Getting Married in Denmark: Preparing Australian Documents
Table of contents
To marry in Denmark, an Australian couple normally applies to the Danish Agency of Family Law for a certificate of marital status. Current guidance says Australian documents typically need no apostille and English documents need no translation. Most applicants upload colour photographs, and a notary is rarely needed.
Key takeaways
- Couples where either partner is not a Danish or Nordic citizen apply to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset), not to the municipality.
- The certificate of marital status is valid for four months from issue. Time the application to the wedding date.
- The Agency says documents from Australia typically do not require legalisation or an apostille.
- Documents are accepted in Danish, English or German, and are uploaded as photographs, not posted.
- Check your passports first: the Agency sets conditions on validity, empty pages and issue date.
What does this page cover?
This page was checked on 8 October 2026 against the Danish Agency of Family Law and the Life in Denmark portal. It covers the documents an Australian couple prepares to marry in Denmark and the use of the Danish certificate afterwards. Requirements change. Read the current pages before applying and follow any written Agency request. Residence permits are a separate process; see Denmark visa documents.
Who should 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 lacks indefinite residence rights in Denmark, you generally apply to the Agency of Family Law. An Australian couple can apply digitally without MitID by creating an email profile during the application. Applicants exempt from Digital Post may use the printable form and post it.
The certificate is normally valid for four months from issue, but shorter passport or residence-document validity can shorten that period. Once it is issued, arrange the ceremony with the municipality where you will marry.
What documents should 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.
- 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 clear colour photographs rather than scans. For the digital route, it asks for images or copies rather than notarised copies. A notary or Justice of the Peace should not certify documents unless the Agency makes a specific further request.
Check your passports first
The Agency sets three 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 both passports against all three before you apply. A passport that fails one of them is the most avoidable reason for an application to stall, and renewing it is an Australian Passport Office matter, not something a notary can help with.
Do Australian documents need an apostille?
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. If it ever does, a registry certificate or a divorce order can generally go to DFAT directly, without a notary; confirm with DFAT. Denmark is a member of the Apostille Convention, as the HCCH status table shows on the day, so an apostille rather than embassy legalisation is the route if one is requested. See apostilles for Denmark.
Do English documents need translation?
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, such as a divorce from another country, have them translated by an authorised translator. Ask the Agency which translators it accepts before paying for one. A NAATI-certified translation made in Australia may or may not be what the Agency means by authorised, and only the Agency can say. See document translation.
| Document | Apostille? | Translation? | Notary? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian passport | No | No | No |
| Australian divorce order | Typically not | No, it is in English | No |
| Australian death certificate of a former spouse | Typically not | No | No |
| Divorce granted in a non-English-speaking country | Ask the Agency | Yes, by an authorised translator | No; it comes from that country |
| Proof of marital status, if the Agency asks | Ask the Agency | No | No; issued by the government |
What proves your current marital status?
The current official guidance tells applicants who live outside Denmark to have any certificate of marital status from their country of residence ready. Australia does not issue one universal document with that exact title. Australian citizens marrying overseas can apply to DFAT for a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage, but the Agency must decide whether that document satisfies its request.
Ask the Agency in writing what it wants from each partner and whether legalisation is required. A notary cannot issue a government Certificate of No Impediment; acceptance is for the Agency to decide. If a partner is not an Australian citizen or has lived elsewhere, the Agency may require a document from another authority. See documents for marrying overseas.
What 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, such as 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, and should not be asked to certify it as if it were Australian.
What happens 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, 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, because documents issued overseas are authenticated in the country that issued them. For questions about the legal effect of the marriage in a particular situation, speak to a family lawyer.
How much does the application cost?
The Agency's fee is DKK 2,100 in 2026. It is reviewed annually, must be paid before processing and is not refundable after submission. A complete application that meets the conditions is generally estimated at five working days, but requests for missing information can cause a much longer delay.
Budget separately for replacement certificates, translations, travel and the municipal ceremony. Notary and DFAT fees arise only if the Agency makes a document-specific request.
Official sources
- Agency of Family Law: documentation, translation and legalisation rules
- Life in Denmark: certificate, passport and application requirements
How should you prepare, in order?
- Check both passports against the Agency's three conditions, and renew any that fail.
- Read the Agency's current document list, and save it with the date.
- Gather proof that any previous marriage ended, with name-linking documents if names differ.
- Arrange translations only for documents not in Danish, English or German, by a translator the Agency accepts.
- Photograph every document clearly, in colour, and apply online at a time that keeps the four-month validity in step with the wedding.
- Answer any further request from the Agency, including on proof of marital status, before ordering anything extra.
Here is an illustration, not a real case
A Darwin couple plan to marry in Copenhagen in late spring. One partner was divorced in Australia several years ago and has since reverted to her birth name. Before applying, they check their passports: his was issued eleven years ago, so he renews it. They apply online a few months before the wedding, uploading photographs of every page of both passports, her Australian divorce order, and her change of name certificate linking the two names. Nothing is notarised, apostilled or translated. The Agency does not ask for proof of marital status, so they do not order a Certificate of No Impediment.
In short
Australians marrying in Denmark apply online to the Agency of Family Law for a certificate of marital status that lasts four months. On current guidance, Australian documents typically need no apostille, English is accepted, and everything is uploaded as photographs, so a notary is rarely involved. Check your passports first, prove any earlier marriage ended, and ask the Agency in writing before ordering a Certificate of No Impediment.
Related questions
- What documents do I need to marry overseas?
- What does a Danish residence permit need from Australia?
- How do I apostille a document for Denmark?
- Does my divorce order need notarising?
- How do I use a marriage certificate overseas?
Asked by the Agency for notarisation or an apostille? Send us the exact request, document type, location and deadline. We will explain the relevant step and quote before you book.
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 rather than certified copies.
Who issues the certificate of marital status for an Australian couple?
The Danish Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset), where either partner is not a Danish or Nordic citizen or does not hold an indefinite residence permit in Denmark. The application is made online.
How long is the certificate of marital status valid?
Four months from the date it is issued. Time the application so the certificate is still valid on the wedding date.
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.
Do Australian documents need an apostille for a Danish marriage?
The Agency says documents from Australia typically do not require legalisation or an apostille. Do not pay for one unless the Agency asks in your case.
What passport conditions does the Agency set?
The passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your stay, have two empty pages and have been issued within the last ten years. Check both passports before you apply.
Do we need a Certificate of No Impediment?
Current guidance tells applicants living outside Denmark to have any marital-status certificate from their country of residence ready. Ask whether an Australian Certificate of No Impediment satisfies that request and whether it needs legalisation before ordering it.
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 four-month validity.
My divorce was granted overseas. What do I upload?
That country's divorce document, with a translation by an authorised translator if it is not in Danish, English or German. An Australian notary cannot vouch for a foreign court's document.
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.
