Getting married and registered partnership

• You are 18 years or above.
• You are not married.
• You are not in a registered partnership. Unless you want to convert that registered partnership into a marriage.
• You are not direct relatives of each other. You are not allowed to marry your brother, sister, parent or child.
• If you are under guardianship, permission from the guardian or court is required.

Do you meet the conditions?

Make an appointment to report your intended marriage or registered partnership. Do this at least 2 weeks and up to 1 year in advance. Bear in mind that it is currently very busy. As a result, it may take some time before an appointment can be made.

Not married within 1 year of the notification?

In that case, you will have to file another notification.

• A valid identity document of yourself and your partner. This could be a passport, identity card or driving licence.
• A copy of valid ID of all witnesses.

• If you are not getting married at the town hall, the booking confirmation of the wedding venue.
• Were you born, married or divorced abroad? Or did you live abroad? Please mention this to us when making an appointment. We may need documents prepared abroad.

Are you converting your registered partnership into a marriage?

Then you do not need witnesses.

Are you getting married or entering into a civil partnership?

Then you will need a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 witnesses. A witness must be aged 18 or above. A witness need not be a Dutch national.

Change or add a witness?

Contact the City of Leeuwarden.

Witness provided by the local authority?

No problem. You can find the fees for this under the heading ‘Costs’.

Conversion of registered partnership not valid everywhere

Not all countries accept the conversion of a registered partnership into a marriage. Do you want to start using the conversion in a country other than the Netherlands? First find out whether this can be done without any problems. You can contact the embassy of the relevant country for this.

In Leeuwarden, you can choose from a number of special wedding venues. Once you have made your choice you can book directly with the wedding venue. Take the booking confirmation with you to the town hall when you report your marriage. You can book the Town Hall and City Hall at the Civil Affairs Department. Contact the City of Leeuwarden about this.

You can choose from the following wedding venues:

Local authority venues

• City Hall
• Town Hall
• Oldehove

Other venues

• Grand Café Restaurant De Koperen Tuin
• Post-Plaza
• Hotel-Paleis Stadhouderlijk Hof
• Kosterij de Grote Kerk
• Martinus Tsjerke (in Hempens-Tearns)
• De Harmonie
• Kerkje van Swichum
• Former Alde Riedhûs (in Grou)
• Waalse Kerk
• Dorpskerk Huizum

Want to choose a different wedding venue?

You can also choose your own wedding venue. For this purpose you will need to submit the following forms to the Civil Affairs Department of the City of Leeuwarden 6 weeks before the wedding date: “Booking Marriage/Partnership at Venue” and, if the venue is not among the listed wedding venues, a statement “Declaration of Agreement by Owner/Manager of Free Venue“.

The following venues have indicated their availability as venues where marriages and registered partnerships can take place:

• De Johanneskerk in Britsum
• De Groote Wielen
• Frisian Queen
• De kapel (dbieb.nl)
• Boutique Hotel Catshuis
• Salonboot Gaasterland
• Dekemastate
• Uniastate Bears
• Proefverlof
• Café De Bak
• Túnmanswente
• Restaurant Jupiter
• Huis van Eysinga
• Café Wouters
• De Wartenster
• Dance Centre Omar Smids
• Opus78
• Gasterij de Waldwei
• Sint Piter kerk
• WTC Hotel Leeuwarden
• Danssportcentrum Saco Velt
• Sint Genovevakerk in Jelsum
• Nicolaaskerk in Koarnjum
• Hotel Oostergoo

Please note the following:

• Additional costs for the 1-day wedding venue are listed in the ‘fees’ tab (applicable if the owner provides the venue on a one-off basis).
• The wedding ceremony must take place within the boundaries of the City of Leeuwarden.
• A venue must not violate rules governing public order, fire safety, good taste and morals. Public access must be guaranteed.
• In certain cases, an (environmental) permit may be required
  Toilet facilities must be available.

Is it an outdoor venue?

If so, you must arrange a replacement indoor venue in case of bad weather.

Is your wedding venue a boat?

If so, the boat must be docked within the City of Leeuwarden.

At most wedding venues, you will find plenty of parking facilities nearby. If you choose the town hall or Hotel-Paleis het Stadhouderlijk Hof as your wedding venue, you can obtain a maximum of 5 parking exemptions for a period of one and a half hours from the local authority. You can apply for this when reporting your marriage to Civil Affairs. They will tell you what you need to know.

The cost of a regular or budget wedding can be found under the heading ‘Fees’.

Wedding registrars of the City of Leeuwarden

There are various wedding registrar from the City of Leeuwarden. Do you have a preference? If so, please inform the Civil Affairs Department. For a regular wedding, the wedding registrar will contact you at least 2 weeks before the wedding date.

Wedding registrars from another local authority, brother, sister or close friend

Do you want to have a wedding registrar from another local authority, a brother, sister or close friend officiate at your marriage or registered partnership? No problem. An extra fee is payable for this. Report this to the Civil Affairs Department at least 3 months before your wedding. The 3-month period does not start until you have filed the notification. Right now, it is very busy with notifications. That means it will take a few months before you can file a notification.

This can be done at the town hall. You will need an appointment for this.

What do you need to take with you to the Town Hall:

• You will both need to take valid ID to that appointment.
• Witnesses are not required.
• A fee is however charged for the conversion. If you get married on a Monday morning, there is no charge.
• No ceremony is necessary. Do you want one anyway? The costs and conditions for the venue are the same as for a wedding.

A charge is made for cancelling a marriage or registered partnership. You may therefore have to pay a cancellation fee.

Cancellation from 5 months before the wedding/registered partnership is subject to a cancellation fee. This also applies to free wedding ceremonies or partnership registrations.

Cancellation fees for marriage/registered partnership ceremony

• Up to three months before the ceremony: 10% of the fee.
• Between three months and one months before the ceremony: 25% of the fee.
• Within one month to one week before the ceremony: 75% of the fee.
• From one week to the day before the ceremony: 100% of the fee.

For free marriage/partnership registration

• Between three months and one month before the ceremony: € 50.50.
• Within 1 month up to the scheduled date of the ceremony: € 84.21.

Change fees*

€ 84.21.

* The date of the ceremony date can be changed free of charge up to 1 month before the wedding date/registered partnership date. After that, a fixed fee is charged.

Payment: all fees must be paid when the marriage or partnership is arranged (the intended marriage). This also applies to the Town Hall venue costs. We request that you pay by PIN.

Civil Registry fees

• Marriage / Partnership registration (excluding venue costs): € 495.36.
• Saturday and non-regular times (excluding venue fees): € 1,015.15.
• Budget wedding (including designated venue in town hall): € 194.89.

Venue charges

• Oranjezaal, Town Hall, Hofplein entrance (Monday to Thursday): € 342.70.
• Oranjezaal, Town Hall, via platform with red carpet (Friday): € 548.40.
• Oranjezaal, Town Hall, via platform with red carpet (Saturday): € 685.50.
• Designated space in Town Hall € 131 (Hofplein entrance is not accessible to the disabled).
  • Monday from 10 am to 4 pm.
  • Tuesday to Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm.
  • Friday from 9 am to midday.

Oldehove

• € 685.50

Other costs

• Reservation of wedding venue for one day: € 82.80.
• Conversion of a partnership registration into a marriage: € 104.50.
• Use of a toga: € 96.70.
• Appointment of a wedding registrar for one day: € 315.
• Provision of one witness: € 71.70.
• Wedding/registered partnership certificate/duplicate: € 43.
• Certificate calligraphy for one certificate: € 39.50.
• Calligraphy for each child in certificate: € 23.90.
• Conversion of a partnership registration into a marriage: € 104.50. This only applies if the conversion is done at the counter. Otherwise you pay the execution costs.

• To report your marriage, make an appointment at the Civil Affairs Department of the City of Leeuwarden. Contact us. During this appointment, you can also name your witnesses.
• If you were not born in the Netherlands or have lived abroad, contact the Civil Affairs Department of the City of Leeuwarden a few months before the wedding.