Ask people to name big Danish exports and most will immediately say LEGO or Danish bacon, but in fact the wedding industry also ranks highly. Denmark is the Las Vegas of Europe; in fact, globally, Las Vegas might be Denmark’s only serious rival when it comes to weddings. Of the 16,000 marriages that take place in the country every year, a significant proportion are between non-Danish residents. Couples come from many different countries to get married here, including Germany, Ireland, Poland, India, France and Italy.
Of course, many couples get married abroad, but we’re not talking about having a wedding then a honeymoon in Denmark. Many couples fly here, get married, and fly straight home. This isn’t a new trend either: it’s been happening for over half a century.
So why is Denmark a global wedding destination? The key is in the fact that getting married here is cheap, easy to arrange and quickly done, much more straightforward than in most other countries.
Why is it so much easier to arrange a wedding in Denmark?
- Birth certificate or single status certificate not required
- Marriage on a tourist visa or any other visa is possible
- Marriage application process can be handled 100 % online
- No required amount of days to stay in Denmark before and after wedding
- Possibility of arriving, marrying and leaving Denmark the same day
- No witnesses needed
- Danish International Marriage certificate
- Same-sex marriage possible
- Fast procedure
The Danish authorities rarely need a birth certificate or marital status certificate to get married, unlike many countries. The Agency of Family Law also allows all documentation to be submitted digitally. Many towns allow the couple to present their documents on the day of marriage, ideal for couples who have very little time. Some town halls in Denmark in fact require documents to be presented one working day, or at the most two, prior to the wedding day.
Another appeal of Denmark is the International marriage certificate. In order to make the lives of the many international couples marrying here easier, the Danish government decided to issue this document, which is written in Danish but also translated into English, German, Spanish, and French, and is legally accepted worldwide.
How to marry in Denmark as foreign couple – a simple guide
Required Documents:
- Valid passports or EU IDs for both partners
- Divorce or death certificate of a previous partner (if needed)
- Proof of residence or registration
- Visa (in some cases)
- Evidence of relationship
Procedure for getting married:
Prior to 2019, each town or city in Denmark had different requirements. Now, these are standard in Danish law:
- Apply to the Danish Agency of Family Law (this agency deals with all international marriage applications).
- Provide the documents required digitally.
- You will obtain a prøvelsesattest (approval certificate). This document is essential for marriage in Denmark. Usually the Agency of Family Law responds within 5 to 7 working days and the certificate will be valid once granted for 3 or 4 months – depending on your situation.
- When you get the approval, you can get married as quickly as several days afterwards – if you choose a town hall with great availability that is
- You fly to Denmark and bring ID cards/passports with you in order to present them to the city hall you want to marry in.
- If you are divorced or widowed, then you will have to provide Divorce or Death certificates.
- Evidence of your relationship is also required to show longevity and contact. This can be photographs of you both together, text messages or similar.
- If the evidence is not sufficient for the registar, then you will have to have an interview with them to determine whether you can marry in Denmark.
- If you have children together, you must bring their birth certificates.
- You may choose between English, German, and Danish as language for the ceremony and wedding.
Wedding agencies: taking the work out of arranging your wedding
You can also make the planning procedure easier by choosing an agency that will handle almost everything for you. 90% of independent applications by couples contain mistakes, meaning marriage can be delayed by up to six months. With a wedding agency, it can take as little as three working days from initial contact to wedding. Couples are increasingly opting for these companies: Danish agency MarryAbroadSimply told us they currently handle around 150 marriages a month for foreign couples.
Some surprising facts about Denmark’s wedding industry
- Many Germans come to Denmark to marry in October or November in time for the beginning of the new tax year, as there are tax benefits for married couples.
- There are around a hundred venues in Denmark to choose from for your wedding.
- Each Danish town sets a number of marriages per year that may take place, which varies according to their capacity to process applications. This is why some towns and cities may be faster than others.
Stories from Last Week in Denmark readers:
Carly Spring (US)
We had an outdoor wedding arranged by city hall at the Royal Library Garden in Copenhagen and it was lovely. It was a very short ceremony and we didn’t know entirely what to expect, but it was perfect for the low-key (and low-cost) wedding we wanted. It was also really nice because there were other couples getting married on the same day and enjoying their champagne around the garden. Maybe not everybody would want to “share” their special day with other brides, but I loved the atmosphere of love and happiness in every corner, with people smiling in their best attire. And the process, like most Danish processes, was pretty easy and straightforward. The only thing that was a bit stressful is that they open the dates four months in advance and they sell out, so it makes it a bit hard to plan too far out if you aren’t sure you’ll get the date/location you want. I just set an alarm and had no troubles. It also probably wouldn’t be right for couples who want a ton of control over the ceremony, but if you’re looking for something low-stress, it’s a great option.
Kalpita Bhosale (India)
My friends are Indian but had to move abroad because their same sex relationship wasn’t socially or legally accepted. They moved to Germany and a few years later decided to marry. When they looked through the procedure for marriage they hit many roadblocks and had to go through months of paperwork. They looked into Denmark for possibilities and realised that it was much simpler to get married here.
I was one of their witnesses. The wedding registration and everything from start to finish didn’t take longer than 30 minutes. On top of that, they immediately got their paperwork and were able to spend the whole day in celebration. The city hall was efficient and quick in helping my friends navigate the entire process before they visited in person.”
Zsófia Tamásy (Hungary/Canada)
We decided to get married in Denmark in February 2023, and got married five months later. A friend recommended Denmark and mentioned agencies that help you with paperwork and administrative processes. We found an agency and got an advisor that we had contact with for months. We had to provide a list of documents, such as IDs, proof of our relationship, where and when we met, if we live together etc. Then we sent all of that information to the agency and agreed on the town hall.
A week later, our application for marriage was approved and we could marry at any point between May and September. We discussed the details, and got married in July. The agency service was 795 euros in total. They ensured our documents and paperwork were perfect, submitted the application to the AFL (which is 220 euros), and organised the ceremony at the town hall. We chose this service because I hate administrative stuff and if we had messed up the application to the AFL, we would have had to re-apply and pay 220 euros again and again!
Marion (France/Iceland)
We looked at the process in Germany, where we live, and found that documents from our embassies are required and must be translated professionally. After getting approval from the Standesamt, finding a date for the ceremony can be challenging due to limited slots.
We know many bi-national couples who married in Denmark and heard that the process was much easier. I have heard multiple people refer to Denmark as “Las Vegas of Europe”! Everything was online: we only needed to fill out a form, attach copies of our passports, proof that we lived together (a jointly addressed household bill) and proof of our relationship (screenshots of pictures together that also showed the dates they were taken on). After four working days our request was approved and we received a link to book a date at the Copenhagen Town Hall. We were aware of wedding agencies but actually found it very easy to do everything ourselves. We’ll get married in May.
Once we return to Germany we’ll only need an appointment to show the marriage certificate to change our status.