Register an unmarried partnership

Are you planning to register your unmarried partnership? You first need to notify the municipality of your intention.

What is it?

By submitting your notice of intent, you are conveying your intention to register your unmarried partnership. More information about the procedure of registering an unmarried partnership can be found under Unmarried partnership

How does it work?

You can have your unmarried partnership registered.

What are the conditions?

• At least one of the partners must be a resident of The Hague. If this is not the case, check the conditions under the 'Pilot programme' at the bottom of the page to see if your situation qualifies.
• You need to do this at least two weeks before the intended date of the partnership registration.
• The partnership registration must take place within one year of submitting the notice. Please note: If the one-year period has expired, then you need to resubmit the notice of intent to register a partnership.

For whom is it intended?

Couples who want to register their partnership.

What will I need?

• Proof of identity for yourself and your partner
• The personal details and proof of identity (original or copy) of your witnesses.

If you were born in the Netherlands and have always lived here, then your details are usually registered with the Municipal Personal Records Database (GBA). You will not need to provide any official documents (like a birth certificate).

If you do not have Dutch nationality, were born abroad or were previously married in a foreign country, then it is advisable to find out well in advance what kind of documents you need and whether they meet the requirements. You should anticipate that it can sometimes take some time before you have these documents in your possession.

Foreign documents

Documents from abroad that are not written in Dutch, French, German or English must be translated into Dutch by a sworn translator in the Netherlands.

Documents from certain countries must be legalised or provided with an apostille stamp. More information on this topic is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Have you moved to another country or are you or your partner living abroad? Then you also need a recently issued statement confirming your domicile, nationality and marital status.

Is one of the partners not a Dutch citizen? Then you will need a statement from the IND (M-46). You can get this form from the municipality. Please note: This does not apply to:

• partners who are citizens of an EU member state and who are registered with the Municipal Personal Records Database (GBA)
• partners with permanent entitlement to residence

Are you a minor or are you under guardianship? Don’t forget to first obtain permission.

How much will it cost?

The notice of intent to register a partnership is provided free of charge.

How do I apply/What do I need to do?

Many of your unmarried partnership registration affairs can be arranged online. To do so, visit the website of Ons Haagse Huwelijk.

• Submit all the required documents to one of the sub-municipal offices.
• The registry of births, deaths and marriages will assess whether your documents are correct. Have your documents been approved? Then you may make an appointment at the sub-municipal office for a notice of intent to register a partnership.
• Will the partnership registration take place in The Hague? Then the registry of births, deaths and marriages will give you the witness forms. You need to have between two and four adult witnesses. If you do not have any witnesses of your own, you can request a witness.
  
• Take the completed witness forms and proof of identity (originals or copies) of your witnesses to your appointment for the notice of intent to marry. Alternatively, you may send the forms directly to the Department of Public Service, to the attention of the Bureau Huwelijken.

Pilot project

Normally you submit your notice of intent to register a partnership in the municipality in which one of the partners lives. A pilot programme started in The Hague region in 2010 which gives couples the opportunity to arrange their notice of intent to register a partnership in the municipality in which the partner registation will take place.

The following municipalities are participating in the pilot: The Hague, Delft, Lansingerland, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Midden Delfland. Rijswijk, Westland and Zoetermeer.

See also

• Unmarried partnership
• Certificate of unmarried partnership
• Marriage certificate
  
• Department of Public Service