Getting married in The Hague

Published: 30 September 2010 Modified: 12 April 2012

If you want to get married in the Netherlands, there is a lot you will have to arrange at your local municipality. Firstly, you will have to inform the municipality that you intend to get married, and then select the official of your choice to perform the ceremony.

The exact steps to take are as follows:

Step 1: You report to the municipality in which you want to get married. You then receive a brochure that contains a list of the documents you will need in order to get married.

Step 2: You submit the documents and make an appointment to get a marriage license, which means that you give notice of the intended marriage (ondertrouw) and the municipality verifies whether or not this is allowed. You will now also select a date for the civil ceremony and make reservations for the wedding venue for the civil ceremony, and you will receive forms for the witnesses.

Step 3: You have three weeks before the wedding to finalise the last arrangements at the same sub-municipal office where you got your marriage license.

Step 4: The big day. Congratulations!

The civil ceremony

Wedding couples may decide themselves where they would like to hold their civil ceremony in The Hague. In 2010 Sunday weddings became possible at almost 100 locations in The Hague including the Old City Hall on the Groenmarkt and all the non-municipal wedding locations. It is not possible to get married in City Hall or in the sub-municipal office in Loosduinen on Sunday.

For all wedding-related issues, please contact City Hall or the sub-municipal office in your district. For more (Dutch-language) information about planning your wedding, you can visit Ons Haagse Huwelijk.

Choosing a surname

Husbands and wives can use each other’s surnames in everyday life, even when they are no longer married. The same applies to registered partners. Please download the PDF 'Choosing a surname' from the Ministry of Justice.

More info

More information on marriage in the Netherlands can be found in the PDF 'Marriage, Registered Partnership and Cohabitation' from the Ministry of Justice.