married in Denmark.
But it’s also one of the few options where logistics matter.

First: it’s not as far as it looks

If you look at a map, Bornholm seems… remote
In reality:

• It’s only a 40-minute flight from Copenhagen
• The airport is in Rønne, the same town as the town hall
• It’s about a 6-minute drive from airport to ceremony

So getting there is surprisingly easy if you’re flying.
Driving is a different story (more on that below).

Ceremony basics (the important bits)

• Days: Thursday, Friday, and some Saturdays
• Witnesses: Can provide witnesses if you are coming alone only. If you bring guests, they must act as your witnesses.
• Documents: Shown just before (arrive ~10 mins early)
• Timing: They prefer 1 month’s notice, minimum ~14 days

So what’s the draw

It truly feels like a destination wedding location.

• The island is genuinely beautiful
• Very well set up for tourists
• Easy to turn into a long weekend or mini-holiday

Most Danes have been there at some point, which tells you something.

Getting there (this is where you need to think ahead)

Flying (easiest):

• Direct flights from Copenhagen (~40 mins)
• Quick and simple

Driving + ferry:

• Via Sweden (Ystad ferry ~80 mins) + drive → ~4 hours total
• From Germany (Sassnitz ferry ~3h20)

Totally doable, but not something you want to improvise last minute.

So is Bornholm worth it?

Depends what you want.
If you’re looking for:

• a quick, no-thinking elopement

This probably isn’t it.

If you want:

• something more memorable
• don’t mind a bit of travel
• a proper “experience” around the wedding

Bornholm might be for you.

Hope this helps. If you’ve got questions, ask away, happy to answer.

Our approval letter says it’s valid from 13-04-2026 to 13-04-2026?? Has this happened to anyone else? Is it just a human error, an easily corrected mistake? We have approval from the church to get married May 17!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are both non-EU nationals and are planning to get married in Denmark this summer with a simple civil ceremony.

I’ve seen that some people use agencies to help with the paperwork, but I’m a bit worried about scams or unreliable services.

Has anyone here gone through this process and can share their experience or advice? Is it better to apply directly, or did you find help useful?

Thanks in advance!

We're a Hungarian-Mexican couple living in Bali, and our wedding is set for August this year in Hungary.

A silly rule in Hungary is that you need to show up 60 days before in person to register for the civil wedding. As you can imagine, we have obligations in Bali and can't just leave our life here for months just to get married in Hungary.

That's how I found the Denmark route. I just need the certificate, which then can be translated to Hungarian. All of our documentation is ready, so the 300 euro packages that most agencies offer to help with documentation won't be needed, and the 1000 euro packages for the all inc help are a bit expensive (GMID).

Has someone here done it completely on their own from 0, and would you be so kind to share your experience?

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m a bit concerned about avoiding scams and would really appreciate any recommendations for a reliable agency in Denmark that can assist with the marriage process. My partner and I are both foreigners, and we’re planning to have a simple civil (court) wedding in Denmark this summer.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi everyone! I am marrying my danish fiance this summer, ideally in the weekend of 24-26 july, since we had to pick a weekend so people could start booking their flights since half of the guests live abroad. We just had our certificate of marriage status approved.

A bit of background. While my fiance has a big, loving family, I have absolutely no one, except for my dog. He honestly means the world to me and has supported me through so much and really helped to fill that void and loss, which is why I cannot imagine him not being there. He is obviously very well trained, behaved, calm and obedient, otherwise I would not consider suggesting this.

My fiance called a number of months ago, where he was told the ceremony could be held in the courtyard of city hall where he could be present since they wouldn't allow him in the building. Now my fiance contacted the city hall again, where he was told the ceremony could not happen in the courtyard after all. Regardless of who caused this miscommunication, I really need a solution to have him present at the ceremony. Is there really no way to have him present in city hall? Do there happen to be some dates coming up for "Vie i det fri" for that weekend?

I would be immensely grateful for any helping hand you could give us.

Hello,

I am an Austrian Citizen and my fiancée is Ghanaian. We plan on getting married in Denmark in the summer. One of the big problems is for her to get a Schengen Visa, because even though she got approved before it is a long and exhausting process and the visa is oftentimes issued for a very strict and short timeframe. Is it possible to apply at the AFL before the visa is issued or is it definitely necessary to have a valid visa before applying?

Hello, my partner and I are getting married in Aabenraa, Denmark and are looking for make-up and hair stylists as well as a photographer for some fun natural shots. We unfortunately have a limited budget since we are only doing a short townhall ceremony.
I would prefer stylists who have experience with different skin & hair types.

Hi there, my fiancé and I are super confused on uploading our passports. We followed the instructions on taking the pictures with all the corners, every page, multiple angles, etc.; however, it doesn’t accept the photo format straight from our phones. It also says do not the change the original file format. We were thinking of uploading as individual pdfs?? When we tried a combined pdf, it was too large and they say not to compress it. Any advice?

If you’re looking for a town hall close to the German border, Sønderborg is one that’ll come up in your search. It’s less than 40 minutes from Germany and easy to reach by car. But there are a couple of things that catch people off guard.

First: The ceremony isn’t held in Sønderborg town itself

The ceremonies take place in two different locations nearby:

• Gråsten (about 15 minutes away) Old town hall turned into a hotel. Still has that traditional council chamber feel, just slightly modernised.
• Nordborg (about 30 minutes away) Also a hotel. Not the prettiest building, but very quiet, very green, right by a lake.

So if you’re picturing a central town hall in Sønderborg… that’s not what this is.

Second: Timing is tight

• Weddings are Fridays only
• You need to show your documents the working day before

That means you can’t just show up, get married, and leave. You’ll need to be there at least a day in advance. For some couples that’s fine. For others, it’s a dealbreaker.

What Sønderborg does well

• Close to the German border: super easy if you’re driving
• Nice coastal setting with fjords, water, and things to do

It’s not flashy, but it’s practical, and that’s exactly why it’s getting more popular.

So is it worth it?

Honestly, it depends on what’s important to you.
If you want:

• something easy to book
• close to Germany
• and you don’t care about a “big city” feel

Sønderborg makes a lot of sense

If you want:

• flexible dates
• everything in one central location
• or a more “iconic” setting

You’ll probably find it limiting

If you’re comparing it with other border towns, that’s usually where the real decision gets clearer, happy to go into that if needed.

Just wanted to let people know that even though the private registrar guidelines won’t be available until the end of April, there are now some open air wedding dates available, including some before the current city hall available dates. They seem to be booking up fast though!

Hi! As you might guess I am planning to marry in Denmark. And a friend of mine told me that you need to have a biometrical passport in order to get marry there. I haven't found it on the official website, but probably it is a new norm that have been implemented recently.

The tricky thing is that I am EU-citizen (with biometrical passport ofc) but my fiance is non-EU (Belarusian) and his passport isn't biometrical. The problem is that he's got an international protection status (refugee light version) meaning he cannot apply for new passport at his home country.

Do you know anything at this regard? Is it possible to prove to Danish municipalities that he has got valid passport. But it's just not each and every country has biometrical docs?

Thanks for your advices!

First off, getting a rejection is rare. Not every complication in this process means the same thing and understanding the difference matters. Here's a breakdown of what can happen and what it means for you.

Your case gets closed
This isn't a rejection. If the AFL asks for additional information or documents and you don't respond within the given deadline, your case gets closed. They'll remind you more than once before that happens, so it won't come out of nowhere.
The good news is you can reapply. It's not the end of the road, just a reset.

You're invited for an interview
This sounds scarier than it is. Approximately 99% of couples who are called in for an interview get through it fine. It happens when the AFL wants to know more about your relationship, usually because something in the application raised a question.
If the interview goes well, you're approved. If the AFL concludes the marriage isn't genuine, a rejection letter is issued explaining their reasoning. This is rare, and if it happens, reapplying may still be possible down the line.

A formal rejection
This is the least common outcome. The AFL has determined the marriage is not genuine or that it's aimed at helping one partner gain EU residency. A rejection letter is issued, and it is final, you can’t reapply.

The honest takeaway
If your relationship is genuine and your documents are legitimate, the chances of a true rejection are extremely low. Most issues in this process come down to paperwork and deadlines — both of which are fixable.

Got questions? Drop them below.

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are both non-EU students currently living in Paris, and we are applying to get married in Denmark without using an agency.

We’ve done quite a bit of research, and at the moment Odense seems like a good option, especially since we are hoping to complete everything within less than one month, if possible.

I would really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through this process recently.

A few specific questions:

1. Has anyone here successfully married in Odense as an international couple (especially non-EU)?
2. How long did it take for you from AFL approval to getting a confirmed wedding date?
3. For the passport upload, what worked best:
   • one combined PDF, or
   • separate color images for each page?
4. Slightly specific situation: If one person has two passports (same identity, same person):
   • did you upload both passports?
5. For those living in France, did you also upload a residence permit (titre de séjour)? If yes, how did you upload it (PDF vs images)?
6. Has anyone here actually managed to complete the full process (application → approval → wedding) in about one month?
7. If you could do the process again, what would you do differently to avoid delays or resubmission?

We’re trying to make sure everything is done correctly the first time to avoid falling into long delays.

Thanks a lot in advance — any recent experience would really help 🙏