Name of the Organization : Federal Foreign Office
Type of Facility : International Marriage
Country : Germany
Website : https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en
International Marriage :
Distances are diminishing as ever more networks span the globe. As globalization progresses, modern means of transport and communications technologies are bringing people closer together, a fact which is also reflected in the growing number of “international” marriages.
Related : Federal Foreign Office Certifying Documents Germany : www.statusin.org/7864.html
There are many reasons why bi-national couples marry outside of Germany.
In addition, many German couples wish to get married when on holiday, which often means abroad. Yet whilst the lights of Las Vegas, the romance of Venice or the tropical palms of a South Sea island beach do provide an unforgettable setting, it must be remembered that marriage is, first and foremost, a legally binding contract which has many consequences and that additional requirements may have to be met if the ceremony is performed abroad.
Validity of the marriage:
There is no special procedure or authority empowered solely to recognize marriages entered into abroad. The question of whether a marriage is valid is therefore always only a preliminary issue in connection with other administrative acts (e.g. change of name, application to start a family book at a domestic registry, change of entry on one’s tax card, etc). This preliminary issue must be determined by the agency responsible at its own discretion.
The basic rule is that a marriage entered into abroad will be regarded as valid in Germany if the legal provisions relating to marriage of that foreign state were abided by. In addition both the bride and groom must meet all legal capacity requirements for marriage under the law of their home states (they must for example be single, over a minimum age and not too closely related to one another).
German nationals are not obliged to apply to start a family book or to change their name upon marriage. It is therefore possible for someone to be validly married without this appearing in German civil status records. A further marriage would thus be bigamous and could thus be annulled at any time upon the application of one of the three spouses or the competent administrative authority.
Recognition of foreign marriage certificates:
A foreign marriage certificate proves that a marriage has been entered into abroad.
In some states (e.g. the US and Canada) the couple is only given a provisional certificate (or a “summary marriage certificate”) after the ceremony. The marriage must subsequently be registered with the competent authority in order to obtain a full extract from the register. For further information please consult the fact sheets produced by the Federal Office of Administration (see “Legal provisions relating to marriage” below).
Foreign marriage certificates are often only recognized by domestic authorities or courts when their authenticity or evidentiary value has been determined in separate proceedings. A number of standard international procedures have been developed for this purpose. For further information on these go to “International Recognition/Legalization of documents”.
Legal provisions relating to marriage:
The German missions abroad regularly report on the law relating to marriage in their host countries. This information is then sent to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (Federal Office of Administration) in Cologne, which produces five brochures on the subject, for the regions Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia/Australia and Africa.
These leaflets, entitled “Deutsche heiraten in …” (Germans marrying in …) can only be obtained from the advisory units of certain charities for a small fee. A list of such organizations can be obtained free of charge from the Bundesverwaltungsamt, Informationsstelle für Auswanderer und Auslandstätige, 50728 Köln, tel. +49 (0) 221-758-4999, fax. +49 (0) 221-758-4829) (Federal Office of Administration – Information Agency for Persons Working abroad and Emigrants).
This list and further information are also available on the Internet on the homepage of the Federal Office of Administration, under the heading “Auswanderung” (Emigration).
Binding legal advice can however only be given by the official (or competent authority) abroad who will perform the ceremony, and so we strongly recommend that you also make direct contact with this person (or agency) in order to obtain accurate and up-to-date information on the documents required, whether they need to be authenticated and/or translated, and to agree a date for the wedding.
Marriages by German consular officers:
Consular officials at German missions (Embassies and Consulates-General) no longer solemnize marriages.
Nowadays it is possible in most countries to be married by the local authorities or persons authorized to solemnize marriages. Binding information on the precise formalities can only be obtained from the local authorities or persons concerned.
If, exceptionally, it is not possible to get married in any particular country, you can of course get married in Germany in any registry office, provided at least one of you has German nationality.
The application to get married must initially be filed with the registry office in the district in Germany where one of the couple resides. If neither of the couple is resident in Germany, the application must be filed with registry office I (Standesamt I) in Berlin or one of the principal registry offices in Baden-Baden, Hamburg or Munich.