How do you go about obtaining your Dutch marriage certificate and registration and how about an Amsterdam wedding? Explorer Publishing guides you through the process.

The paperwork
In the Netherlands, to get married you must be over 18 years old (unless you are 16, female and pregnant with permission from your parents) and at least one of you must either be a Dutch national or you must both have residency. If neither of those options is applicable to you but you would still like to marry in the Netherlands you can contact the IND for a temporary visa, MVV. 

Before you begin the process of registering your marriage there is some documentation you should have. If you or your intended is not Dutch, an EU or EEA citizen, or in possession of a valid residency card you must first contact the foreign police (vreemdelingdienst) and request a declaration (M46) from them, so that they do not object to the marriage. There are several other documents you will need: a valid passport, your residence visa, attested birth certificates (if not from the Netherlands), proof that you are single, and witness forms.

The process
You will need to have two witnesses to the marriage but you can have a total of four if you choose. The witnesses will need to supply you with a copy of their passports. Once you’ve gathered all the documents you must go to the town hall of the place where you live (gemeente) and enter into ‘ondertrouw’ which translates roughly to ‘intent to marry’. There are no costs for entering into ondertrouw but there are fees depending on when and where you get married and charges for the marriage documents you receive once you are married. Once you declare your intent to marry to the city you can be married after two weeks, but no later than a year from the date of declaration. The city acts as your adviser on how to proceed, and when you enter into ondertrouw they will let you know all of your options for wedding locations and give you a book called a trouwgid (wedding guide) with information on everything from florists to honeymoon suites. If there is any documentation you don’t have yet or that isn’t properly attested they will let you know.

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