Getting married abroad

The civil registrar must be satisfied that there are no impediments to the intended marriage under Dutch law before he will issue a Certificate of no impediment. In other words, the Municipal Authority of Schagen must check whether you can marry.

To marry abroad, you and your partner must satisfy all marriage requirements in the same way as you would in the Netherlands. This means that we must issue all necessary documents relating to any information that is not included in the Key Register of Persons.

We will need a valid identity document for both partners. We may also ask you and your partner to supply the following documents:

• A recently issued copy of your birth certificate.
• A declaration of unmarried status issued by the foreign authorities.
• Have you been married before? You will need a divorce certificate or a death certificate.
• Does one of you live abroad? You will need proof of registration in the municipality where you currently live. 
• Foreign documents must be drawn up in Dutch, English, French or German. If this is not the case, you must have them translated in the Netherlands by a certified translator. Sometimes, you will need to have foreign documents legalised in the country of origin. Ask us for more information.

We must assess the original documents, not copies.

If you live in our municipality, you may apply to the municipal authority of Schagen for a Certificate of no impediment. If your last registered address in the Netherlands was in our municipality, you may also apply to us for this certificate. You must have Dutch nationality to apply for this certificate. Your partner does not need to have Dutch nationality. If you are both Dutch citizens you will both need this certificate. You can make an appointment by calling telephone number (0224) 210 400.

A Certificate of no impediment costs € 28.70.