Certificate of marital competence

If at least one of you has Dutch nationality, and:

• If you live in the Netherlands: the registrar of births, marriages and deaths at your place of residence.
• if you lived in the Netherlands: by the registrar of births, marriages and deaths in the municipality from which you departed abroad
• if you do not and have never lived in the Netherlands: the head of the diplomatic or consular representation of the Netherlands in the country where the marriage is performed.

Personal

To request the statement in person, you must make an . This can be done online or by calling 0492-378 500.

If you come to request a statement yourself, please bring:

• A valid ID of you and your partner
• possibly the letter from the agency requesting the statement

Written

To request a declaration of marital competence in writing, send a letter with a copy of the valid identification documents of you and your partner. We will then send you the declaration. You will receive an invoice for payment.

Highlighted text: Notice:

• Gehighlighte text: Are the necessary details for your marriage not registered in Basic Registration of Persons (BRP)? Then you may be asked for the following documents:

  • HIGHLIGHTS: A recent copy of your birth certificate and that of your partner.

  • Highlighted text: Have you been married before? If so, you need proof that you are no longer married. For example, a recent copy of a divorce certificate or a death certificate (last partner). Read more about this at Civil Status, Excerpt.*

  • Highlighted text: Have you moved abroad or do either of you live abroad? If so, you will also need a recently issued certificate of official residence, nationality or marital status.*

• Higlighte text: Are you a minor or under guardianship? Then arrange permission first.

Cited text: *Documents from abroad that are not in Dutch, German, French or English must be translated into Dutch by a sworn translator in the Netherlands. Documents from certain countries must have a legalization or apostille.

• For a written application, it takes about five business days after the municipality receives all required documents.
• At the counter, you will be given the statement immediately if you have all the necessary documents with you.