If you have gotten married and need a new marriage certificate or a printout from the marriage register, you can apply for these at the registry office. To do so, please contact the registry office in the district where you got married.

The marriage certificate proves that you are married to your spouse. It contains the first names and surnames at the time of the marriage and before, the birth names of the spouses at the time of the marriage, the place and date of birth of the spouses, the place and date of the marriage, and, if applicable, a subsequent certificate of the dissolution of the marriage by divorce or death or annulment of the marriage by court decision.

You can obtain the marriage certificate in the following forms:

• Marriage certificate
• Multilingual marriage certificate, colloquially also known as an international marriage certificate
• Certified printout from the marriage register

A certified printout from the marriage register contains all the data that the registry office has entered in connection with your marriage.

If the civil status data of the spouses changes, for example due to a name change, divorce, or annulment of the marriage by court decision, the marriage entry is supplemented by subsequent certifications. Upon request, an updated marriage certificate can then be issued to you.

Marriage certificates contain personal information, so their issuance is subject to data protection restrictions: 

• You are eligible to apply under the following conditions:
  • You are at least 16 years old.
  • You are the spouse to whom the certificate refers.
  • You are the parent of one of the spouses.
  • You are a child of the spouses.
• Close relatives, such as siblings or grandchildren, as well as persons with no familial relationship, may only apply for a certificate if they can demonstrate a legal interest, for example through a letter from the probate court.
• If the marriage was solemnized abroad, you must first have it registered in Germany at the registry office.

The personal data in civil registry records is subject to data protection. Marriage certificates can therefore only be issued

• for persons to whom the entry refers

as well as their

• spouse, as well as
• ancestors and descendants.

Other persons, including close relatives such as siblings, aunts, and uncles, will only receive a marriage certificate if they can demonstrate a legal interest (for example, with a letter from the probate court, a court judgment, or an enforceable title).

To apply for a marriage certificate, you will need:

• Your identity card or passport (a copy if applying in writing; if applying online, you must authenticate yourself electronically with an identity card with online ID function)
• if applying for or collecting the certificate through a representative: written authorization from the authorized person and the representative's identity card or passport,
• for other persons, including close relatives such as aunts and uncles, proof of their legal interest, for example a letter from the probate court, a court judgment, or an enforceable title.

There may be a fee for issuing a marriage certificate. Please contact the relevant registry office.

The issuance of a marriage certificate or a certified copy of the registry costs 15.00 euros; the second and each additional copy requested and produced in the same process costs 7.50 euros.

• In person: Card payments (Giro, credit card, Visa, Mastercard, etc.), mobile payments;
  cash payments are not accepted!
• For online applications: PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, Giropay, Paydirekt
• For applications by mail and fax: Invoice