Getting married in the Netherlands means going through a civil ceremony performed by a municipal registrar. That is the only way a marriage acquires legal force in the country. Religious ceremonies and personal celebrations carry no legal weight and can only take place after the civil wedding is complete.1Government of the Netherlands. What do I need to take into account if I decide to marry or form a civil partnership? The Netherlands was the first country in the world to open civil marriage to same-sex couples, on April 1, 2001, and same-sex couples marry on exactly the same terms as opposite-sex couples.
Who Can Marry
Both partners must be at least 18. There are no exceptions, and a marriage contracted abroad involving someone under 18 will not be recognized in the Netherlands until both spouses reach that age.2Government of the Netherlands. Tackling forced marriage Neither partner may already be in a marriage or registered partnership; any previous union must have ended through divorce, court order, or death.
At least one partner must be a Dutch citizen or legally domiciled in the Netherlands. Close family relationships are restricted: parents, children, siblings, and grandparents cannot marry each other. Cousins can marry, as can aunts or uncles with their nieces or nephews, but in those cases both partners must swear an oath that they are marrying of their own free will.2Government of the Netherlands. Tackling forced marriage
Documents You Will Need
Dutch nationals usually need a valid passport or identity card and a recent extract from the Personal Records Database (BRP). Foreign nationals face a longer checklist: a recently issued birth certificate, proof of current marital status (sometimes called a certificate of no impediment), and evidence of legal residence in the Netherlands where that applies.
Any document not in Dutch, English, French, or German must be translated by a sworn translator registered with the Dutch courts. Depending on the issuing country, documents may also need an apostille or a legalization stamp from the relevant embassy before the municipality will accept them. Costs vary widely by country and by how many documents are involved, so check with the municipality early.
You also choose between two and four witnesses. Each witness must be at least 18, and their names and identification details go on the notification form.3City of Amsterdam. Register your witnesses Most municipalities let you complete the notification either online or in person at the town hall.
Filing Notice and How Far Ahead to Plan
Every wedding starts with a formal notice of intended marriage filed with the municipality where you plan to marry. Dutch law requires this notice at least two weeks before the ceremony date, giving the registrar time to check the application for legal conflicts.4Government of the Netherlands. Marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation agreements
Couples where both partners live outside the Netherlands follow a different track. They file with the municipality of The Hague, and they should do so at least 12 weeks before the wedding date because verifying international documents takes longer. After filing in The Hague, the ceremony itself can happen in any Dutch municipality.5NetherlandsWorldwide. Giving notice of your intention to marry in the Netherlands if you live abroad Once filed, the notice stays valid for one year. Miss that window and the process starts over.
The Ceremony and What It Costs
A registrar of births, deaths, and marriages conducts the ceremony, usually at the town hall or another location the municipality has approved for weddings. The registrar asks both partners to declare their intent to take each other as spouses. Once both say yes, the couple and the witnesses sign the marriage certificate, and the registrar enters it in the civil registry. That act of registration is what creates the legal bond. The whole proceeding is straightforward and often takes under 30 minutes. Longer time slots, special venues, and personalized vows are usually available for an extra fee.
Cost depends heavily on when and where you marry. Some municipalities offer a free ceremony, typically on a weekday morning during limited hours. Paid ceremonies start around €40 and can reach €1,200 or more for a premium slot, a weekend date, or a special venue. A Saturday wedding generally costs about three times as much as a midweek one. Each municipality sets its own fees, so comparing is worthwhile if you are flexible on location.
How Marriage Affects Property
For couples married on or after January 1, 2018, the default financial regime is the limited community of property. Only assets and debts acquired during the marriage are shared. Anything each partner owned before the wedding stays separate, and gifts or inheritances received during the marriage remain individual property by default.4Government of the Netherlands. Marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation agreements The pre-2018 default was different: it merged nearly all property into a single pot unless the couple opted out.
Couples who want a different arrangement visit a civil-law notary to draft prenuptial agreements, known as huwelijkse voorwaarden. These contracts spell out how property, income, and debts are divided during the marriage and if it ends. Notarial fees depend on the complexity of the couple’s finances and typically start in the low hundreds of euros. A couple with a business, real estate in multiple countries, or significant pre-marital wealth will pay more. The agreement must be signed before the wedding to take effect from day one of the marriage.
Surnames After Marriage
Marriage in the Netherlands does not change anyone’s legal name. Your birth surname stays on your passport, identity card, and driving licence. What marriage gives you is the right to use your partner’s surname in daily life and on official documents alongside your birth name.6Municipality of The Hague. Request a change in the use of your surname After marriage, each spouse can choose one of four options for how they are addressed: their own birth name only, the partner’s surname only, their own name followed by the partner’s (for example, Bos-Simons), or the partner’s name followed by their own (Simons-Bos). Foreign nationals who want a formal legal name change following Dutch marriage norms usually need to arrange that through their home country’s embassy, since the Dutch system treats name use and legal name as two separate things.
Marrying a Foreign Partner
Marriage to a Dutch citizen or resident does not automatically grant the foreign spouse a right to live in the Netherlands. The Dutch partner must meet a minimum income threshold to sponsor the residence permit. From January through June 2026, the required gross monthly salary is €2,294.40 excluding holiday allowance, or €2,477.95 including holiday allowance.7Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Required amounts income requirements These figures are adjusted periodically.
A foreign spouse living outside the EU generally has to pass the Civic Integration Exam Abroad before applying for a provisional residence permit (MVV). The exam tests basic Dutch language skills and knowledge of Dutch society, and it is taken at a Dutch embassy or consulate in the applicant’s home country.8Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Civic Integration Exam Abroad Further civic integration requirements apply once the spouse arrives in the Netherlands.
Marriage can eventually open a route to Dutch citizenship through naturalization. The foreign spouse must have been married to or in a registered partnership with the Dutch national for at least three uninterrupted years while living together, and the couple must remain together throughout the naturalization procedure.9NetherlandsWorldwide. Can I become a naturalised Dutch citizen abroad?
Marriage or Registered Partnership
The Netherlands also offers registered partnership as a legal alternative to marriage. The registration process mirrors a civil wedding, and within the country the legal consequences are nearly identical: the same property rules, the same tax treatment, and the same automatic parentage for children born during the partnership.4Government of the Netherlands. Marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation agreements
Two differences matter when choosing. First, ending a marriage always requires a court divorce through a lawyer, while a registered partnership can be dissolved out of court if both partners agree and there are no minor children involved. In that case the partners visit a lawyer or civil-law notary together, draft a settlement, and register the termination with the municipality.10Government of the Netherlands. Arranging a divorce, legal separation or ending a civil partnership Second, marriage is recognized virtually everywhere abroad, while registered partnerships are not always recognized outside the Netherlands or may be treated as something less than marriage. Couples who expect to live abroad or deal with cross-border legal matters should weigh that carefully.
If the Marriage Ends
Ending a Dutch marriage always goes through the district court. At least one spouse must hire a lawyer to submit a divorce petition. There is only one ground for divorce, the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, and only one spouse needs to assert it.11Government of the Netherlands. Applying for divorce If the couple has children under 18, they must draft a parenting plan covering custody, visitation, and financial support before the court will proceed. A joint petition where both spouses agree on everything moves faster, but even an uncontested divorce goes through the court.