Apply for a marriage certificate

Full text
If you have got married and require a marriage certificate or an extract from the marriage register, you can apply for these at the registry office. The registry office responsible is the one in whose district you got married or which registered your marriage, if it was concluded abroad.
The marriage certificate serves as proof that you and your spouse are married. It contains:
- Your first name and surname at the time of the marriage and at the time the marriage certificate was issued
- the place and date of birth of the spouses
- the place and date of the marriage
- where applicable, a subsequent registration of the dissolution of the marriage by divorce or death, or the annulment of the marriage by a court order
You can obtain the marriage certificate in the following forms:
- Marriage certificate
- multilingual marriage certificate, also colloquially known as an international marriage certificate
- certified extract from the marriage register
A certified printout from the marriage register shows all the data that the registry office has entered in connection with your marriage.
If there are any changes to your civil status details – for example, due to a change of name, divorce or the annulment of your marriage by a court order – the marriage record will be updated with subsequent entries. You can then apply for an updated marriage certificate.
Basis for action(s)
Required documents
To apply for a marriage certificate you need:
- Your identity card or passport
  - a copy, if the application is made in writing
  - Online, you must authenticate yourself electronically using your identity card
- if the application is made or the item is collected by a representative:
  - Written authorisation from the authorised person
  - Identity card or passport of the representative and of the person being represented
- for other individuals, proof of their legitimate interest, for example:
  - a letter from the probate court
  - a court judgement
  - an enforceable judgement
Prerequisites
Marriage certificates contain personal data, so their issue is subject to data protection restrictions:
- You are eligible to apply provided that the following conditions are met:
  - You are at least 16 years old.
  - You are one of the spouses to whom the certificate refers.
  - You are the parent of one of the spouses.
  - They are the couple’s child or grandchild.
- Close relatives, such as siblings, as well as people with no family connection whatsoever, may only apply for a certificate if they can demonstrate a legitimate interest, for example by providing a letter from the probate court.
If the marriage took place abroad, you must first have it registered in Germany at a registry office before a marriage certificate can be issued.
Further information
If your gender and first name have changed since you got married and registered your marriage, you may decide whether your previous first names should be included on the marriage certificate.
When registering a change of gender, only you yourself or your spouse may request the marriage certificate or a certified extract from the marriage register.
Legal remedy
- Application for a court decision
Author
Redirection service: Deep link to the original portal Redirection service: Deep link to the original portal
- Apply for a marriage certificate
  Display of performance in the source portal
- Apply for a marriage certificate in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  Display of performance in the source portal
Applications / Forms
- Request for a certificate according to § 62 PStG from the marriage register / birth register / ...

Responsible departments

Public order office

Responsible employees