Preparing for a civil marriage in Luxembourg
Last update
Summary:
To get married in a civil ceremony in Luxembourg, you must complete a number of procedures and prepare a marriage file.
In order to have a civil marriage in Luxembourg, it is necessary:
- to complete a number of procedures in advance, which may vary depending on your nationality; and
- to gather all the documents necessary to constitute the marriage file.
Religious marriage may only be celebrated after the civil marriage has taken place.
Who is concerned
The 2 people who wish to marry each other:
- may be of different sexes or of the same sex;
- can be of any nationality;
- must be at least 18 years of age, unless they have authorisation from the guardianship judge in the case of a minor.
One of the two parties must officially reside in Luxembourg.
Deadlines
You must submit your marriage application to the civil registry office at least one month before your wedding date.
Given the formalities that need to be completed, we recommend that you visit the civil registry office at least 2 to 3 months before your wedding date.
How to proceed
Constitution of the marriage file
Your marriage must be celebrated in a commune where at least one of the 2 spouses has their official residence.
Depending on the relevant commune, you may or may not be required to appear in person before the civil registrar:
- with of without an appointment;
- with or without your identity cards or passports;
- to receive the forms with the procedures to be followed and the list of documents to be provided.
Therefore, please contact your commune directly for information on how to collect and submit your marriage application.
Supporting documents
Essential supporting documents
You must provide:
- proof of your identity, such as a copy of your valid passport or identity card;
- if one of you does not have legal residence in Luxembourg:
- a residence certificate; or
- failing that, any document proving your residence;
- if necessary, proof of celibacy (with a statement of civil status) certifying that you are unmarried from both parties:
- if you are a Luxembourg national, a recent copy of your birth certificate issued in Luxembourg;
- if you are a foreign national, a certificate of legal capacity to marry. If this certificate cannot be issued by the authorities of your country of origin, it may be replaced by a certificate of national custom (certificat de coutume) and a certificate of celibacy. To find out which authority can issue these documents abroad, you can contact the commune of your last place of residence abroad or the relevant embassy.
- a full copy of your birth certificate (showing your parents' names):
- drawn up by the commune of your place of birth;
- which is less than 6 months old.
If no birth certificate can be issued, it can be replaced by an affidavit (acte de notoriété):
- issued by the justice of the peace of the place of your birth or legal residence;
- recognised by the district court (tribunal d’arrondissement) of the place where the marriage is to take place.
If you reside in Luxembourg, your place of residence will be verified by the civil registrar when the file is created.
Supporting documents must be written in the following languages:
- French; or
- German; or
- English.
If your birth certificate was issued in:
- a European Union (EU) Member State, you must supply:
- a national certificate translated into one of these 3 languages by a sworn translator; or
- an multilingual birth certificate (in accordance with the annex to ICCS Convention No. 34);
- a non-EU country, you must submit the document with the signature legalised or apostilled and translated by a sworn translator into one of these 3 languages.
Additional documents depending on the case
Where applicable, you must both also submit:
- the death certificate of your previous spouse;
- the death certificate of one of your parents if you are a minor;
- the birth certificate of children to be legitimised.
Please note: A child born before the marriage and not recognised by one of the 2 parents must be recognised before the marriage ceremony in order to have the status of a legitimate child.
Children who are recognised are automatically legitimised by marriage.
If you are divorced, you must provide:
- the previous marriage certificate(s) with mention of divorce; or
- a transcript of the divorce judgment(s).
If the divorce judgment was pronounced in:
- an EU Member State:
- before 1 March 2001, it must be made enforceable in Luxembourg by a judgment of the Luxembourg court;
- since 1 March 2001, a certificate provided for in Article 36 of Regulation EC 2019/1111 must be attached to the marriage file;
- a non-EU Member State, it must be made enforceable in Luxembourg by a judgment of the Luxembourg court.
Note: the official documents to be provided may vary according to the customs of your country of origin (see below).
Special provisions for German nationals
If you are a German national, you must submit a German certificate of legal capacity to marry ('Ehefähigkeitszeugnis') to the civil registrar in the commune where you are getting married. This certificate is delivered by:
- the commune of your last place of residence in Germany; or
- your commune of birth; or
- Standesamt I in Berlin if you have never lived in Germany.
Special provisions for Italian nationals
If you are an Italian national:
- born and resident in Luxembourg since birth, the publication of your marriage will take place at the Italian Consulate. The civil registrar of your commune of residence will inform the consulate; or
- born in Italy, the marriage is published in Italy. The civil registrar will inform the relevant commune through the Italian Consulate. A tax will be payable to the commune in Italy.
Special provisions concerning Portuguese nationals
Whether both of you are Portuguese nationals or only one of you is, you must both go to the Consulate General of Portugal in Luxembourg and bring the following:
- a recently issued birth certificate (not older than 6 months);
- a national ID card or passport;
- a foreign ID card or a residence certificate;
- a parental authorisation for minors;
- a Portuguese birth certificate mentioning the current civil status.
The Consulate services publish the notice:
- at their premises; and
- if necessary, at the relevant Portuguese civil registry office depending on your place of residence during the 12 months prior to the opening of the file.
Once the file has been completed, these services send the following directly to the relevant communal administration:
- the certificate of legal capacity to marry; and
- the documents submitted.
Information to provide to finalise your marriage preparations
You must both provide:
- date and place of birth of your parents, their domiciles, and their professions. If one of your parents has died, you must indicate the place and date of death;
- your 13-digit Luxembourg national identification number (matricule);
- the number of people who will attend your civil wedding;
- your address after the marriage.
The marriage ceremony
Prior publication
In Luxembourg, all marriages are preceded by a publication, for 10 days from receipt of the required documents:
- in the commune where you reside; and
- at the civil registry office of the commune where the marriage will be celebrated.
If you have moved within the last 6 months, your marriage must be published in the commune of your previous place of residence.
Date and time of the ceremony
You must celebrate your marriage within 12 months of the end of the publication period, otherwise a new publication is required.
You can set the date and time of your wedding ceremony upon submitting all the necessary documents for the publication of your marriage.
In principle, marriages may take place on any working day of the week.
Location
Your marriage can only be celebrated in the commune where one of you legally resides.
You can celebrate it:
- at the town hall; or
- in another place of celebration designated by the communal council.
In the event of a serious impediment, the public prosecutor for the place where your wedding is taking place may authorise the civil registrar to perform your marriage ceremony:
- at your home; or
- your place of residence.
Procedure
Your civil marriage is pronounced by:
- the mayor, in their capacity as civil registrar; or
- a alderman or communal councillor, acting as a delegate to the mayor's duties.
Who to contact
Communal administrations
- Address:
- Luxembourg
Embassies and consulates
- Address:
- Luxembourg
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Further information
-
Matrimonial property regimes and marriage contracts
on the Chamber of Notaries website
-
Marriage
on the Your Europe portal
-
Association luxembourgeoise des traducteurs et interprètes (ALTI)
Site web
-
Convention (No.34) on the issue of multilingual and coded certificates and extracts from civil-status records
on the website of the International Commission on Civil Status
Legal references
-
Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 of 25 June 2019
on jurisdiction, the recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility, and on international child abduction
- Code civil – Livre I, Titre V
-
Loi du 8 juin 2022
concernant la célébration du mariage dans un édifice communal autre que la maison communale
