Getting Married in Denmark: Preparing Australian Documents

Denmark is one of the simpler places in Europe for Australians to marry, and the paperwork is a large part of the reason. On the Danish government's current guidance, Australian documents typically need no apostille, English-language documents need no translation, and everything is uploaded as a photograph rather than posted. For most couples, there is nothing for a notary to do.

What remains is getting the right documents together, in a form the Danish authority can read, and settling one point where the official guidance is not as clear as it could be.

Last checked: 24 September 2026, against the Danish Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset) and the Danish government's Life in Denmark portal. Requirements change; read the current pages before you apply.

Who you apply to

Before a Danish municipality will marry you, a Danish authority must issue a certificate of marital status, confirming that you both meet the conditions to marry under Danish law.

If either of you is not a Danish or Nordic citizen, or does not hold an indefinite residence permit in Denmark, you apply to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset), not to the municipality. For an Australian couple, that means the Agency. The application is made online, and the Agency publishes its fee.

The certificate is valid for four months from the date it is issued, so time the application to the wedding date rather than doing it as early as possible.

What you upload

The Agency's document list for foreign applicants asks for:

• Your passports — photographs of every page, including the front and back covers and any blank pages, in colour and good quality.
• Evidence of your right to enter and stay in Denmark. For non-European citizens, the Agency lists a visa, a Schengen residence permit, a passport or an entry stamp. It also sets conditions on the passport: valid for at least three months beyond your stay, with two empty pages, and issued within the last ten years. Check your passports against those three conditions first.
• If you live together outside Denmark, a residence certificate or similar documentation.
• If either of you has been married before, documentation that the marriage ended — a divorce order, a death certificate, or an annulment.
• If you have children together, their birth certificates.

The Agency recommends photographing documents with a smartphone rather than scanning them. It does not ask for originals or certified copies for this application.

Apostille: typically not needed for Australian documents

The Agency's documentation page says that documents originating from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or Turkey typically do not require legalisation or an apostille to be accepted in Denmark.

That is unusually direct, and it means the most common cost of marrying abroad — DFAT apostilles, and a notary to prepare documents for them — usually does not arise. Do not pay for an apostille unless the Agency asks for one in your case.

Translation: English is accepted

Documents must be provided in their original language and in Danish, English or German, and translations must be made by an authorised translator. An Australian divorce order or death certificate is already in English, so it can go in as it is.

If one of you has documents in another language — a divorce from another country, for example — have them translated by an authorised translator. Ask the Agency which translators it accepts before paying for one.

The one unclear point: proof of your marital status

The Life in Denmark portal says that if you do not live in Denmark, you should enclose any certificate of marital status from your current country of residence. The Agency's own document list, which we checked on the same day, does not ask Australian residents for one.

Australia does not issue a general "marital status certificate". The closest Australian document is a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage, issued by the Australian Government for Australian citizens marrying overseas. If the Agency asks you for proof of marital status, ask whether a Certificate of No Impediment will satisfy it, and whether it needs an apostille. Our guide to getting married overseas explains where that certificate comes from; it is issued by the government, not by a notary.

Do not order one on spec. Ask the Agency first, in writing.

If you have been divorced

A divorce order from the Federal Circuit and Family Court is the usual evidence for an Australian divorce. Upload the order itself, not a letter about it, and check the name on it matches your passport. If you have changed your name since, include the document that links the two — a marriage certificate or a change of name certificate.

If the divorce was granted in another country, that country's divorce document is what you upload, translated if it is not in Danish, English or German. An Australian notary cannot vouch for a foreign court's document.

After the wedding

Your marriage will be registered in Denmark and you will receive a Danish marriage certificate. A marriage validly performed overseas is generally recognised in Australia without being registered again here. If you need to use the Danish certificate in Australia — for a partner visa, for a change of name, or with a bank — check what the receiving body wants: an apostille from Denmark, a translation, or neither. That is arranged in Denmark, not in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need a notary to marry in Denmark? On the current guidance, usually not. Australian documents typically need no apostille, English is accepted, and documents are uploaded as photographs.

Do we need our birth certificates? The Agency's list asks for birth certificates of any children you have together, not your own. Upload what the Agency's list and its checklist ask for.

Can we apply before we arrive in Denmark? The application is online, and the Agency asks for evidence of your right to enter and stay. Check the Agency's current guidance on timing, and remember the certificate's four-month validity.

Is a Danish marriage recognised in Australia? Generally yes, if it was valid where it was performed. For advice on a particular situation, speak to a family lawyer.