Marriage

Planning a civil marriage

Required documents

1. Identity documents

  • identity card for EU nationals
  • passport for non-EU citizen

2. Birth certificate

Applicants for marriage must bring a full copy (complete version with filiation) of their birth certificate dating less than 6 months.

For foreign documents issued by countries that are not bound to Luxembourg by an international  convention (ICCS Convention No. 16), a legalisation of signature or Apostille according to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 is required.

3. Proof of residence

A civil marriage can only be celebrated in Walferdange if one of the spouses is legally resident there. The domicile of residents of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will be verified by the civil registrar at the time of submission of the file with the help of their valid residence cards and by consulting the National Register of Natural Persons. In case of inconsistencies, a certificate of residence must be provided.

For persons domiciled outside the Grand Duchy, a certificate of residence, dated less than 3 months, issued by the administration of the place of residence abroad, must be provided.

4. Other documents

In the event that the production of additional documents, such as the death certificate of the previous spouse, documents relating to the divorce, an authorisation from the guardianship judge for minors, a certificate of matrimonial capacity (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis) prescribed by the national authorities from which the future spouses originate, would be compulsory, the civil registrar will provide the future spouses with all the useful information.
Attention: Any document coming from a foreign country must also be provided with an Apostille or legalisation of signature.

Download the full list here

Preparation of the file

For the submission of the documents, both future spouses must appear together before the registrar with their valid identity cards (EU) or valid passports (non-EU).

The required documents must be deposited at the registry office no later than one month before the date of the marriage. Civil status documents not drawn up in French, English or German must be translated into one of these three languages by a sworn translator. The banns of marriage must be published, before the wedding, in the municipalities of residence of the future spouses, for 10 consecutive days.

The marriage must be done within 12 months of the date of publication.

Date and place of celebration of the marriage

The date of the marriage celebration is fixed by the civil registrar, in agreement with the future spouses, when the documents necessary for the publication of the marriage are handed in (the file must be complete). It is therefore important that the future spouses do not set the date or time of the religious ceremony before completing the formalities at the commune.

In Walferdange, civil marriages are celebrated on Friday afternoons. Marriages are not performed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

As certain formalities must be fulfilled, the future bride and groom are requested to enquire at the registry office at least two months before the chosen date. Foreign nationals are married according to their personal status and are asked to enquire at least 3 months before the chosen date.

For further information:

guichet.lu