Marriage certificate
A marriage certificate contains all the details of a person’s marriage and serves as proof that the marriage has been contracted. Under certain conditions, you can request a copy of or an extract from the marriage certificate.
Conditions
The marriage certificate states
- the surname, first names, date and place of birth of the spouses
- the date of marriage
- the name chosen by a spouse after the marriage
- and the surname, first names
- and the date and place of birth of the witnesses, if any.
Under certain conditions, you can request a copy of or an extract from the marriage certificate:
- A copy contains the original data of the certificate and the history of the status of the person to whom the certificate relates.
- An extract, on the contrary, only states the current details of the certificate, without stating the history of the status of the person to whom the certificate relates. Therefore, an extract only shows the current status of the data.
Who can request a copy or an extract?
The right to receive a copy of or an extract from marriage certificates is limited to
- yourself
- the spouse
- the surviving spouse or legal cohabitant
- the legal representative (e.g. parent, guardian, conservator), blood relatives in the ascending or descending line (no relatives by affinity and side branches)
- heirs
- and special agents such as notaries or lawyers.
If the certificate is more than 75 years old, anyone is entitled to request a copy or an extract.
Procedure
You can request a copy of or an extract from the marriage certificate from the local council of the municipality.
If you have an electronic identity card (eID), you can request a copy of or an extract from the certificate
- online via the e-desk of your municipality
- or via the certificates page of My Citizen Profile (‘Mijn Burgerprofiel’).
Since 31 March 2019, certificates from the register office are registered in digital format only. If your certificate dates from before 31 March 2019, it may not yet be available digitally. Some municipalities digitise old archives when copies of or extracts from the certificates are requested or changes are made.
Requisites
If you collect the document yourself:
- your own identity card or residence permit.
If you are requesting the document for someone else:
- a power of attorney from that person and a copy of their identity card
- as well as your own identity card.
