Certificate of No Impediment in Germany and the Exemption

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What the certificate of no impediment is

When a foreign national marries in Germany, the question of whether they are free to marry is answered by the law of their own country.¹ That covers the minimum age, for example, or whether an earlier marriage has really ended. A German registrar can’t easily check foreign law. So the partner brings a certificate from an authority at home stating that, under the law of that country, nothing stands in the way of the marriage.²

The point is to avoid marriages that count in Germany but not in the partner’s home country. Berlin’s Kammergericht, which decides on exemptions there, explains that this matters most for the couple’s future children.³ In practice, the certificate mainly confirms that the partner is single, or that an earlier marriage was validly dissolved.³

Who needs one

• Foreign nationals marrying in Germany. Each partner is judged by the law of the country whose citizen they are.¹ A Polish or Japanese partner therefore brings a certificate from home. If the home country issues none, the partner applies for the exemption described below.²
• Not Germans. Someone who holds German citizenship alongside another one is treated as German.¹
• Not recognized refugees, people granted asylum and stateless people who live in Germany. German law applies to them; they prove their status with their German travel document. People with subsidiary protection are not in this group and need the certificate or the exemption.⁴
• Not same-sex couples marrying in Germany. Their marriage follows German law, so there is nothing to certify.⁴

Valid for six months

A certificate of no impediment loses its force if you don’t marry within six months of the date of issue. If the certificate states a shorter period, that one counts.² So plan backwards from the wedding date: requesting the certificate too early means requesting it twice.

The registration of the marriage itself is valid for six months as well, counted from the registry office’s notice that you can marry. How registration and wedding date fit together: registry office wedding in Germany.

Which countries issue one

Not every country has such a certificate. Berlin’s Kammergericht lists countries whose authorities regularly issue one, among them Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mozambique, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey and the United Kingdom.³ The court says “among others,” so the list is not complete. Many other countries issue no such certificate, or one that doesn’t meet German requirements. Their citizens need the exemption.⁴

Two cases readers often ask about:

• United States: the US is not on Berlin’s list. The Higher Regional Court in Dresden handles American partners through the exemption. As proof of marital status, it accepts a sworn statement (affidavit) made before a notary or a German consulate in the US, or before the German registrar. It usually doesn’t ask for an apostille on American documents, but can in cases of doubt.⁵
• United Kingdom: registry offices in the UK issue the certificate to British citizens who live there, so they need no exemption. British citizens who don’t live in the UK can’t get one there. In Dresden’s district, they go through the exemption with a birth certificate and a sworn statement on their marital status, made at the German registry office.⁶

Each Higher Regional Court publishes its own country lists, and what it asks for can differ from court to court. Your registry office knows which court decides for you.⁴

The exemption: when no certificate is available

If a partner’s home country doesn’t issue the certificate, the president of the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) can exempt them from it.² In Berlin, it is the president of the Kammergericht.³ Which court decides depends on the registry office where you registered the marriage.² The court then checks, in place of the foreign authority, whether anything under the partner’s home law stands in the way. If nothing does, it grants the exemption.³

The exemption is meant for citizens of countries that issue no certificate and for stateless people who live abroad. In special cases, citizens of other countries can get it too.² That applies when a certificate can’t be obtained, or only with great difficulty. The partner then has to show what they tried.⁴

How to apply

1. At the registry office, not the court. You apply when you register the marriage. The registry office records the application and prepares the decision. You bring the documents needed to check the marriage under the foreign law.⁷
2. The file goes to the court once all documents are there.³
3. The court sets the fee and asks you for it in writing. In Berlin, the file moves on only once the payment is confirmed. A copy of your transfer receipt isn’t enough.³
4. Decision: once the exemption is granted, the file goes back to the registry office. It contacts you to set the wedding date.³

Questions about the status go to the registry office, not the court.⁴ If the foreign partner lives abroad or can’t come to the registration, a power of attorney can do. In Rostock, it must also cover the application for the exemption and arrive as a signed original — a fax or an email is not enough.⁴

Documents for the exemption

The documents differ from country to country, and the registry office tells you which apply.³ The Higher Regional Court in Rostock lists what usually applies:⁴

• Originals: civil status documents as originals, firmly attached to a German translation. Certified copies are not enough.
• Translations by a translator publicly appointed and sworn in Germany, made directly from the original language. EU documents with the EU multilingual standard form and international multilingual birth certificates usually need none.
• Apostille or legalization on foreign documents. EU documents, international civil status documents and documents covered by a bilateral treaty are exempt. Where German embassies no longer legalize documents, they can check them on request of the registry office, at your cost.
• Age limits: proof of marital status must not be older than six months when the application reaches the court. Birth, marriage and divorce certificates have no time limit.
• A valid passport. A residence permit or a toleration paper doesn’t prove identity or nationality.
• For a partner living in Germany: a registration certificate showing nationality and marital status, and proof of residence status.
• Every earlier marriage and how it ended. A divorce from outside the EU may first need recognition in Germany, and the home country may have to recognize a divorce granted elsewhere.
• The same spelling of names in every document.

Some courts also ask for a sworn statement on marital status. You can make it before the German registrar or a German notary.⁴ Berlin’s registry offices charge €30 for taking it down.⁸

Fee and how long it takes

Fee: €15 to €305 (as of October 2026).⁹ Within that range, the court sets the amount according to your income and the work involved.³ The registry office charges its own fees on top. In Berlin, that is €45 for each partner under foreign law, in addition to the €45 for the registration, plus the income-based fee for the exemption.⁸

Duration: Berlin’s Kammergericht says to expect at least three weeks, partly because of postal times. It takes longer if the court requests files from the immigration office or asks for more documents.³

Validity: the exemption is valid for six months.² The wedding has to take place within that time.

Germans marrying abroad: the German certificate

The reverse case: a German who wants to marry in another country may need a German certificate of no impediment — if that country asks for it.⁷ Some countries only want proof of marital status. In Germany, that is an extended registration certificate (erweiterte Meldebescheinigung) from the registration office.¹⁰

• Where: the registry office where you live. If you live abroad, the one of your last German residence. If you never lived in Germany, or only briefly, Standesamt I in Berlin.⁷
• What it checks: it is issued only if nothing stands in the way of the marriage under German law. So the office needs documents from both of you. Your foreign partner doesn’t need a German certificate.⁷
• Validity: six months.⁷ Cologne adds that it must still be valid on the wedding day.¹¹
• Application: orally or in writing.⁷ In Munich, you send the application and documents in writing, without an appointment. It usually takes two to three weeks there.¹⁰
• Fees (as of October 2026): €60 to €150 in Munich¹⁰; €40 in Cologne, or €66 if one of you isn’t German¹¹; €45 in Berlin, plus €45 for each partner under foreign law.⁸
• Refugees and stateless people who live in Germany get the certificate from their registry office in the same way.⁷

Planning a wedding in Denmark? What the Danish authority asks for is on getting married in Denmark from Germany. Whether your marriage abroad counts in Germany, and what to do after you return: married abroad.

After the certificate: the wedding

With the certificate or the exemption in hand, the registry office can confirm that you can marry. The date, witnesses, interpreter and fees: registry office wedding in Germany. For a partner from outside the EU, the marriage is also the basis of the residence permit: spouse visa for Germany. Your options for a shared surname: your surname after marriage. All guides: getting married in Germany.

Part of getting married in Germany. Before the wedding: registry office wedding · prenuptial agreements · same-sex marriage. Next: after-the-wedding checklist.

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