# Trying to marry my German fiance



## primeprune (5 mo ago)

Hello, all. I've been with my fiance for about 4 years and we want to tie the knot in Germany, where he lives. I live in the US. He went to the Standesamt in Borgolzhausen, which is a very tiny village and they told us what documents we needed. I sent my documents over to him and he will be giving our documents to the Standesamt when he can. All of this is such short notice, I'll be flying over in October and leaving in November. I just want to ask, what happens after we give them our documents, do we get the OK to get married, do we sign the marriage application when I fly over? How long does it take for the Standesamt to process foreign documents for a marriage? I've made hundreds of google searches trying to figure this out and haven't found anything. If someone that has gone through this or knows what happens next PLEASE let me know. Thank you.


----------



## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

As a general rule, the easiest way for a German and a non-German to get married is to go to Denmark and get married there.


----------



## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Harry Moles said:


> As a general rule, the easiest way for a German and a non-German to get married is to go to Denmark and get married there.


However, this can cause a bureaucratic nightmare later. Especially if the couple have children.


----------



## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

primeprune said:


> I sent my documents over to him and he will be giving our documents to the Standesamt when he can. All of this is such short notice, I'll be flying over in October and leaving in November. I just want to ask, what happens after we give them our documents, do we get the OK to get married, do we sign the marriage application when I fly over? How long does it take for the Standesamt to process foreign documents for a marriage?


You'll only know how long it takes after they finish with yours; the time frame varies greatly.

It also makes a difference where you were born (some countries have unreliable documents) and if either of you have been married before.

If neither of you have been married before and have American/German docs the process is relatively straightforward.


----------



## MikeC227 (5 mo ago)

My wife Is German, I am American. We got married in Denmark. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. Danish Marriage certificate recognized by all. There are companies who specialize in this which combine the legalities of arraigning the marriage (you submit the paperwork, they do all the background work) and who also organize a travel package to and from wherever you live. We chose to travel by train, had the hotel set up, did the marriage ceremony at the Vejle city hall, and enjoyed a few extra days in Jutland before taking the train back to Germany. There were more than a few couples on the same train with us who were doing the same thing.


----------



## MikeC227 (5 mo ago)

MikeC227 said:


> My wife Is German, I am American. We got married in Denmark. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. Danish Marriage certificate recognized by all. There are companies who specialize in this which combine the legalities of arraigning the marriage (you submit the paperwork, they do all the background work) and who also organize a travel package to and from wherever you live. We chose to travel by train, had the hotel set up, did the marriage ceremony at the Vejle city hall, and enjoyed a few extra days in Jutland before taking the train back to Germany. There were more than a few couples on the same train with us who were doing the same thing.


PS: Many Danes speak english as well as German, so getting around was easy. The country itself was beautiful during the summertime. People were friendly and hospitable. It really was a great way to get married.


----------

